Going Green
I have recently decided to try and go fully for the environmentally friendly option...after all, London water is constantly recycled! Seeing the list of toxic-sounding chemicals in your average detergent is a bit off-putting but maybe I'm too easly swayed. I am now using Ecover liquid which is frankly rather pricey and not too hot on grease. I wish they'd make a biological version. The lavender perfume is quite pleasant though and a scoop of oxy bleach makes it go for hot wash whites.
I've also tried the new superconcentrated green power by Footprint - just 35ml for hard water! Smells nice in the tub but very little scent on the washed clothes. Oddly - for a green detergent - its formulation contains phosphates. Performance is so-so and almost sudsless so I tend to pop in a scoop of oxygen bleach for a bit more pep on whites.
Conditioner-wise it's been Ecover for the last three years.
My laundry halcyon days were between 1996 and 1999 - the scent of Ariel futur or concentrated Persil, Daz, Radion, Bold (blue or yellow) and even Surf. I wish they hadn't played around with those fragrances.
Lenor went off fragrance-wise for me when they put that "extra freshness" into it around 1995 and these days I find it very headachy, along with the new Ariel perfumes (except sensitive). I also found previously some Comfort varieties (yellow and blue) had an edge of cat pee about them...though that might be because a cat did once pee on the arm of a jumper hanging out, creating an association!
Why has P&G dropped their excellent dosing by quarter scoops on powders? Such a simple method! I see they've scrapped the half scoop light soil recommendation too...greedy b******s!!
Shop-brand detergent is usually quite accepable and a darn sight cheaper. The only thing putting me off is the artice I read saying cheaper powders are allowed to contain a certain amount of wax filler that can give whites a yellow sheen when ironed, so I stick to premium brands for whites.
Growing up, I always marvelled at friends whose clothes smelled of washing powder - I didn't think it was possible! Mum was very light handed with the soap (dosage on box: 2 cups for hard water - Mum: 2/3rds cup will do). Still, at least our colours didn't have that tell-tale Ariel fade (very bleachy - no wonder she maintained it rotted clothes...also believed Bold clogged up the machine). I did pursuade her to try liquid when it came out - Wisk - which, thinking back, wasn't that great as it must have contained hydrogen peroxide since the colours would emerge with faded patches where it ran into the drum before filling.
I could run and run on this one but had better stop rambling!
Al