Mexico Detergent Varieties--Finds in Houston

[westytoploader]

Today Mom & I went to Houston to pick up *something* (you'll see it...it's in great shape, blows cold, and now I have 2, which is excellent!), and stopped in a little Mexican tienda in a newer part of town, looking for...you guessed it--detergents! We found 3 not really "native" to the US--Roma, Foca, and the Mexican version of Ariel which isn't supposed to be sold here (but we found it anyway!). So we grabbed each of the small bags to try. The fact that we knew Spanish was good--this strip center was like a "little Mexico" with very few English-speaking people there!

Anyway, these detergents are very interesting. I'm still wondering why this Ariel can't be sold here (I'll have to double-check the ingredients), and Roma and Foca have sodium phosphate for water softening purposes. I tried them in the Maytag and both Kenmores (sorry, the Dual-Tumble is out of service at the moment, until the new tub pulley arrives), and it was pretty interesting. All 3 of them are medium to high sudsers--the Maytag had a good layer of suds after about 1 minute as well that I forgot to snap, and of course with the Roto-Swirl it's going to suds! I'll let the photos and captions speak for themselves now...be sure to check out the "large item" we picked up today as well!

Also, I posted a few pictures of my 80's Galaxy hassock fan found at an estate sale last week for $10. It was in really sad shape because whoever had it smoked like a chimney; basically was DIRTY-with-a-capital-D! When I turned it on it was rattling on low speed, and the blades were covered in dust/pet hair/who-knows-what-else. Took me a good 2 hours or so to disassemble & clean up (washed the side panels, blades, chrome grate, knobs, & feet...Windexed the rest) since everything was literally coated in a layer of orange nicotine, but how it turned out really surprised me!! Doesn't look like the same fan! A great air-mover too--I've been using it in my room and like Arthur said, it's the next-best thing to air conditioning--really amazes me how cold the air is coming out of it! One of the quietest fans I've had as well.

Enjoy the pictures!!

--Austin

http://www.automaticwasher.org/cgi-...OPLOADER.jpg&dir=/COLLECTIONS/WESTYTOPLOADER/

 

[DADoES]

Austin, HEB here has all three of those. I refilled the cookie jar yesterday from the big bag of Ariel (2nd filling), so I have a long way to go until it's gone . . until I can justify trying the other two!

My water is pretty hard, and if I use a good dose of Ariel OxyAzul to cut the hardness, and due to the extra concentration during EcoActive, it makes LOTS of suds, even to the point on a small load that the pump sometimes starts sucking suds.

 

[SactoTeddyBear]

Re: Great Info and Photos:

Hi! Austin, your Washer's are great Models. I've got to ask, isn't your Maytag Washer with the newer "Orbital" Transmission and a Self-Clean Filter? I noticed naturally that you had an older Blue Agitator, with the Manual-Clean Lint Filter, is the original Agitator a White Straight-Fin?

I'm also wanting to know what year your White-Westy Front-Load Washer is, it looks just like my "WW" Gas Dryer and the Semi-Matched Gibson Washer, with the same Console and Controls.

What Capacity "Rated" are your Kenmore "DD" and BD" Washer's?

Your Carry-Around GE/AC and Hassock Fan are great too, I've known of a Family when we were growing up {way back when} that had one of those, but I don't know what the Brand was. The GE/AC was used by some Relatives or Friend's as well, when they came available new For Sale.

Thanks for sharing the info and Photo's of the Detergent's, it will be quite interesting to know why they weren't supposed to be Sold in the USA.

Peace, Happy Cooling-Off and Happy Laundry Days, Steve
SactoTeddyBear...

 

[petek]

Great pics, and that hassock fan is super. I like kitchsy stuff like that. Your Carry Cool is certainly in much better shape than the one I picked up, you'll need a prefilter behind the grill. For mine and the marvelaire I just bought a hammock style furnace filter and cut to size, enough for years in one package. I wished I had windows the thing would fit in and I'd certainly use it.

 

[maytagbear]

Cool, Austin, thanks

I'd buy Foca just for the picture of the seal pup!

(I love bears,(even the cave-dwelling, hibernating sort) but seals and dolphins are very high on my list as well).

I've been looking for a hassock fan for some time, and have only found new ones, at extortionate prices.

Lawrence/Maytagbear

 

[toggleswitch]

Phospates!

Yup, you got it right IMHO, Austin-- the phsopates are the key!

Intersting that one pkg. is in grams, the other in ounces, and the third in both!

Intersting also is to see that the brand "Easy" lives, and we can search for "Mabe" to see what that one is all about.

Bueno. Me voy! (Good. I'm going/leaving.)

-Steve

 

[kenmore1978]

pulleys and detergent

"(sorry, the Dual-Tumble is out of service at the moment, until the new tub pulley arrives"

The pulley failed? That's surprising, pulleys are so basicm hard to imagine one would fail, what happened to it?

