Cheap detergents (like Sun) for bath towels?

[mrsalvo]

Ralph, I noticed that too about chlorine bleach deteriorating fabrics faster and changed my usage to an oxygen based bleach. Also I really didn't want to put chlorine bleach in the septic system since I don't really pump it out often. I can't tell the difference much in using oxygen bleach from the chlorine, esp. if I let a load of towels soak a while before finishing the cycle.

[I've switched to the free & clear detergents, trying to rid the house of strong smells, since I've gotten older I've had some health issues (migraines among them) and, overall, I think I feel better. (Gain nearly put me in the ER).
Some years ago I bought a plastic bucket of Wind Fresh from Sam's Club and after I used it up I kept the bucket for cleaning the house and patio areas. Many months later I picked it up after it was sitting in the indoor patio and lo, and behold, I could smell the scent of Wind Fresh quite strongly in the bucket. That told me the manufacturers were really piling on perfumes, and that helped me to decide to make a change.]
Am glad to have my question answered if Sun came in a free & clear version.
I may try it when I'm finished using up my current stash.

Laundress, I agree 100% with your comment about chlorine bleach. I learned the hard way about Lysol Bathroom cleaner not killing strong germs in the bathroom when my Dad was in TB treatments for bladder cancer. I called Lysol and they told me it was noneffective in killing the microbes. It put me in bed for 2 days!!!!! All that stuff did was to smear it around. I haven't used Lysol since.

Thanks guys,
Barry

 

[chachp]

I'm with you Eddie...

 

<span style="font-family: 'book antiqua', palatino; font-size: 14pt;">My motivation for the Sanitary cycle was never for disinfecting but because I thought the high temps cleaned better.  When we bought the Bosch, front loading washers weren't as popular as they are now and I think a machine that had an onboard heater wasn't that popular yet.  I specifically picked that machine for the heater because I wanted the better cleaning.</span>

 

<span style="font-family: 'book antiqua', palatino; font-size: 14pt;">I only knew my whites were falling apart from the bleach and I wanted another option.  From what I read Oxygen Bleach and heat would do it.  At that time my choices seemed to be Bosch, Miele or Asko.  I went with Bosch because I was worried about getting service where we live.  That set lasted about 15 years with only a few service calls so I can't really complain.  We went with the Samsung this time for the size.  We wanted a machine to handle our king sized comforter and again I was worried about service out here in never, never land so we went with the Samsung.  So far, so good.</span>

 

<span style="font-family: 'book antiqua', palatino; font-size: 14pt;">I never even thought about germs until folks here started talking about it.  So it has been in the back of my mind but I don't feel like I am harming either of us by the way I do our laundry.  At least I hope I'm not.  It's just the two of us and we seldom get sick so I guess we're OK.</span>

 

[launderess]

To be fair

There has been a push from certain quarters to wean domestic consumers off using copious amounts of anti-bacterial or whatever disinfectant products.

Personally for years haven't bothered with basic store products, but gotten commercial/institutional hospital grade disinfectants from supply houses or eBay. Dilute according to directions in spray bottle, and there you are. It truly is amazing things one remembers from nursing school, and odd how many ways it manifests itself... *LOL*

 

[mrsalvo]

John, to your original question: Using a good detergent, cheaper or not, for bath towels and wash cloths would, in my mind, depend on how OFTEN you use, or REUSE, a towel after bathing. Someone who would use a towel multiple times I would think would want to make sure the detergent would get the grub out. Lord only knows what is on a wash cloth when cleaning certain areas!!! If in doubt, just look at a freshly washed kitchen towel. Don't want to gross anyone out.

Barry

 

[sudsmaster]

A problem with cheap detergents may arise in hard water locations. Usually the main or only water softener in a cheap powder is sodium carbonate. This chemical can form insoluble mineral deposits in hard water, which then can deposit on both fabrics (looking like lint) and washer parts (looking like cement).  Additionally it can give the finished wash a scratchy feel.

 

In the past powders were softened with STPP (sodium tripolyphosphate) and this chemical doesn't form insoluble precipitates in hard water. It also can help dramatically in removing mineral based soils from fabrics. These soils may include clay based mud/dirt, as well as even automotive lubricants like grease and oils. However starting in the 70's mfg's started phasing out phosphates from laundry detergents, because of concern that they were getting into fresh water bodies and encouraging algal blooms. For many years California and other arid states allowed phosphated laundry detergents while moister states like the eastern seaboard banned them. For a long time I've been able to purchase Mexican powdered laundry detergents that contained STPP. But for the past few years these have been replaced by phosphate free formulations, too. (Like Ariel, Foca, 123, etc).

