Favorite bargain detergent

[letsgoblues]

We are having to tighten our budgets due to many circumstances. I would like to get your opinions on cheap, yet effective, laundry detergents. We were using tide cold water, tide ultra stain release, and plain old tide original. We have an LG front loader and must use HE detergent. We have two small children who do produce various stains that need to be tackled. Any suggestions? I have learned from all of you that enzymes are key, so I would need an enzyme detergent. Any suggestions are very appreciated.

 

[ea56]

I have an LG FL and use Arm and Hammer Clean Burst liquid. I find it cleans very well, never over suds and is priced fairly. I have tried Tide Turbo HE original and while it cleans very well, the Arm and Hammer cleans just as well and leaves a more pleasent scent and is much less expensive.[this post was last edited: 7/4/2015-21:32]

 

[mamapinky]

Sears...in the green or orange box. Its a very good detergent and has enzymes. I think a 275 load box is around 25 dollars, but its often on sale. Theres a lot of people here that really like it. Cheryl

 

[washman]

Ditto

"I have an LG FL and use Arm and Hammer Clean Burst liquid. I find it cleans very well, never over suds and is priced fairly. I have tried Tide Turbo HE original and while it cleans very well, but the Arm and Hammer cleans just as well and leaves a more pleasent scent and is much less expensive"

+1

 

[whirlcool]

We use All Free & Clear and it cleans everything to our satisfaction. It's available in liquid or powder. We find that the powder is a little harder to rinse out than the liquid version is, surprisingly!

 

[appnut]

My suggestion is to buys an inexpensive HE laundry detergent and supplement with Biz powder.  I've used Biz well over 14 years.  Laundry day wouldn't be complete without Biz.  Between my front loader and Biz, I don't look for stains, I just use it and appropriate cycles for stains. Good friend of mine was using just bargain brands liquids.  I bought some Biz for him and he's a really happy camper.  Friends have even noticed how much better his laundry looks and have commented. 

 

[frigilux]

Wisk Deep Clean liquid has the stain-removing enzyme cocktail you're looking for at $.14 per load compared to Tide Ultimate Stain Release at $.25. It also scores better than the bargain detergents listed above in tests done by Consumer Reports.

Do you use fabric softener? You'd save a lot getting rid of that expense. I stopped five years ago and don't miss it a bit.

 

[lordkenmore]

supplement with Biz powder.

The one problem I see is the cost of Biz. One might end up ahead, of course, depending on local prices, etc.

IIRC I've seen generic Biz equivalents that claim to contain enzymes.

I think both Wisk and Sears (assuming the stuff people like is still around--it seems to me wasn't there talk about the maker changing, which might mean a difference in quality?) are worth considering. I can say from experience that All seems to work acceptably, although A) I don't have horror loads, and B) I don't think there are enzymes in All. (Correct me, someone, if I'm wrong.)

Another tactic is having a collection of products. Expensive up front, and a hassle to keep around, yes. But one could select exactly what's needed for a given load. Towels that need freshening more than anything? Cheap detergent, no additives. Adult "going out to work/shop/etc" clothes might be just fine with Arm & Hammer. Kid's clothes that look like they went swimming for two hours in a mud pit? Haul out the Big Laundry Detergent Guns.

 

[letsgoblues]

Thanks!

Thank you so much everyone for all the great suggestions!! I can't tell you all how much I have learned on this site and how much I appreciate all the help.

I have been contemplating using Arm and Hammer for a while, so I might just bite the bullet and get a small one to try! I took a whiff of it a while ago in the store and it did smell quite nice. I tried the All Free and Clear about two years ago and I felt like it didn't do squat for my kids stained clothing. Wisk was awesome except for the ridiculous sudsing. Come to think of it, All used to be a little sudsy too (though not as bad as Wisk).

Mamapinky - I haven't used powdered detergent in years, so the Sears detergent is very interesting to me. Will it fade my clothing? Will it make the clothing stiff? What is the difference between the orange and the green box? I looked online and couldn't find the difference.

The idea of getting a cheap detergent and then adding Biz sounds good too, but I wonder if the cost of both would be the same as a container of Tide? So much to think about! I would sure hate to buy cheap detergent only to have faded or stained clothes afterwards. It would be a lot cheaper to buy a better detergent then to have to replace clothing, that's for sure!

(As for fabric softener, I only use bounce free dryer sheets.)

 

[arbilab]

Cut/tear your dryer sheets in half. A whole one is wasteful AND counterproductive (waterproofs towels for starters). All the benefits, half the cost, just like that.

My experience with both laundry and (hand) dish detergents strongly suggests the cheaper one needs more per use to do a proper job. Shopping by price is therefore futile. Using twice the halfprice one is a null, unless you like the way one or the other smells.

