H.E. detergent dosing confusion

[revvinkevin]

 

 

3-4 weeks ago I was in Home Depot to buy a few things for the house.  As I'm walking I down one of the larger isles, I pass this large spread (multiple pallets) of Era laundry detergent.  I have no idea what this stuff normally sells for, but with a price under $2/bottle, I assume it was priced to sell fast.   I liked the scent, so decided to try a bottle even thought I prefer powder.

 

On the bottle it says "for all front & top loaders"..... I assume, perhaps incorrectly, this means both h.e. & non-h.e. alike.  Within that same thought, the dosing directions (pic 2) puzzle me.  I use front loaders all the time and do full loads the majority of the time.  To see they want me to use basically a cap full for a full load seemed like WAY too much. 

 

I've done 2, or perhaps more correctly 1 1/4 loads with this detergent.  1st load was in the Laundry Alternative compact automatic washer (pic 3 - not h.e. and fills w/water).   Admittedly I accidentally poured too much in and got so many suds during the wash, it suds-locked during spin,   I chalked it up to my carelessness.   2nd load was in the KM He5t FL with a full load of clothes and I filled the cap to line 3.  Again it made so many suds that I got a "SUD" error code when I paused, then restarted the washer nearly half way through the main wash.   I ended up finishing the load in another machine, then rinsed and re-rinsed the suds out of the KM FL.  

 

So, am looking at these dosing directions too literally?  The way I'm seeing it is you use less detergent in a machine that uses more water, but then a cap full in an h.e. machine that uses so little water.

 

Thanks for your thoughts.

Kevin

 

 

 

 

 

[yogitunes]

at 2.00 a bottle....that's a great price....

but for dosing, you have to think, in terms of, your using a portable.....

normally I add up to the number 3 for most all loads in the Neptunes....and it does a great job...

if using it full strength.....a shot glass is usually perfect for every load

actually, I find to mix the bottle 50/50 with water.....then a full cap is perfect, and not too thick...

odd that your experiencing a suds condition with this stuff......

 

[mrboilwash]

More clothes usually mean more soil regardless of water level.
Most current HE washers hold more clothes than normal TLs hence directions to bar # 5.
The compact washer in picture # 3 looks like a "medium load" when filled to capacity. That would be bar # 1 or maybe # 2 when heavily soiled.

 

[mrboilwash]

Another thought on FL vs TL dosing

In the 1950s detergents gave instructions to use only about 1/2 the amount in a FL of what would be used in a TL or wringer washer. Made sense back then but not so much today.
All American FLs back then were only one directional tumbling and had short wash times so they couldn`t be filled up to the top. This meant relatively small loads otherwise washing results would have been compromised.
Their comparably high water levels combined with constant vigorous agitation tended to beat up more suds than a modern FL. So you had to be very careful not to overdose.

 

[DADoES]

 
Yes, the dosage instructions are based on level of soil (and as per load size - medium, large, and MEGA), not so much volume of water.

A recent purchase of Cheer powder has the same markings and references 1, 3, and 5 on the included measuring scoop.

 

[lakewebsterkid]

Dosing

For detergents like this I typically use either line 1 or 2 for a large load. Cheer liquid and Tide Simply are probably similar as far as sudsing goes. Tide HE Turbo detergents are actually very safe even at line 5. For the most part Line 1 is sufficient for a majority of loads though. If you have soft water this detergent may not be a good idea! Lol.

 

[gansky1]

I found Era to work just fine in the Maytag 806 if I used 1/2 the recommended amount. Rarely more than a shot glass (brilliant!) in a SQ f/l or the Duet. The cleaning is actually pretty good for bottom-shelf detergent.

I mistakenly grabbed a Mountain Fresh scent instead of original Era and ended up pouring the majority of it down the drain, it was vile.

 

[thomasortega]

Hummmm, I think I may know a little bit about that machine LOL

Did the oversuds routine go off?

$2 per bottle? Kevin, would you please grab one for me? I want to try it.
I recently bought a $25 bag of vietnamese Tide just to discover this morning it was fake (but it actually works so I'll use it anyway) For a second I almost bought a bucket of Downy. I'd be really angry if I had bought it.

I na few days (hopefully before the next weekend) we'll have the Avalon and 2 other prototypes to test. You're more than welcome to come.