An important thread - What type of detergent; powder or liquid ?

[oliveoiltinfoil]

So I have a new Bosch series 6 washing machine which I love and adore. It washes clothes quite a bit better than my previous machine which is all good.

However, I have been using these "liquitabs" for the last 3 or 4 years as they are hand and are supposed to be the right amount of liquid for an average sized load.

But someone said to me the dissolvable plastic these tablet are made out of contain alkaline which can make the rubber seal goes manky and horrible. Indeed my hotpoint had started to go black at the bottom of the seal, despite regular cleaning.

Is good old fashioned powder the best thing to go for? I understand powder is mostly used in north America, with liquid detergent being more a European thing, but I may be completely wrong.

I will probably go back to powder as in theory it should be a lot better for the clothes as it has a slightly abrasive texture to it.

 

[henene4]

We changed from powder to liquid to another liquid to powder to a mix of powder and liquid in the corse of 10 years. We never just actually had a reason to switch to them.

The surroundings of the liquid tabs is a pretty complex compound. On DW tablets, it's usually just a certain ploymere pretty simmilar to everyday sugar. Just a longer molecule AFAIK. But these tabs never made sense for our habbits as we have a pretty un-average laundry situation (extremly hard water, different load sizes etc.).

We now have 4 detergents always on hand. One being Persil Megaperls (for whites and certain heavy soil loads), a cheap powderd color detergent (for most everyday loads), a nother Henkel made detergent especially made for color protection (used on more delicate loads and if something is more likely to fade or is less soiled) and a wool detergent. Further, we have a seperate in-wash stain remover. Helps a lot on whites on lower temps (for example, for my white T-Shirts, I often use Easy Care 40° with Prewash and Short; with the stain remover all stains are gone).
I don't think these can harm your machine as long as used correctly (loaded first, used at 30° or more only), but I would still go for powder or liquid.

On a site note, I recently helped a friend who started to study and now lives alone. He asked me about laundry and as he has only few whites, I told him to buy a cheap powdered detergent for colors, a liquid detergent for delicates and a cheap in-wash stain remover. He now uses 2 spoons when ever he does his whites (about every 2 weeks) and they look perfectly clean.

 

[oliveoiltinfoil]

Hmm, interesting, thank you for your detailed answer !

I am going to revert to Persil powder me think at least for the time being. I am not convinced my whites are as clean as they should be. I am still experimenting with different programs on the Bosch.

I am most likely going to be getting an EBAC washing machine when they become available, going into my utilities room. Will be interesting to see what that machine is like on liquidtabs and powder. Apparently, EBAC and Bosch have been working together to develop the washing programs for EBACs machine. I am pretty sure the motors are also Bosch. More information will obviously come out when they are launched.

 

[logixx]

I think it's rather the opposite: powders in Europe, liquids in the US - although liquids are pushed here as well.

I think the important thing is to run a hot wash with normal powder (not the colour version) regularly. It's also a good idea to use the extra rinse for large loads to rinse out all the residue. Some people recommend to skip fabric softener as well but I haven't had a problem with it yet.

 

[oliveoiltinfoil]

Hmm, well maybe in the UK. I don't know, its tricky to say. Nearly everyone I know uses powder but here is such a variety of liquitabs and liqids it makes me wonder. I think it is probably 50/50.

I would think powder has more cleaning properties as it has bleaches and bicarbonate soda which is a universal cleaning agents as we all know. I imagine it cleans to washing machine itself quite well.

Only reason we switch to liquids was because I was watching this documentary, "Keep Britain tidy" and they showed you a drain which was blocked by washing powder, as apparently when it dries up and goes cold, it blocks the pipes, but I am sure most of it would dissolve in the washing machine? No idea.

Actually logixx, I have seen your youtube videos. They are excellent ! I now have two Germans on this thread

 

[henene4]

Whitest Whites & Ebac

My "secret" to whitest whites is simple and old school: a prewash. Works for me every time
On Ebac: Hasn't someone mentioned in another thread that Ebac cooperated with BSH for their cycle programming?

 

[hotpointfan]

Powder

Personally I use powder all the time with the exception of delicates, up to the point when I recommend powder to anyone who asks. I mainly use Persil, £11.99 for 110 washes from Costco is where I get it from.

I have dismantled machines where liquid/gel products have been used and it is not pleasant. The mould can end up on the spider and tub, causing corrosion amongst smell and problems with cleanliness of clothes.

 

[oliveoiltinfoil]

Fair enough hotpointfan. Powder it is for me! May as well use up these tablets then go and get a huge crate of powder, like the 110 wash one or something. I love buying in bulk as it is always quite a bit cheaper in the long run.

henene4; Yes, someone else did. EBAC said they had cooperated with "one of Europe's largest domestic appliance manufacturers" and that turned out to be Bosch. That should say something, as working with a huge company like BSH group wouldn't be cheap, considering they could have worked with Indiset, Candy or BEKO.

