Just about the time I bought my "Frigimore" back in '96, the HE detergents were just beginning to show up on the grocers shelves around here.
There was a sample of the Tide HE that came along with my new machine. I tried it right away and it seriously oversudsed the new machine. (Of course, there most certainly would have been residue left over from the previous washing in my TOL Maytag "orbital" as it had a very poor rinse).
However, over the next year, I bought Gain HE and Wisk HE and came to the conclusion that all the damn HE's made just as much suds as the regular detergents, and were therefore a waste of money---so I went right back to regular detergents.
One day it dawned on me that years ago I had used "Fresh Start" in my GE combo and it did not oversuds too badly-----so I went on a search and finally found some at my local Kroger. It did all right as far as suds were concerned but did a poor job of removing perspiration odors. So I went back to Tide or Gain. I never could get the dosage right, but was harder to guage with a load of towels than anything else. I just left the "Extra Rinse" option on all the time.
After about three years, I took the machine out of service.(And have never used it again!). That machine was pretty tough. Some movers dropped it "free-fall" down a flight of stairs during a move.When it landed at the bottom of the stairs, it took out the door knob, and a chunk of the parquet floor and had a dent on the top of the console, but otherwise never had a problem, not even with a bearing!
Now, since then I have discovered the new "Fab" detergent which is very low sudsing, and is almost always on sale at $2.79 or $2.99 box or bottle! The Fab is available in three "flavors" and is more "low sudsing" then the HE detergents. Costco's "Kirkland Signature Institutional" detergent (which comes in a 32lb. plastic pail. and is incredibly cheap at $11.00 or so!) makes almost NO SUDS at all, and you can use as much of it as you want in case you have a really dirty load----so I think it is the best "F/L" detergent I have found yet, as no matter how much you use you always get a clear rinse.
Gansky has used both in his F/L's and has VERY soft water, and I think he would agree with my assesment.
(My two shekels)
There was a sample of the Tide HE that came along with my new machine. I tried it right away and it seriously oversudsed the new machine. (Of course, there most certainly would have been residue left over from the previous washing in my TOL Maytag "orbital" as it had a very poor rinse).
However, over the next year, I bought Gain HE and Wisk HE and came to the conclusion that all the damn HE's made just as much suds as the regular detergents, and were therefore a waste of money---so I went right back to regular detergents.
One day it dawned on me that years ago I had used "Fresh Start" in my GE combo and it did not oversuds too badly-----so I went on a search and finally found some at my local Kroger. It did all right as far as suds were concerned but did a poor job of removing perspiration odors. So I went back to Tide or Gain. I never could get the dosage right, but was harder to guage with a load of towels than anything else. I just left the "Extra Rinse" option on all the time.
After about three years, I took the machine out of service.(And have never used it again!). That machine was pretty tough. Some movers dropped it "free-fall" down a flight of stairs during a move.When it landed at the bottom of the stairs, it took out the door knob, and a chunk of the parquet floor and had a dent on the top of the console, but otherwise never had a problem, not even with a bearing!
Now, since then I have discovered the new "Fab" detergent which is very low sudsing, and is almost always on sale at $2.79 or $2.99 box or bottle! The Fab is available in three "flavors" and is more "low sudsing" then the HE detergents. Costco's "Kirkland Signature Institutional" detergent (which comes in a 32lb. plastic pail. and is incredibly cheap at $11.00 or so!) makes almost NO SUDS at all, and you can use as much of it as you want in case you have a really dirty load----so I think it is the best "F/L" detergent I have found yet, as no matter how much you use you always get a clear rinse.
Gansky has used both in his F/L's and has VERY soft water, and I think he would agree with my assesment.
(My two shekels)
