Detergents (Everyone To Join In)

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Here in the Netherlands we don't have bio and non-bio detergents. All, with the exception of some obscure brands that can only be found in speciality shops, are bio. Products for delicates are usually non-bio as proteases will attack wool and silk.

Neutral is owned by SaraLee. Strangely enough the brand is not mentioned on their website. After a short survey of the internet I have the impression that it is only sold in the Netherlands. They make the best softener that I know of, even better than Ecover in my opinion.

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A Candian take on detergents

I usually use a brand called Sunlight for laundry, but I have just tried one called La Parisienne which claims to be fully biodegradable (I am concerned because the house I just bought has a river on the property and I figure whatever goes into the septic tank is going to wind up there at some point!). So far, it seems to clean pretty well. For the fabric softener, I am the original 'cheap bastard' so I tend to buy the store-brand generic stuff...
TD
 
My everyday powders

hence the large plastic boxes that I've decanted them into. And yes...I know, they are Persil scoops! :-)

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The stuff I've acquired from the pound (£) shop!

Mexican Ariel and Acdo, both surprisingly effective on whites!

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Thanks

I use Tide Liquid with Bleach as I am in the restaurant business. Also... Greased Lighting makes an excellent presoak for grease stains. Run the fabric under water and spray the area with a generrous spray of Greased Lughting. Let it soak for 30-45 min. and then wash. I'm going to start a new thread about Dishwasher Detergents. Love you guys.
 
Mark....

It is indeed new Comfort. Tropical Burst it's called. Smells very much like the Lenor Tropical Fresh of yesteryear but it's not as harsh. Smells a little fruity in the bottle but when it's used its not too bad at all. Asda have it on offer for a quid a bottle at the moment so I thought it was worth a go. They've also brought another new one out which is bright green (much more intense colour than the Aloe Vera one) but I forget the name of the fragrance.

Saj
 
hey

The new green comfort is called Tempting Nature

I bought some lidl formil color tabs from lidl today to wash my colors and they are pretty good :)

18 washes for 1.89
 
Thanks saj! I will have to pop down the supermarket to get some. Don't think any of us here can resist it when there is a new product out!

Hey Zanussi. I am currently using lidl tablets. Bio and colour ones. They do a good job. I have been impressed with them.

I still think for me its Ariel powder or liquid of both bio and colour or with febreeze effect as my favourites.(depends how often I can afford them though). I tend to prefer comfort lily and riceflower or sunshine but who knows now the new ones are out!

Mark
x
 
Definitely Mark...

I've been in an Ariel mood for the last few months. I used to go on and off it due to it being very sudsy and it was impossible to rinse. Thankfully the formula has been modified and now I have no issue at all. The Ariel with febreze is definitely a winner for me and the fragrance of it I find is much more long lasting than the latest Bold efforts.

There is only one thing I have against all comfort softeners, and that is that they are very waxy. Always leaving some residue in the dispenser of the machine and if a bottle is left to stand for any length of time it tends to go like lumpy mashed spuds! Then again whilst Lenor runs freely and flushes well it can be a tad overpowering at times. Oh well, you can't have it all I suppose!

Saj
 
Saj my thoughts exactly with regards to comfort and lenor. Like you say comfort tends to be a bit too thick and you always get some left in the dispensor. Lenor is much thinner and easier to be dispensed but the scents can be a bit much.If I do go with Lenor I use the yellow or blue original but the yellow can be a bit too strong sometimes.

Mark
 
Comfort Tempting Nature is rubbish!

Smells OK in the bottle, but smells of nothing when the clothes have dried :-(

Plus it left the dispenser draw bright green after a few uses.
 
Fav Powders..

I use Aldi Tri-Mat concentrate powder, it has a great scent & even manages to get 'usbands gym stuff smelling fresh & clean
I was using a bulk low suds powder (15kg bags, $$$ shared with neighbour) eucalyptus added, great for gardening stains.
Mostly I dont use softener as is gunks up the machine & makes towels water repellant! If I really need softener I have a stash of Cuddly Sunshine Fresh concentrate hidden in the cupboard under the laundry sink.
I try to line dry most of the washing & tumble dry only if wet weather.
 
Soap!

Call me old fashioned, but I like soap. Started out using Ivory Flakes. When that was discontinued, I switched to Ivory Snow. P&G changed the formula to detergent, and I had to find something new again. Used a brand I can't remember the name of for awhile. It was a soap based liquid, sold at W-mart. Now that it's gone, I roll my own. I use 2 parts grated Zote laundry bar, 1 part borax and 1 part washing soda. For whites I add Oxy Wash, a generic oxygen bleach. Pretreat stains with Zout. It's a wonderful product, but I wish that Dial hadn't added so much perfume to the product after they brought the brand. No softener, can't stand the stuff. My clothes come out nice and fluffy with the soap anyway. I don't like detergent based products, I prefer to stay away from petrochemicals.
 
I must say im not really impressed with Ariel that im using at the moment I’m experiencing problems with rinsing with the powder and tabs can not wait to use them up, lavamat Jon has been saying that the sainsburys powder is better for rinsing (better than Persil and Ariel) I think im going to give that I try, ive been using the sainsburys basics washing powder and I must say its given impeccable results Jon commented on how white my t shirt was, no suds in the first rinse water so I might be converting to that!

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I love using all different kinds of detergents and I'm never afraid to try something new. I like using Persil which is fantastic on everything and Ariel which works just as well. But I love using stuff that makes a good level of suds lol.

I found that the Waitrose own stuff makes a really rich amount of suds but it's good at making sudslock lol. I had that problem with my old Hotpoint and my Miele. It's a fun thing to use!

Handwash powders are also good, my favourite is Dreft because it makes good sudsing levels and it can be used of everything, even on the most delicate of items. I use it in my machine sometimes in limited quantities. My nana uses it too.

As for liquids, they're great at cleaning too, I use it mainly on dark loads. Persil Small & Mighty cleans well with just a capful of it but I do like to alternate what I use now and again.

Tablets and liquitabs is something I also enjoy using simply because they're easy to dispense and I find they clean just as well as the normal stuff.

As far as fabric-conditioner is concerned, I don't use it very often in my family but I have recently tried Comfort Concentrates which smell nice and leaves a lovely smelling fragrance on the load too and like I said, I'm not afraid to try new stuff.

One thing I always use in every load is some form of water softener which of course stops limescale build-up in the machine. I find Calgon works best because as the ad goes "Washing machines live longer with Calgon!" lol.

That is my list of favourite detergents!

Enjoy!
 
I am often tempted by certain offers and return to old faves like Sainburys, M&S (bit of a hidden gem this) and Waitrose own brand when I can get it but invariably, it is always back to my old faves, Ariel Bio and Colour and Blue Comfort.
 
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