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Automatic Washer - The world's coolest Washing Machines, Dryers and Dishwashers

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volvoman

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West Windsor, NJ
Out of curiosity, does anyone remember Dash detergent in a box like this? I remember the red box with the waves, and the yellow box for "Lemon Fresh'...but I've never seen this. Is it bootleg? Canadian?

 
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Box of dash detergent

It appears real but it’s not real old, it’s not the old low sudsing formula that’s for sure.

 

I can’t imagine the beat up box being worth $85 to get five dollars worth of detergent.

 

They didn’t include pictures of the side of the box which would’ve listed phosphates or not I suspect it does not have phosphate still.

 

John L
 
Poor Dash detergent, just another brand from P&G that got lost in the bewildering and vast array of laundry products offered. It languished no matter what P&G did to revive brand before finally being discontinued. In Europe P&G sold brand to Dalli Werke back in 2013 IIRC. Not sure what happened to North American rights.

Dash's claim to fame (once it switched from soap to detergent) was it's low sudsing properties. As automatic washing machines began to displace other methods, and in particular new H-axis washers (Bendix, Westinghouse, and others) this was Dash's main strength.





Dash also was concentrated, and by 1970's or so gained enzyme cleaning power. Both properties again (low sudsing and concentration) were big selling points.



As wont to happen repeatedly with P&G, technology introduced with lower tier brands was refined, improved and made its way into P&G's top shelf product; Tide.



Tide got enzymes (XK), then became concentrated (Ultra Tide), finally (relatively) low sudsing. Increasingly poor Dash became middle shelf then in last days "bargain" brand.

P&G came out with Dash liquid detergent (lemon fresh), which seemed to be new niche, fragrance, odor removal and value for money. Notice by 1990 this Dash commercial speaks about "saving money", etc... Claims about "low sudsing" are all but gone.



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=alJYFcHk8SI

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yT768QmZzMk

You know a product or brand isn't long for this world when boxes/containers have words like "new low price" " or some really low suggested retail price. That is all marketing and promotion meant to target the housewife (or whoever) who is price sensitive. You've never in your life seen P&G put such wording on containers of Tide detergent. In fact it's only been of late Tide in any form went on special offer quite regularly.

https://www.pinterest.com/pin/132434045275586842/
 
It really wasn't until H-axis washing machines really began to take hold in USA that people cared about too much froth. In fact things were quite opposite, housewives for generations equated lots of suds with cleaning power (a holdover from when soap was queen of laundry day). This applied to commercial laundries that used nothing but h-axis washers as well.

That was one reason DASH didn't gain huge traction. Housewives liked Tide and other detergents that produced "oceans of suds".

Ironically when P&G first launched Tide it was very low sudsing. Housewives wouldn't touch it with a barge pole. So it was reformulated with different surfactants to create lots of froth, and it was off to the races. Originally meant to replace soap in hard water areas, Tide soon became number one wash day choice coast to coast. In process killing off P&G's formerly #1 laundry product, Oxydol soap powder.
 
Used up one box of vintage DASH detergent awhile ago. It was alright say for bed or bath linens that were lightly soiled. Anything else one added some sort of booster (oxygen bleach and enzymes).

Have another huge box of Dash from 1970's or maybe 1960's that has sat sitting in my stash for yonks. Really ought to sort out what one is going to do with it and rest of that lot.

launderess-2022031012550204186_1.jpg
 
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