I noticed that one of the companies that recommened the detergent was EASY. So the name is still in use in Mexico?

 

[retromom]

Detergent pics and.......

I would personally like to thank Austin for flashing my drawers to the entire world! Modesty not allowed on this forum! Good thing we're all friends! ;-)

Venus

 

[petek]

Well then, who wears the Fruit of the Loom whitey briefs

 

[retromom]

Whose tighty whities?

Pete:

I believe they belong to the *left* hand (who shall remain faceless and nameless) in the photo. FEH!

Venus (still red-faced);-)

 

[toggleswitch]

Privacy

With the web there is no such thing as privacy.

So since we now all live in glass houses, we we must learn how to urinate elegantly.

-Wish I could give the author/creator of that credit, but I don't remeber who said it!

LOL

PS my mom would NEVER use a clothes line because the neighbors would see our undergarments. I dare not tell her what goes on with web-cams these days.

 

[westytoploader]

Jaune,

The Westinghouse Dual-Tumble pulley is made of aluminum (not like the previous ones), and it's VERY light & flimsy. Due to about 10 or so years of it knocking and no one looking at it, it was gone--the groove where the tub lines up/attaches to the pulley is "stretched" so to speak. The pulley was somewhat bent as well. Yes, I could tighten the old one down with my impact wrench, but that would do more damage in the future, so I just decided that it's time to replace it. After that, this machine has a long life ahead of it--aside from the pulley, it's really quite well-built for a 1993 model.

Is it worth it? You bet it is! The fact that there are literally no Westy FL's left in Texas (most appliance salvage people let them go due to their weight, from what I am told) makes it that much rarer down here.

--Austin

 

[DADoES]

LOL, maybe that's why people tend toward being ornery about letting "interested parties" get a peep at their machines -- fear of having the tighty-whiteys revealed!

 

[roto204]

What's the idea behind a Hassock Fan? It looks neat, but I've never seen one before and don't understand the concept

 

[westytoploader]

A hassock fan is designed to pull cool air from the bottom of the room and push it upward ("air-rollover"...LOL). Because of this, they are generally very effective air circulators, and can cool/remove stale air from a room quite quickly based on my recent experiences, in fact better than most ceiling fans!

 

[launderess]

Focca, Roman and other Mexican Detergents

Our local K-Mart (now Sears-Mart or whatever), sells Focca, Roma,Zote soap bars, and a few other off the wall Mexican detergents. All are highly scented, and loaded with phosphates. IIRC a few THS members tried both Focca and Roma detergents and rated them very high sudsing/not for front loaders.

Still, the seal pup on Focca is cute, but after throwing out an entire box of Ariel (American version) because of the powerful scent, was not looking for a repeat performer in my laundry room.

Proctor and Gamble was catching heat from tree-huggers who spotted Mexican Ariel being sold in states that had bans on residential laundry detergents with phosphates. Stores that sold these products were often targeted as well. Since P&G does not make Mexican Ariel for the entire North American market (Mexico,Canada and the United States), they tried to control distribution, but with limited sucess. Apparently so many Mexican immigrants wanted the product, stores that sold it were willing to take the risk.

P&G launched an American version of Ariel a year or so back but it did not do well enough in many markets to warrant production, and IIRC it has been either discontiuned or sold in a very limited market. Stores in our area sold off the initial stock they had, and ever reordered as I've not see it around in months.

American Ariel is an ok detergent, but was too highly scented for me, and kind of full of fillers. Many people like the Mexican version because it supposedly cleans and whitens very well. That is probably due to the phosphates, which I buy as STPP and add on its own.

Several websites that cater to Mexican consumers in America sell Ariel (the Mexican version in bags), but do not think they have the HE version.

Launderess

 

[jasonl]

Mother Foca

Did I see the word HOOVER and EASY on one of those bags of detergent?

What kind of washing machines are down there in Mexico? What mechanisms do they have? I'm guessing those are twinnies down there but any automatics?

 

[toggleswitch]

HUH?

DADoES

Personally, I try to keep the machinery hidden and If someone can get a view of the tightey whiteys I won't usually freak out.

;-)

LOL the double "WE" is a mistake. But still funny.

 

[launderess]

Mexican Washing Machines

Apparently allot of women would be lucky to even have a twin-tub or wringer. There is quite bit of laundry "1900 House" style laundry still going on in parts of the country. River and stream side, back yard over wash tubs, laundry areas with those concrete tubs that have wash board grooves notched inside one side of the tub, you name it.

Why do you think so many hand laundries in the United States are staffed by Mexicans. No, it's not just the wages and other issues that come to mind, it is just they are still used to washing and ironing linens and shirts totally by hand.

Whiter than white washes with perfect ironing still carry allot of weight down there. Women are expected to provide their familes with clean laundry, washing machine or not.

