Roma Detergent ... opinions?

[tomturbomatic]

Back to 60/40

I pulled out an OLD Van Heusen cotton poly shirt and noticed that the edges of cuffs and collar were in perfect shape because of the strength the polyester gives the fabric blend. 

 

[kenmoreguy89]

Roma is a simple synthetic soap plus builders, that is how I would call it.
A basic synth soap more than a "detergent", granted that for detergent today we mean something containing various types of builders plus both surfactants types, oxygen and enzymes, at least one even though many TOL ones contains four or more.
Scent is not great, smell like nothing, of course lots of sudsing, but if you use a top loader is not that bothered, though it seems it contains some OBA's as it does have some blue speckles.
Many folks in Mexico use the same powder for laundry and dishes kind of like multi-purpose powders you can still find sold in USA too.
Blanca Nieves from the same factory is similar but indeed it seems like it contains a violet-reddish OBA's system than blue one.
IMO Foca is better, blue powder, and got an enzyme, still lacks oxygen but it gets the job done, for whites or heavily stained it can use help from an additive.
But Roma is good stuff.
I think that for the cost Roma is a good deal, much more of those big buckets of Kirkland powder or former wind fresh which are multi-purpose powders too but very cheaply formulated, and are even less rich in their formula than Roma.
Actually I wonder how they can sell those and have people buying them...
They are like 80℅ carbonate and a 20% surfactants, and stop.
Those powders have directions to be used for floors and anything else but you wont catch me doing my house floors with those as that soda would take forever to rinse out.
Anyway, Roma is 100 times better than those.

 

[sudsmaster]

My impression of Roma is that it is too high sudsing to use in an HE washer, such as a front loader and some HE top loaders.

I think it used to contain phosphates, at least as sold in California, which was a plus, but the high sudsing made it off limits for me. Don't know if it still contains phosphates. A few of the Mexican laundry detergents that used to contain phosphates have phased them out.

 

[kenmoreguy89]

Phosphates are still present for "domesti c" products, meaning the ones sold and distributed within Mexico and or Latin countries.
While the Roma, Foca etc we find in the USA are export versions specially made and,indeed have a bilingual packaging spanish and english while the domestic ones are just in Spanish and does not state "libre de fosfato"
La corona factory also makes several other brands besides Foca Rima and Blanca Nieves, but they are products that never made into the big distribution in the United States.
Said that, in the early days when these Mexican powdes started being imported in snall quantities mainly in corner latin shops which of course are present in areas where many Latino people lives, they were indeed the real deal, with posphates,but as the time passed they started being imported more and more and gained popularity even among non latino people.
Infact today you find these powders sold even in Walmarts Dollar Generals and any other shops in areas with a large Latino %.
Perhaps maybe the increment of Latin immigrants in the last decade also have something to do with this increment.
But as the import became this large someone at the EPA must have sniiffed something and regulated all these imports to be phosphate free.
P&G had to do a similar thing with Ariel formulating a special formula to be sold in USA.
Anyway that's why they used to come with phosphates and now don't but in Mexico they still have the dear thing.
In the United States now or common sight just like the Mexican softeners like Ensueño or Suavitel that are becoming "famous" brands among any American customer of every heritage.

 

[launderess]

Perhaps in aid of getting tree huggers off their backs P&G announced years ago they were phasing out phosphates from all laundry products.

This only leaves brands like Roma, Foca, etc... that once contained phosphates across the board, now either do not, or only for certain limited distribution.

Issue with latter is simply the ease of transport today that makes all but most tight distribution network easily avoided. All sorts of laundry or cleaning products never sold nor intended for USA market are constantly turning up in shops or online. FleaPay and the like are flooded with Tide from Asian countries that P&G keeps telling people not to buy, but yet seem powerless to stop importation.

https://www.theguardian.com/sustainable-business/proctor-gamble-remove-phosphates-laundry-soap

Phosphates are still used in laundry detergents in parts world where wash day still means either top loading semi or fully automatic machines. This and or things are done by hand. Either way it isn't so much froth being an issue with machines as quality of local water.

As P&G along with other detergent makers first discovered long ago phosphates make excellent builders for laundry detergents or cleaning products. Added benefit is they also are relatively inexpensive.

 

[bradfordwhite]

phospates are a danger to water quality, that's why they've been reduced/elimated.

I started using Foca a couple years ago. I do like the smell and sudsing action. I have had no problems with cleaning ability.
I usually and other things with it like an oxygen brightener, and/or 20 Mule Borax, and/or bleach, and/or baking soda if appropriate.

It comes in a bag and is relatively inexpensive. I divy it up into rigid containers and use a scoop to dispense.

 

[bradfordwhite]

Foca

I kept the bag so I'd remember which one to buy.

It has a white fluffy seal on the front which is apparently what the detergent is made of. I don't know....

Either that or if you take a seal from the ocean and wash it in Foca it will wash off all the sea dirt and turn it clean and white? I just don't have time to try that.