Incidentally, they are going to be sold in 6 European countries first off, including Germany and Netherlands. Mrs Petty "EBAC", the now head of the company, said these machines are designed for British homes with British washing habits first and foremost, conducting surveys and focus groups asking real people about what they like and loath about their washing machines.

She says things like the build quality was an important issue for many Brits, with flimsy doors and fragile plastics. She ensures that the body of their machines are reinforced upon normal using high quality materials. EBAC are even grinding their own plastic. Using solid one piece forged hinges. Other than that, raised control panels and an easy to remove detergent draw as well as a drum light as thing all EBACS are having.

 

[henene4]

Germany

Oh, that would be nice. Fresh food to the German market. yOnly somewhat exciting thing by now is the new line of Bauknechts, which take 3:30 for a normal Cottons 40° wash.
What I ment to say is that I hope they won't have a 1-to-1 copy of the Bosch cycles, especially on the main ones like Cottons.

 

[oliveoiltinfoil]

Haha, I understand. Some programs seem to take far longer than they should, but I think that is down to the so called energy efficiency. Washing with less water and heat, but to get consistent results, the programs need to last longer.

I will say though that the mixed load standard 40 degree wash on the Bosch (lol) take 1 hour and 3 minutes, around half the time of that on my Hotpoint aquiltis.

But, British made domestic appliances nee to make a comeback. There is no reason why we cant manufacture them, and EBAC are trying to prove that. They have made over 5,000 prototypes, spent £20 million in total and research which has spanned 5 years.

 

[BoschExxcel]

I use powder for for just about all of my normal loads. Ariel Bio for whites, towels and sheets and Ariel Colour for darks.

I only ever use liquid for small loads or delicates, in which I have some Waitrose liquid. I also have some Ariel 3 in 1 Pods which I don't like very much!

My mum always used to use liquid in our old Bosch, it was quite mouldy, and since we got the Whirlpool 8 months ago I haven't cleaned it once, and it's lovely and fresh!

Decent powders, letting your machine dry out after each wash and regular washes above 60c will keep your machine in tip top condition.

 

[oliveoiltinfoil]

Fair enough. According to "which?" magazine, Persil washing powder is the best you can get, joint with Arial bio powder, but the persil is higher rated as its around 8 pence per wash cheaper than the Ariel.

The powders got up to 91%, the best liquid only got up to 80%.

 

[frigilux]

Use whichever format you prefer. Life is too short for existential dilemmas over laundry detergent.
(Insert happy, well-adjusted pod emoji here)

 

[oliveoiltinfoil]

Well, I don't have a preference per say, just wanted a little bit of advice on which is better to use, which will keep my clothes cleaner. I wouldn't call this a debate, just some people who know more about this stuff than me giving me advice, that's all

 

[aegokocarat]

I use whatever, depends what mood Im in, but I use gels/liquids on my coloureds out of habit, but I don't always use gels or liquids, sometimes I solely use powder.
Tom

 

[zanussi_lover]

Powder for me

I use powder on whites, but have a couple of bottles of liquid which I use for darks/coloured loads or for quick wash cycles.

I have used powders on dark clothes and haven't really noticed much of a difference apart from if I dry clothes inside and I have used a liquid, the clothes can smell a bit musty (lack of oxygen bleaching agents)

 

[spiraclean]

Used to have a cupboard full of different detergents and additives, but for the past year or so I've made a point of keeping things as simple as possible. For whites, and fast colours that are not affected by oxygen bleaches, I use regular powder. For delicates and non-fast colours, that are better off without bleach, I use liquid. Bold is my preferred brand for both, substitute your own favourite here.

This combo works well for me. Everything comes out perfectly clean, stains are removed on the first wash, and my machine is spotless inside with no hint of odour or scale. Colours are still bright without fading, and my whites absolutely pop. Exactly the same results I was getting with six or seven different products, but with far less fuss.

As far as premeasured detergents go I don't mind powder tablets, because you can vary the number used depending on the load size and soil level, and they are available with or without oxygen bleach. Really cannot get on with pods however; usually I find they are either too much or too little detergent, never a happy medium.

 

[zanussi_lover]

My favourite is Daz

I love Daz washing powder (the regular one), it has a lovely almost retro smell, which smells good. And I always buy the big boxes for £4 in Tesco when they on offer. My whites are always amazing, used it on darks too and washes them well without that much fading.

I use Liquids on Darks either Surf liquid (Lavender or Tropical) or Lidl Formil 2in1/Colour Liquid.