Americans Purchasing European Detergents - Henkel Has Sniffed Us Out

[mich]

I once..

Tried those Downy unstoppables, in a desperate attempt to try to make my clothes smell well, scented.

It Failed

 

[launderess]

Have A Few Bottles Of Gain Lavender Detergent

Trust me, if you want something that will leave a scent on your washing this stuff will do it. Not just your washing but the boot of the machine, your hands, and anything else the stuff touches.

Just swapped out the bath linen for things that were laundered over a week ago in this Gain, and yes you can still smell the scent.

 

[maytagbear]

Purex

may be made by Henkel, but is a low quality, non enzyme/bio cheap liquid. Nothing like Persil! I'd rather use plain water instead of Purex.

Lawrence/Maytagbear

 

[mich]

Purex..

Actually does have Enzymes now.. I think it may be comparable to All or Gain in cleaning performance.

 

[whirlcool]

Or if you can find the Tide "Rose & Lily" fragrance, you'll have scenting for years to come. I still remember our Laundress telling how the scent not only got on everything the clothing touched, but smelled up her ironing board as well!

I still remember the box of the Unilever Persil Bio Powder we got a few years ago. The scent was so strong even from the unopened box we needed to put it in a plastic bag and send it out to the garage to sit for 6 months until the scent cooled down.
Once it was normally scented it cleaned just fine and the clothing had a faint "fresh
" smell it it.

 

[mich]

Do you...

Have a link to that thread she posted?

 

[maytagbear]

Mich-

You may well be correct. However, that still isn't much of a recommendation.

L/Mb

 

[foraloysius]

I think European detergets have stronger scents than in the past. And the scents are different too. Old fashioned Ariel used to have a far more subtile scent than the stuff that is on the market nowadays. Same with fabric softener. Scents of modern softeners are so heavy that they take my breath away sometimes. Due to my asthma I'm sensitive to such heavy scents. A while ago I stayed overnight with a friend. The sheets were so heavy scented that I couldn't stay in bed. Fortunately he had some sheets that weren't so heavy scented.

 

[launderess]

Have a link to that thread she posted?

Super Searchalator is your friend

http://www.automaticwasher.org/cgi-bin/TD/TD-VIEWTHREAD.cgi?13551

 

[launderess]

All My Vintage Detergents From the 1960's through 1970&#

Have light fresh fragrances. All, Surf, Tide, Wisk, Biz, Fab, Rinso, Bold, etc... the lot.

It is the modern offerings from really both sides of the pond that get up one's nose. Thank goodness for Tide "Free and Gentle", that has zero scent or dyes.

 

[chestermikeuk]

Scents..

Hi Liamy1, the product I was asking about was the original pre HE, so I`m sure you wont be setting off any metal detectors at the airports - do you import your stash?

I think many scents have changed over the years and we have seen the introduction of more "Bubblegum" scents which certain fab cons are just sickening!!

One a visit to a technical centre a few years ago we had left the washing powder spray tower area and where crossing to the museum and scents area, the manicured green lawns where being cut and the "Aroma of Freshly Cut Grass" abounded - I started laughing and said to a tech manager "Thats the Smell I Would Love In The Powder"...

It was amazing to see the "Aroma Factory", walls full of miniture essences, tinctures and parfum of just about any scent and aroma available worlwide, AND I loved the fact that dry mixing for test batches is done in the original vintage Kenwood Major mixers which are still working from the 60`s...

 

[mrboilwash]

Scents

It`s not only phosphates we are missing in modern detergents the scents we remember from the past have smelled way better, too.

Here`s my best guess. It could be because of reduction or maybe even abstinence of synthetic musk compounds in detergents, softeners and so on. On the bright side we have a lot more scents to choose from than we ever had in the past.

From Wikipedia
"The detection of the nitro- and polycyclic chemical groups in human and environmental samples as well as their carcinogenic properties initiated a public debate on the use of these compounds and a ban or reduction of their use in many regions of the world. Research indicates that these musks don’t break down in the environment, can accumulate in human bodies, are potential hormone disruptors and may break down the body’s defenses against other toxic chemical exposures. Macrocyclic musk compounds are expected to replace them since these compounds appear to be safer"

 

[launderess]

An American's Funny Take On French Laundry Products

With scents:

http://www.davidlebovitz.com/2007/11/the-notsosweet/

 

[launderess]

Maybe It is A Cultural Thing

For some reason it seems certain Latino/Hispanic groups love highly scented laundry. The number of tradesmen that have arrived at our home reeking of Tide and Downy that sent one gasping for air is now in the double digits.

