Fresh Start Detergent

[autowasherfreak]

I was browsing down the detergent isle at Hy-Vee the other day, and saw a few bottles of Fresh Start. Does anyone on here use it? How good is it? If I remember right it came out in the 80's.

 

[j2400]

I remember Fresh Start. And I remember my mother using it for a while. I assume that if it had been terrible, she wouldn't have bought it more than once.

As for today, who knows? The problem with detergents in general is that they often change. Every box of Tide ever sold was probably "New and Improved!"

 

[j2400]

As for Fresh Start coming out in the 80s, I can't remember. But the time frame my mother used Fresh Start was during the 80s.

 

[whirlcool]

I used Fresh Start in the early 70's. It was a nice detergent. It came in clear bottles, made for easy transport from my college apt to the laundromat. (Or washateria as they called it at school).
It had a nice smell to it and it was very low sudsing. It did a good job cleaning, but my clothes didn't get that dirty in the first place.
AIRC, the brand was sold off to another company and the Fresh Start of today is not the Fresh Start of yesteryear.
Some other members here have used the new version and they could comment on it better than I can.

 

[polkanut]

I use the new Fresh Start in rotation with my Mexican detergents and it does a good job. It is now distributed by Colgate-Palmolive, don't know who actually makes it though. Little to no suds whatsoever. On a scale of 1-10, I would give it a 7.

 

[autowasherfreak]

I wonder how it would work in a front loader.

 

[whirlcool]

Since it is low sudsing, I think it would work well in an FL machine. It also has good rinseability too.

 

[gansky1]

I use the new version of it as well, from Hy-Vee too!

I like it well enough for things that aren't heavily soiled. It works great on towels, etc. but does tend to leave things rather harsh and scratchy. A touch of softener is a must with this formula. It is relatively easy to over-dose which makes rinsing more difficult but you quickly get the hang of it.

The old, phosphate versions of Fresh Start are wonderful. They don't lose their fragrance as it's sealed in a plastic bottle and the cleaning is great.

 

[autowasherfreak]

It wasn't very expensive, if I remember correctly. I think I will give it a try. I'm using A&H HE now, and I really like it. It has a nice fragrance, and is low sudsing.

 

[whitekingd]

I've always loved Fresh Start! I use it frequently with great results. I remember my Grandmother switched from Amway Detergent to Fresh Start. She bought Fresh Start until she died.

 

[kenmoreguy64]

Believe it or not, there's some info in Wikipedia about Fresh Start!

I'm wondering since Colgate-Palmolive sold most of their detergent brands to Phoenix (Fab, Dynamo, Ajax, etc.), what's going to happen to Fresh Start? Did Phoenix get that too? Only one of our major grocery store chains seems to carry it.

Gordon

 

[redcarpetdrew]

I wonder how it would work in a front loader.

I do NOT like Fresh Start in a front loader. Any time I've seen it used in a Neptune, It clogs up the sump to pump hose with a crusty, gooey, bluish mess with occasional clumps that come loose and gets the pump noisy if not jamming it completely. Maybe it's the consumer doing nothing but cold washes. I'm not sure but when I squeeze the sump hose and hear/feel it go 'crunch', usually I'll look up and on the shelf is fresh start.

On the other side of things, I used it with a top loader Maytag with little/no issues.

RCD

 

[launderess]

IIRC, Fresh Start detergent is or was mainly washing soda and some pretty basic but rather harsh surfactant, at least once phosphates were removed. This accounts for the reason such a small jug weighs so much. Indeed anytime a container of detergent is on the hefty side, you can believe there is a good amount of washing soda (which is quite dense), in there.

 

[gmmcnair]

Fresh Start....

....lost its magic for me when they eliminated the phosphates.

 

[laundromat]

FRESH START

I used to use Fresh Start when it first came out back around 1980. I used it first in my kenmore 24"front loading/compact washer.the washer was given to me by my friend who saw me drewling over it at Sears.I needed to get a low sudsing brand but,other than All which had just changed the original scent they had,there were no other low sudsing formulas I knew about. So,I liked the original aroma of FS and swore by it for years until it disapeared a few years(10 or 11) ago. It just recently was put back on the shelves but the scent is diferent and I am not that familiar with the new owners of the brand.I use Gain w/ bleach and Gain fabric softner(original scent)in my SPEED QUEEN comercial washers.

 

[laundryshark]

Fresh Start Availability

I do remember finding Fresh Start on the Phoenix Brands site, but as of late, it's no longer present on the company site. Colgate did sell Fresh Start to Phoenix Brands. However, it appears as though Fresh Start is on its last leg as an active and available product. Sure, Hy-Vee still probably carries it, but Fresh Start is dependent on supply and demand. Once the demand is finally too low for supply and profit, it would eventually disappear, even as a humble, store value detergent. Remember Bold Plus (also sold at Hy-Vee)? According to an obscure Web page in the P&G site, Bold Plus detergent powder would continue to be available in certain markets or regions, but only as long as the demand for it keeps the product available. Because of the lack of demand for the liquid version of Bold, the liquid was discontinued in the U.S.--Laundry Shark

 

[passatdoc]

used it in the early 1980s

I lived in a garden apartment complex during postgraduate training years (early to mid 1980s). There was a nicely appointed laundry room fairly close to my apt, but I had to descend a flight of stairs and walk perhaps 100 feet to reach it.

Fresh Start came in a clear plastic bottle with measuring cup cap, one of the first powders to have a built in measuring cup. Also, it was concentrated, so one capful was enough for a large load (vs. nearly a cup of Tide or other powder). Fresh Start was easy to transport to the laundry room, with a built-in handle, far easier than lugging a large box of Tide AND a measuring cup. Clothes came out clean, but as Whircool mentioned, they weren't particularly soiled in those days.

When I moved into my current home, I now had my own laundry area with plenty of room for storage, so I tended to use regular strength powders like Arm & Hammer. I moved over to liquids when Kirkland came out with the large rectangular dispensers of liquid detergent (the kind with the spigot).

And now that I have a front loader, I use HE detergents. My favorite is Persil MegaPerls, when I am able to bring it back from Germany. Second favorite is Tide HE powder. Failing those two, I fall back on Kirkland powder or liquid in a pinch (both say "HE" on the package but I am not really sure they are reformulated for HE washers).