Ecolab Fabric Softener

[pulsator]

Is it possible to buy this for residential use? We use this stuff at work and they said I could take this empty (near empty) container home with me because I told them I like the scent a lot. It comes in 2.5 gallon containers and smells AMAZING! I just love the pleasant chemical scent of this stuff much more than most of the florally crap available today.

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[jeffg]

Google didn't come up with any non-commercial retailers. Can your employer order one for you?

 

[pulsator]

I suppose it's worth asking, any idea if this would be hard on the machines vintage and modern?

 

[maytagbear]

No commercial laundry

operator would knowingly use a product that would be hard on a machine. Too much invested in equipment, and downtime losses add up quickly!

Lawrence/Maytagbear

 

[launderess]

Sorry, Junior

But the answer is, no; a thousand times, no.

Ecolab has very strict rules about selling directly only to professionals. That being said if you know an Ecolab salesperson, maybe he or she will do a deal on the side. Other than that your only other resouce would be eBay and various other dealers/sources that sell off surplus to requirment products. You could just ask if your employer will let you tag onto his next order.

If you do get your mitts on any Ecolab product, don't bother contacting them directly for information. Customer service and sales won't give the time of day to anyone who is not a professional and better yet a customer. Have been there and know all to well, as one tried and was gently told off.

Have some Ecolab detergent and pre-spotter, and while the detergent did not come with any direction, happily the pre-spotter did. But then again what else does one do with pre-spotter?

Problem with many Ecolab laundry products is they are designed for dispensing by automatic systems, and the ratios are set up by an Ecolab salesperson when he/she visits. None of the labeling or such normally gives any idea of how much product to use. However you may be lucky and find dosage, but often it is given per 50lbs, 100lbs or other huge amounts of laundry. This is natural as the stuff is desgined for commercial use. For fabric softener I suggest about 1/2 to 1 tablespoon and adjust up or down depending upon the results.

L.

 

[sudsman]

Have used Ecolab for years

Laundress is right . Only commerical accounts have acess to any info. they will nicely and sometimes not so much tell you to Pi** off!~ They now are trying to find out where people get the products and will stop sales to a company that is selling outside their contact. Almost ALL sales are contract and contract priceing, What ever you do do not call the St Paul office as they have been known tell you they are sending you info and get your name and address then sent you a certified letter telling you that you are in possesion of a contract product and demanding you contact the legal office and inform them where and how you came by the product. They are NOT nice to the public.. at all.

I have used the softner you have and use on a 50 # machine is 1 to 2 oz.
BE VERY careful as if to much is used it will turn the work yellow or brown.

 

[sudsman]

Sorry forgot to give you your answer

All Ecolab products are to be used in machines with S S tubs only.. Most say on the side not to be used in home washers.. They do have products for home type machines for nursing homes ect. but they do say so on the pkg. What may not harm a commerical machine can be deadly to a home washer.

 

[launderess]

Really don't know where Ecolab gets off threatening people and such. US laws clearly state once someone purchases something, they own it and can do what they like. Professional beauty product makers have tried for ages to stop "diversion" and failed.

Much of Ecolab products I've seen on fleaBay come from either places that went out of business, or businesses that purchase same. There is of course the odd person selling off stock because they no longer have need for the products. If Ecolab wants to keep the stuff out of other peoples hands, then buy back products at cost.

As for washing machines, yes, one has to use caution with commercial products, even such innocent things as fabric softener. Many commercial/professinal fabric softeners, including those sold by Ecolab contain acids, and very nasty acids at that. They are designed to act as a "sour" as well as soften. With that in mind dosage must be caculated carefully to avoid too high concentration in the rinse bath, which might cause damage.

L.

 

[sudsman]

Launderess

They have got worse about it the last 3 or 4 years . Mostly because of lawsuits from the Public who does not know how to use commercial products. Also due to some theft from end users employees trying to make money selling it to other accounts for K Mart prices..

 

[launderess]

Well, Yes Can See Their Point

On that matter.

Same with "professional" beauty and skin products. Indeed often packaging is along the lines of Ecolab's in that little or no information regarding usage, mixing and so forth.

Commercial laundry products do contain some very nasty chemicals, and in very high dosages. Ecolab has a fabric softener/laundry sour that contians formic (sp?)acid, that can do a number on one's skin, and god forbid it was ingested by a wee child.

Still, Ecolab doesn't have to be so mean. A polite quiet word would do,they don't have to chew people's heads off.

L.

 

[neptunebob]

This sounds like that beauty supply place that has the STOP

Don't even look at this store if you are not a licensed cosmetologist!!! There are several of those stores here and you have to show your cosmetology license to even walk in the door.

As for commercial products, I notice a lot of waste. I can remember when I worked in fast food that we had very large 5 gallon barrel of Dawn that had a pump up to the very large sink. There was always about half an inch left of Dawn on the bottom that the pump could not get so the manager would let me take the bucket home. We never had to buy Dawn for a year. Last year I found in a school dumpster several bottles of a floor stripper that attach to hose. All of the bottles had about 2 ounces left and if I needed a stripper I would have taken them and drilled a hole in the bottom to get the product, it just strikes me as a waste. As for your softener, your manager will probably gladly let you have what's left of the bottles, just don't call Ecolab and know that you are helping prevent waste and keep chemicals out of landfills.

 

[launderess]

Beauty Supply

Has become very tight in some areas. Many of the best hair colouring and other products are under contract only to be sold to licensed persons. And yes, even here in NYC there are stores that are either for licensed persons only, or the really good stuff is behind a counter or in a separate area and one must show a license to purchase. There are also online and catalog beauty supply places that require a copy of one's license on file before orders are placed.

As for laundry supply, Minda, and quite a few other places won't deal with non-commercial customers. Also consider much commercial laundry products are simply not packaged for domestic use. Often smallest powdered detergent size is a 50lb or so bucket, and often things run in the 100lb range. Such large items normally have to be shipped via freight to a loading dock. Depending upon what is in the products, they may not be able to go UPS either.

That being said, all one has to do is keep one's eyes peeled on fLeaBay. Sooner or later everything in the free world shows up there, including 100lb canisters of laundry products. Again as it has been stated, just don't bother contacting the company for any directions.

L.

 

[peterh770]

Ecolab is used by 99% of all hotels out there. It never smelled like anything but chemicals to me. It might smell "clean" in an industrial way, but there is no scent that I would want in my own laundry.