 

[polkanut]

letsgoblues

There is no need to worry about fading or stiffness.  Sears detergents are HE formulations designed for machines that require such types. The orange box is the stain-fighting formula.  The green box is also a stain-fighting formula, but has dual enzymes in it.  I've included a link to Sears so you can read the specs on each one for yourself.

 

Also, remember what Mamapinky mentioned above.  Sears detergent goes on sale every so often, and that is the time to stock up.  I have 5 boxes (2 orange, 3 green) in storage right now because the sale price was so good I couldn't resist stocking up.

http://www.sears.com/food-grocery-laundry-care-high-efficiency-detergents/b-1039059

 

[MikeS]

Two Is Better Than One

When I moved in with my partner, he was using Sun detergent for everything. Horrors! I changed that quickly. After much trial and error, I have found the duo that works for me: Kirkland Signature (Costco) pods for the main wash, and All Free & Clear for everything else. My sister liked what All F&C did for her wash, and I have to agree. It even does a great job on sheets. But when it comes to our clothes and towels, Kirkland Signature pods can't be beat--and it's still far cheaper than Tide Pods. (I tried Tide Pods, and found no difference in my wash. So why pay the extra price?)

 

[launderess]

Perhaps rather than stoop to bargain brand detergents

Look around for sales of Tide and other good detergents and stock up. Also check eBay for deals as sometimes persons offer free shipping. Also look for coupons in newspapers, online and even various websites like P&G. If you call P&G and know how to ask they will often send a few discount or get free coupons.

Few if any BOL detergents are going to pack the same power as Tide and other good products. At the worse some of the liquid offerings are mainly water. Cheap powders are full of fillers and sodium carbonate (washing soda).

Especially with the children you don't want to take chances with their health and laundry hygiene.

Right now there seems to be a run on pod detergents at eBay. Methinks the things aren't selling everywhere so people are trying to unload. Pods are probably the best if go that route because of their compact size. Liquids are the worse because you are paying to ship all that water.

 

[lordkenmore]

Like usual, Launderess raises some good points. It's easy for someone like me to comment that Tide is expensive vs. other brands. But at the same time, I don't have the horror loads that some people have.

I'm repeating myself here, but as I commented earlier, it may be a good idea keeping more than one detergent on hand. Maybe two--a decent value detergent, and Tide. Funnel all the really awful clothes to load that uses Tide. Loads that are more about freshening get the cheap detergent. Whether or not that would make a meaningful cost savings is debatable, however. In my case, imagining that I suddenly had two children (my cousin envies my being childless, and dumps the kids on my doorstep for the summer unannounced, as she heads for a dream European vacation...), I have to think that my approach would save enough money to make my Inner Cheapskate happy. But I am so compulsive about sorting laundry that I'd have many loads that are 100% "light soil". On the other hand, normal people who aim to have as few different loads as possible, would probably find that having just one detergent that does everything the happiest match.

 

[dustin92]

I'd say the same as above: I have (and usually do) keep several detergents around, I have been really happy with the Walmart Persil liquid for heavy soiled loads (and you really don't need much), and a cheaper detergent (I like Purex, but Era is good, as well as Gain) for less soiled loads. Whites almost always get Persil and hot water, while normally soiled colors, sheets, and towels, get a cheaper detergent. Colors are usually done in warm or cold. Towels are usually done in warm, sheets always in hot. Heavily soiled colors are done in warm or hot with Persil. I've even had decent results with $1 store detergent on lightly soiled loads. $1 for approximately 32 loads? Yes, please!

 

[askolover]

CVS branded

detergent goes on sale frequently for $2 for a huge bottle here...we get the free and clear and it does a good job. It's made by Sun. Then we found Wisk pods for $2 a pack and bought all they had. I keep Gain and Persil on hand too. I use Xtra for rugs and such (it's made by the Arm & Hammer people)

 

[wayupnorth]

I never measure. I have a Tide bottle in the cabinet above the washer in a perfect location and push the dispense button so it gets mixed up in the water as it fills in my LA511 and then add laundry. I buy the cheapie Era at Wally world as it works fine and I refuse to pay double for a name brand and my laundry is just as clean. Worst part is having to refill that Tide bottle with an imposter product, but I dont feel guilty.

 

[mamapinky]

Christine, someone reminded me to read your post again , don't know how I missed you saying you use tide coldwater. Do you launder in cold water? I'm asking because I doubt you will find a bargain detergent that cleans in cold water. Heck I'm not even convinced tide coldwater cleans in coldwater lol. And for sure many people have issues with powder detergent dissolving in cold, I think I've read people have problems with sears not disolving in cold and since that's what I recommended I wanted to give you a heads up. Take care cheryl

 

[joeypete]

Sears!

Def try the Sears powder. I love it. I paid $11 for a big box in the fall and I still have just under half the box left. Granted I only do laundry for myself, but the most you have to use is one small scoop. It's a great product!