As for those wealthy enough to afford a washing machine/live in an area wired for electric; washers run the gamut from what one finds in the States, with perhaps front loaders more in cities due to crowded living spaces.

Launderess

 

[toggleswitch]

Workin' 9 to 5

Quote:Why do you think so many hand laundries in the United States are staffed by Mexicans?

Never knew US still abounds with hand-laundries. And that is weird because Manhattan (New York City) caters to 20-somethings self-indulgent single people who would never dream of doing their own laundry. So if these laundries are anywhere I'd guess we'd have'em too! I am fascinated that this little factoid has escaped me. (ME ME ME ME! LOL )

We didn't used to get Mexicans here as the southwest I think was the area of choice, But that has changed lately. These are the hardest working people I have ever seen! You can go to an "Amigo Depot" which is a major corner or intersection in many places and hire Mexican day-laborers to assist you with all sorts of physical labor. Pay for lunch too and you have someone saying novenas for you for the rest of your life!! LOL

In NYC we get Lotsa Puerto Ricans and now Dominicans (who, by the way, each thinks the other is the devil- incarnate!! LOL) Interesting fact-- This area by me is in Federal Reserve District #2 (12 in total?) so is Puerto Rico. Translation==>. A check flowing either way between NYC area and Puerto Rico is a LOCAL check! But here to FL is not. How cool is that?

 

[launderess]

Hand Laundries

Probably are a dying breed; can look up several in the Manhattan Yellow pages. It seems to me most laundries/dry cleaners locally rely heavily on Mexican labour, even the ones owned by Asians.

According to our local laundry owner, running that sort of business is very labour intensive,with the costs going up the more hand work is done versus machines. On the flip side most people won't pay beyond a certian rate, so prices run in a narrow range. In a place like NYC where costs are high, the only way to make money is volume, volume, volume.

Laundries historically depended upon labour from the lower rungs of society/new immigrants. Think about it,would you want to sort through/wash other people's soiled laundry/linens? Stuck in hot, humid conditions, standing for hours on end?
Again this is another case of immigrants taking jobs most Americans do not want. Years ago a woman who found herself short of funds would take in washing to make ends meet (Mildred Pierce did it), but welfare took that incentive away. Well that and public health laws regarding commercial laundries.

Launderess

 

[toggleswitch]

Qutoe: Think about it,would you want to sort through/wash other people's soiled laundry/linens?

All kidding aside...my ex used to purposely seek out soiled stuff in others' hampers.

You put the pieces together EEEEWWWW is all I have to say.
...And to this day wonders why we are ex-es!

*SIGH* It taks all types to get the world to go 'round.

BOY- I've had a colorful life. LOL. If my toaster decided to go swimming with me in the bathtub tomorrow, I could honesty say seen it all, done It all. Has a full life.

What did Fred Sanford used to say? {Clutch the heart...) I'm coming Esther, I'm coming....

OMG

 

[toggleswitch]

..actually Esther was the sister-in-law.

It was "I'm coming Elizabeth..." LOL

 

[westytoploader]

Remember the Koblenz Electric site that carries Mexican Hoover washers? Many of the washers on there are single-tub gravity-drain impeller machines (a separate spin dryer is optional). There are also semi-automatics, one wringer, and the strange absence of the Dual-Action agitator. Instead, an Activator-like agitator is the main claim.

http://www.koblenz-electric.com

 

[user 12105]

Would love to see these spiral agitators that Koblenz uses in their machines.

U.S. manufacturers should go back to using the old tried and true agitators. Would be real nice to see the SRS and the 3 vane Surgilator make a comeback.

Pat

 

[appnut]

Well, when I did my parent's friends' laundry, they let me see all sorts of garments. No shame did they have. But I concur, I couldn't have a clothesline either.

 

[tolivac]

I am with Agiflow-US makers should go back to what worked-belt drives and the tried and true agitators-and the electromechanical timers-no electronic ones to go "flaky" or get blown out during storms.Although the new machines are interesting and perhaps fun.

 

[westytoploader]

Old-style agitators

That's one of the reasons I like Amana/SQ. They have always used the slow-stroke transmission and vaned agitator instead of switching to a DD-style transmission and DA clone.

Sometimes it's better to hold out and not change to the current "fashion"...

 

[tolivac]

Traditional designs

I would like to see the new SQ machines too-but no one in this area stocks them-closest dealer was in Charlette,NC.I was waiting and holding out until one comes here.I am surprized Greenville Appliance or Creeches Appliance store in Ayden doesn't have the SQ line.

 

[kenmore1978]

Greenville Appliance stores

It's entirely possible they haven't been told about them. Assume nothing. I wouldn't imagine that Alliance would put the kind of bucks GE, Maytag, or WP would put into a new product announcement.