powder vs liquid...

[firedome]

Dispute has arisen here in the household on merits of powder vs liquid detergents.
Long term use previously had been Liquid Tide. Bought 2 180 load boxes of Sears Ultra Plus Concentrated Fresh Scent when it was brought to my attention here that it was on 1/2 price sale last Spring and was a recommended choice by some. She Who Must Be Obeyed has complained vociferously of powder residue remaining on dark stuff when removed after the cycle. She says she puts the powder in first on the bottom, then the clothes, warm/cold water wash...how/when should powder be added, as I suspect that may be the problem. This is probably elementary to most but laundry has always been her baliwick, mine is the kitchen. She's ready to give away 1 1/2 boxes of this stuff, but I'm not quite ready to give up on it... for the record the machine is ~2006 TL Whirlpool model LSR7333PQ4, it's been a pretty good one so far.

 

[frigilux]

Please prepare yourself for conflicting responses to this question. Each format has its fans and detractors for reasons which I'll let others explain.

I used Sears powdered detergent (briefly) in a Speed Queen top loader and found that it tended to leave residue on darker colors, probably because cool water was used (the new SQ's have an incoming temp of around 75-80 degrees on the 'warm' setting). In every case other than this one, I agree with She Who Must Be Obeyed: Detergent goes into the empty tub; then add clothes. HOWEVER...in this case, it is the third path which must be taken. Start the washer. When there's about an inch of water in the tub, add the Sears detergent and let it dissolve. Then add clothes. These are the instructions on the box, if I recall correctly.

My daily driver is a front-loading Frigidaire washer. I experienced no residue problems in this washer, probably because the detergent is placed in a dispenser drawer. The detergent is dissolved by the water going through the dispenser.

These days, my vote goes to pods (Tide's new Turbo pods in particular) or liquids: Tide Ultimate Stain Release Turbo or Persil Pro Clean 2 in 1 (the latter available only at Walmart, either in-store or online). The 'Turbo' detergents from Procter and Gamble (available currently in Tide or Gain products) has fast-collapsing suds, which make for cleaner rinsing.

In summary: While others will fervently disagree---Sears detergents are used by a number of people here---my recommendation is to either dissolve the detergent as outlined above, or donate the detergent to a food bank or animal shelter.

Let us know what you decide to do. We love follow-up around here.[this post was last edited: 7/12/2015-13:17]

 

[mamapinky]

Roger, I use sears detergent sometimes and haven't had a problem, I wash in hot or warm. I've heard a few people say they have disolving issues with sears. I would be sure there's not too many clothes in the load, add some water to the washer before adding detergent than add the laundry. You could also disolve it first in some hot water. IMO Sears is a very good detergent, and spiked with stpp, excellent. I would be hesitant to get rid of it unless you can't solve your problem...cheryl

 

[lordkenmore]

I can recall one situation where A) washes were 100% cold and B) Sears was used many, many years ago. In that situation, the Sears could dissolve poorly, and even form little chunks of undissolved detergent that would be there at the end of the cycle...

Note that this was years back, and that cold water was used. I'm under the impression now that powder detergents don't, as a whole, dissolve well in cold water.

 

[lordkenmore]

I once used cold water more than I should have.

[Lord Kenmore looks down at his shoes in shame at the memory. And he weeps a quiet tear in thought of all the laundry that never got as clean as it should.]

Back then, there was a period when I used Trader Joe's powder detergent, and they suggested dissolving some in hot water when doing cold water wash. I did this, using a small jar with hot water. I'd cap it securely, and be able to shake enough to fully dissolve the detergent. It seemed to work OK.

Of course, this approach might be more work than most normal people would like...

 

[firedome]

interesting...

SWMBO thinks the residue results because it doesn't have a HD cycle with an extra rinse. Beats me, it's a low line machine.
Maybe reducing the amount of powder used would be beneficial?

 

[lordkenmore]

I'm using a roughly 2007 WP BOL machine [shudder], and I have had zero trouble that I know of with powder detergent not dissolving. It probably has no trouble beating detergent into submission, given the hard agitation action. But I've only used Tide, Cheer, and All--not Sears. I also use mostly warmish water. (Typically, say, 80 degrees to low 100s, depending on load, and whim of the moment.)

 

[firedome]

warm water is used...

but I do observe that the Sears powder does seem much finer grained than the old powders of yore that I recall we were using in the '70s/80s.

 

[joeypete]

I've used it in all temps and haven't had any issues with residue at all. The box does say to add the detergent to the top of the water after the tub fills and starts agitating. That might help to disperse it better.

 

[joe_in_philly]

Is your water hard?

I brought Sears detergent with me on a trip and used it in a top load washer with warm water. I mixed the detergent into the water before adding the clothes. It left the dark items looking like they had powder reside on them. Someone in the laundromat told me that the water there was hard, and some detergents leave a residue. I remember thinking that perhaps the water softening agents used in the Sears detergent wasn't the best and what I was seeing was the mineral precipitates. It wasn't noticable
on the lighter clothing.

P.S. I used the same detergent at home where the water wasn't as hard, and it was fine on dark clothes, even in cold water.

 

[whirlcool]

I've used it in all temps and haven't had any issues with residue at all. The box does say to add the detergent to the top of the water after the tub fills and starts agitating. That might help to disperse it better.

This is the method we use and it works just fine for us too.

 

[firedome]

Water here...

yes it's quite hard. Have to add vinegar to the d/w on a regular basis.

 

[frigilux]

Roger-- If your water is hard, you'll definitely want to dissolve the detergent first. This is not a problem for owners of traditional top-loaders because it's easy to let the machine fill to the low setting, agitate for a minute, then reset the water level and add the clothes. Not so easy for those with an HE top-loader without a dispenser, which often demands that clothes are loaded before starting the cycle.

To the manufacturer of Sears powdered detergent: C'mon! It's the 21st century. Formulate your detergent to dissolve when added to an empty tub. Other manufacturers solved the problem years ago.

 

[firedome]

The problem is...

SWMBO isn't inclined to wait around for the tub to fill &c... she still works full time, always super busy, likes to dump everything in at once and head back up from the basement, hence a proclivity towards liquids. What REALLY worries me is that she'll suggest that I take over the laundry duties LOL! While I love to cook and clean, doing laundry has just never been my thing... heresy, I know. But I do take the laundry off the line when dry & fold it, at least!

 

[frigilux]

Taking the laundry off the line and folding it is the part of the laundry process many of us don't like. We simply accept that it's the unavoidable consequence of getting to play with the washer.

I hate to break this to you, Roger, but she has the fun part of the job, LOL.

 

[lordkenmore]

How right you are, Eugene!

 

[firedome]

True...

but she doesn't even hang around to watch & enjoy it. I could enjoy playing with the washer, I restore cars after all, but it wouldn't involve the clothes part! I never learned to iron either.. it's called planned ignorance! LOL

 

[firedome]

also...

I DO have a cool 1-18 that PhilR kindly gave me, and I plan to have Lots 'O Fun one of these days (next winter?) going through it mechanically then watching that mesmerizing Jetcone action... it'd beat that Sears detergent into submission!

 

[rp2813]

Roger, I think you've found your solution.