 

[launderess]

This was the old bag of Foca when it contained phosphates. Not sure if bag was changed when formula went phosphate free.

Would see tons of this old Foca, Blanca Nieves, and Roma detergent at K-mart at Astor Place years ago now. Never bought because knew they were high froth detergents something my Miele washer wouldn't like.

https://s.yimg.com/aah/mex-grocer/foca-laundry-detergent-28.png

 

[kenmoreguy89]

Seal on package

Most likely because the first formulations were made using seal fats...

 

[vacerator]

Never heard of it!

We used to have locally made Roman bleach here though. No relation to me, haha.
I don't think it was an Italian family. Probably Polish, or other eastern European or Balkan name.

 

[kenmoreguy89]

This is the website of the company that makes these detergent, it started being a soap making factory and are the same that produce zote soap.
Having started as a soap making factory they also sell cooking oil.
As you can see the package showed on the website is spanish only and i know that they had two different formulations one for export to North America and the other for the South America.
Similarly did Procter and Gamble earlier with Ariel.

https://www.lacorona.com.mx/detergentes.html

 

[kenmoreguy89]

Phosphates and pollution

Truth be told farming was and is the biggest responsible for phosphorus pollution in water.
Detergents of course also played a role, but main responsibility is farming.
Also it appears that organic old fashioned farming poses a major risk versus farming using synthetic fertilizers and modern tecniques.
I read some articles in the past that said how Amish farming practices had a major impact regarding phosphate pollution.
Droppings both animal and human contain a good amount of the stuff.

 

[kenmoreguy89]

Launderess that is a bag of the first export ones being written in English, about 2005,back then it still had phosphates and there was not a double formula, same for Ariel it was still the oxyanillos one and had phosphates, the war on phosphates was not as strong as it became later when they started phasing out phosphates from dishwasher products as well and in many areas even from institutional formulations.
And imports were not so large as they became later.
Today YouTube is full of reviews from people buying the stuff and being pleased.
Lots of non Latino people have these Mexican products in their stash.

Regarding being too sudsy to be used in a front loader I guess they are, sure Roma and Blanca Nieves are, though if I remember right Foca have directions for front loaders dosification.
I never tried myself to use it in one of my front loaders though.
I have seen videos of people using it in a Miele, and washing a dog pillow, which is a kind of wash that tends to be quite sudsy itself and surprisingly it appeared not to produce and excessive amount of suds.

 

[kenmoreguy89]

 

[kenmoreguy89]

 

[jamiel]

Looks like the Foca powder and the Foca and Roma liquids have enzymes (biologico).

 

[sudsmaster]

Yes, farming and lawn fertilizers are responsible for a large share of phosphate/water pollution.

That said, it does depend on the local climate. Here in California, most sewage systems empty into the ocean, after thorough treatment, which is already packed with phosphates so it doesn't make much of a difference. And AFAIK, nobody here dumps sewage into the few rivers in the state. We also have a basically dry climate for most of the year, which limits runoff from fields and golf courses into fresh water bodies.

Farming phosphates are probably another matter.

 

[bradfordwhite]

The Salton sea comes to mind. Increasingly starved for water it's drying up. As the river bottom is exposed, the sediment is susceptible to the wind picking up decades of field run-off sediments and poisoning the air in the Southland.
It's a problem bigger than all of us here....

https://thefern.org/2020/01/as-the-...eminder-of-the-cost-of-making-a-desert-bloom/

 

[thespiritof76]

if I may offer a less techincal opnion.....

Ironically. I am as of now, working through a bag of Roma, and have a bag of Foca up next. I have used Roma before. Now let me paint a little bit of backround for contexts. I am a singe person, 1 or two loads a week, and some extras depending, in a top loading, automatic Maytag. I also don't have alot of money, and for me Family Dollar is 3 blocks away from me.

So with all that being said, I don't seem to visibly have problem with Roma, I personally don't see any buildup, or issues with getting clothes clean. I also notice a light pleasant sent too! I know that is a very simplistic way to look at it, but all things considered is that not what is most important, the end result? No disrespect meant to the science and good points made to the chemical aspects.

Also, I am on a fixed income so budget is also a factor for someone like my self. I will admit, if I can swing it, I will occasionally treat my self to a box of tide or Cheer (I am a strong powder guy here!), if I can swing it, but here locally to me, a box of Tide is almost $15, and a box of Cheer is almost $10, and even Surf, which I also like is between $7 and $8 roughly. So with that being said, and with the fact that laundry detergent is a basic need for personal hygiene, Some times a small bag of Roma is what is needed.

So just another thought from an Average HouseBear!=)

 

[kenmoreguy89]

Jamie, Foca does, got one, Roma does not.
Although I still have to find out which one of the many enzymes, maybe lipase? Foca did a good job on grease. TOL modern detergents can count up to 7-8 kinds...
Not good for baby clothing or sensible skins