 

My solution has been to purchase STPP in bulk from a local chemical supplier and add it separately to wash loads as needed. Especially towards the end of summer and into fall when the local water supply tends to get more mineral laden.

 

Liquid detergents generally do not contain STPP as it is not stable in aqueous storage. Instead these detergents may contain alternate water softeners which may or may not be as effective as STPP.

 

More expensive powders and liquids seem to contain better water softeners while avoiding phosphates. But I maintain that STPP is king when it comes to hard water.

 

 

 

[sudsmaster]

A problem with cheap detergents may arise in hard water locations. Usually the main or only water softener in a cheap powder is sodium carbonate. This chemical can form insoluble mineral deposits in hard water, which then can deposit on both fabrics (looking like lint) and washer parts (looking like cement).  Additionally it can give the finished wash a scratchy feel.

 

In the past powders were softened with STPP (sodium tripolyphosphate) and this chemical doesn't form insoluble precipitates in hard water. It also can help dramatically in removing mineral based soils from fabrics. These soils may include clay based mud/dirt, as well as even automotive lubricants like grease and oils. However starting in the 70's mfg's started phasing out phosphates from laundry detergents, because of concern that they were getting into fresh water bodies and encouraging algal blooms. For many years California and other arid states allowed phosphated laundry detergents while moister states like the eastern seaboard banned them. For a long time I've been able to purchase Mexican powdered laundry detergents that contained STPP. But for the past few years these have been replaced by phosphate free formulations, too. (Like Ariel, Foca, 123, etc).

 

My solution has been to purchase STPP in bulk from a local chemical supplier and add it separately to wash loads as needed. Especially towards the end of summer and into fall when the local water supply tends to get more mineral laden.

 

Liquid detergents generally do not contain STPP as it is not stable in aqueous storage. Instead these detergents may contain alternate water softeners which may or may not be as effective as STPP.

 

More expensive powders and liquids seem to contain better water softeners while avoiding phosphates. But I maintain that STPP is king when it comes to hard water.

 

 

 

[mrboilwash]

Why waste power and water for sanitizing?

I wonder how much energy is used to produce a bottle of bleach. I think it would be interesting to know but unfortunately can`t find anything on this one.
Have no idea how electrolysis of bleach compares to boilwashing in an efficient washer energy wise, but can tell that bleach is much more expensive in the EU than in the US where power is rather cheap.
Then if you take the extra wear on clothes and the impact on the environment over the waste water into account I`m not sure if heat or bleach is cheaper in the end.

 

[askolover]

I paid $4+ for a gallon of Clorox at Walmart last night.  I have white towels I've owned for 10 years and always bleached that still look good.  Chlorine bleach degrades to salt water at some point. 

 

[sfh074]

Why .....

is it important for some person to buy name brand bleach vs store brand bleach?

Comparing the concentrations of sodium hypochlorite are often the same between the two. I buy the half gallon bottles for a dollar, one buckareno. They are much easier to lift and pour AND they are 5.25% sodium hypochlorite,as well.

What kills me is some bleach brands prominently advertise their concoction "kills 99.9999% of germs" and looking on the bottle the concentration is 5.25%. The highest strength I've seen on shelves is 8.25%. And it comes at a much, much higher cost. Am I missing something ..... why would I buy this slightly higher concentration vs use a bit more of the much cheaper 5.25%? Or buy name brand for that matter?

 

[iheartmaytag]

Not for Towels

Which I use either Tide powder, or Gain flings.
I do, however, use the cheap detergents, right now All pods for my blue jeans and flannel shirts. It does a good job, even with the dusty, grimy stuff from doing yard work.

 

[launderess]

Six or even near nine percent chlorine bleach is stronger and thus offers better stain/whitening and other properties. This and at that level of concentration you can achieve germicidal action.

It is a simple matter of chemistry and physics; diluting more of a less concentrated product in a given amount of water may or may not get you there. Then there is fact you are using *more* product which in turn means things end up costing more, not less. Hence as Clorox and others make clear bargain bleaches are not very much so.

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www.rjschinner.com

 

[jamiel]

Exactly... its just a math problem. Germicidal bleach is a combination of concentration and the manufacturer standing behind the manufacturing process to give you a germicidal solution in the appropriate concentration. That's why you need to look for the EpA registratiopn...with that and following instructions you get germ kill and also the certification that you did it. Important for food service, perhaps not so for household use. As it is, you could probably dpo the math on cheap bleach and get the same result if you knew the formula, which you don

 

[askolover]

I buy cheap bleach to use in the disposal and general cleaning but I only use Clorox in the laundry.  Several years ago I read something about cheaper bleach having impurities in it that would yellow the clothes and I've had a few older ladies tell me the same thing.  Tony says he's heard the same thing over the years so we just use Clorox and done with it.