The aforementioned stinky Tide "Simple Pleasures" Rose/Lavender scent detergent was gifted to the Mexican woman who was the local Laundromat attendant at the time. She reported back later both she and her family *loved* how laundry smelled after being laundered in the stuff.

Thing for me is when washing clothing/linens worn that were washed in these heavily scented laundry detergents, you get fragrance in the wash water as it drains. This means whatever scent was fixed into the clothing must also rub off one one/become absorbed. Considering some versions of Persil contain Coumarin.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coumarin

 

[chestermikeuk]

"Maybe It is A Cultural Thing"

And as the worlds best Perfumiers are from - oh where, Paris, I think that solves that little ditty - Persil in the basket it is!!

 

[chestermikeuk]

" Considering some versions of Persil contain Coumarin.&

Laundress, can you confirm which versions of Persil contain the smell of the "Sweet Mown Hay" phytochemical Coumarin please?

 

[launderess]

Don't Know Them All

But IIRC the "Lavender Fresh" gel from Henkel contains coumarin.

 

[kenmoreguy89]

The article abou the Paris girl really it's an exageration and is pathetic...I never seen someone having tears and all those "symptoms" for smelling some detergent, it's not ammonia! Camon! Don't act like this! Really Pathetic!

I keep saying I don't find all this difference about the scented ones both for American and european ones... I'm so surprised..
But one thing I can tell is the one regarding unscented detergents.
Maybe it's a cultural fact as you say, over here nobody or anyway a very small portion of people would be interested in a detergent that does not smell at all like free&clear.... even because often IMO they actually stink rather than being just unscented.
The same way they would not be interested in a scented detergent that don't leave scent after drying,obviously, rather they seek for a long lasting scent, that would possibly last days even after items are worn for short times or stored for pretty long....
Coccolino (Snuggle in USA, Cajoline in france, Comfort in UK etc) recently advertised they made "improvements" on their softeners claiming the scent will last for more time after you wear items thanks to phantomatic new improved "parfum capsules" in the softener (still have to get how is a parfume capsule inside a lquid softener) anyway..., and you and your clothes will release scent at every movement you'll do for days long after you wear them....
Detergents also as of course softeners must meet the scent criteria of leaving nice scent after wash and drying and it should last, the more it last and the better is....so for people over here, the more is parfumed the better is.
Nobody or very few would even think of buying a detergent and or softener that does not meet the characteristic of providing lasting scent after washing, drying and so wearing for at least 6 hours after being worn....
It's unthinkable...
Personally I would never do so also.....
I will never understand the way some people prefer unscented laundry.....

[this post was last edited: 9/30/2013-09:53]

 

[passatdoc]

Another crucial difference Persil vs Ariel in the UK...

Only Persil has the royal warrant. I think it's safe to say that if we were given a tour of the laundry on the Sandringham Estate, we wouldn't encounter Ariel.    When one thinks back on all the 1950s/60s' ads, warning that "someone's mum still doesn't know that Persil washes whiter...and it shows", it's comforting to know that they were <span style="text-decoration: underline;">not </span>referring to HM The Queen.

 

[passatdoc]

@launderess re: products aimed at Latino market

Agree. In particular, Gain and Gain HE, which are P&G mid-market products, are heavily targeted to Hispanics, with lots of tropical fruit fragrances. The emphasis seems to be on fragrance rather than cleaning power. Given that immigrant Hispanics didn't grow up in multi-generational Tide families (as I did---mom would never save money by buying a discount brand, it <span style="text-decoration: underline;">had </span>to be Tide), it probably makes sense to meld a non-Tide brand to fit Hispanic preferences.

Btw I have some unscented Gain HE powder which I bought on sale from Amazon (had to buy four boxes, but the price was cheap, plus free delivery) and it works rather well, as long as I don't exceed 2 tablespoons/30 ml per load. I use a coffee scoop (30 ml) to dose it, often using only 1/2-2/3-3/4 of a scoop rather than a full scoop. I use it on linens and towels. For 100% cotton/wrinkle free trousers and collared shirts, which are my office casual work clothing, I use either UK Ariel or German Persil, which I either bring home on trips or which I ask visiting European friends to bring me. Gain HE powder, when you can find it, is usually unscented and lacks the tripped-out tropical fragrances of the non-HE Gain liquids.