H2O2 for washing socks?

[Miami Reef]

And I believe softeners cause skimmers to flood because everything was perfectly fine, but one day my skimmer flooded, so I checked the compartment and that same day someone in my family used softener for the first time.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

And I believe softeners cause skimmers to flood because everything was perfectly fine, but one day my skimmer flooded, so I checked the compartment and that same day someone in my family used softener for the first time.

Wikipedia shows a bunch of current fabric softeners here:

Fabric softener - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

If they did get into the tank in sufficient quantities, they would certainly cause foaming. They are perfectly designed to act as surfactants and increase foaming.

 

[scottj6]

I run a rinse cycle to clean out the washing machine and then wash my filter socks with a healthy amount of vinegar with a deep water rinse and follow that up with a 2nd rinse cycle.

 

[Miami Reef]

Wikipedia shows a bunch of current fabric softeners here:

Fabric softener - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

If they did get into the tank in sufficient quantities, they would certainly cause foaming. They are perfectly designed to act as surfactants and increase foaming.

This is the one we used to use.

I’m not sure how much was added, but it couldn’t be too much (I didn’t add any softener directly to the socks). The only way was the “soap scum” residue that gets left behind.

Fabric softener is some messy stuff. I actually don’t use any softener anymore because it’s just a waste of money and ruins the absorbency of clothes and towels.

Since the socks are very close to the skimmer, it makes sense that the skimmer would instantly flood, but I never saw any I’ll effects to the tank inhabitants. However, I actively make sure there’s no softener in the house and everyone now knows.

 

[Miami Reef]

If you are bent up on making your clothes soft, you can use drier sheets in the drier. I use laundry detergent for my clothes and it doesn’t leave any soap scum residue, so one wash cycle of my filter socks comes out clean and no skimmer foaming.

I don’t use anything besides water. No bleach etc.

 

[Jeeperz]

Fabric softeners often get caked into the dispenser department and leaches into the socks. I’ve found that cleaning that softener department and not using fabric softener anymore (not even for clothes) completely stopped the skimmer problem for me.

I don’t use any bleach.

My house doesn't use fabric softener. I just dump the bleach in after the tub has filled.