Roma detergent review

[washman]

3.69/ 4.4 lb bag at my local Kmart. No other store in my area carries this stuff.
I have 4 pics of the stuff.

I had read on other reviews that it tended to suds up a lot so I held back on the initial dose and used approx half cup.
It has a very faint scent dry, when in the wash, it smells identical to the Sears and reminds me of Bold3 from the 70's
I did not do a vid but took pics. I threw in one grungy shop towel that had some brown tobacco stains from when I cleaned my bathroom door. Sorry did not include pic but the brown stains were still there when the wash was complete.

I used a warmer than warm and no other additives. The main load was a queen set of LL Bean flannel sheets.

 

[washman]

The dose I used

Not sure what the tiny blue flecks are.

 

[washman]

As the machine fills

I noticed it did not dissolve as quickly as the Sears stuff did. Nevertheless, I did not see any residue on the flannel sheets when done.

 

[washman]

Last one during agitation

I used normal agitation heavy wash for longest time to see how it suds up. Suffice to say, it is a tad more than Sears, much less so than Tide.

Not the most thorough test but I suppose I found out what I needed. I'm a little hesitant to recommend this although next time I will use full cup and see what happens. As it stands, I am not overly impressed. Now I see why it sells for $3.69 @ Kmart.

 

[washman]

Did some calculations on this

3.69/ 70.54 ounce bag. That works out to a nickel an ounce. Per the instructions it calls for 1 c for "normal" load. Assuming a cup is 8oz that is 40 cents/load. When I look at it this way, it really isn't that much of a bargain. Using the recommended dosage, I could get just about 9 loads out of this bag.

Lesson, cheaper is not always better and like the cheapo fab softener I had pix of, when you use copious amounts of something, it really isn't all that much of bargain.

 

[mrb627]

Recommended Dosage

Please try running a load at the recommended dosage and report the cleaning results. As I recall, I tried this a while ago in my FL machine and the suds were unbelievable. It is definitely not for HE machines.

Malcolm

 

[retropia]

I tried a K-Mart detergent from Mexico a couple of years ago, I think it was called Blanca Nueva or something similar. It had phosphates.

While it worked in the front-loader, it produced way too many suds when used in an adequate quantity required to clean clothes. I had to knock the suds down by dosing the wash water with fabric softener. I decided it was too much trouble.

 

[washman]

mrb627 I have a load scheduled tomorrow for whites

I will use the full amount also as you suggested. Unless it foams up big time, I won't post pix unless requested.

FWIW because these are whites, I'll be washing in hotter than warm wash.

 

[kb0nes]

"3.69/ 70.54 ounce bag. That works out to a nickel an ounce. Per the instructions it calls for 1 c for "normal" load. Assuming a cup is 8oz that is 40 cents/load. When I look at it this way, it really isn't that much of a bargain. Using the recommended dosage, I could get just about 9 loads out of this bag."

I doubt that a measured cup of the detergent is anywhere near 8 ounces of weight. A cup of water weighs slightly more then 8 ounces. The powered detergent is probably about 1/2 that density. Cost per dose is likely much cheaper then you estimate.

 

[washman]

Good point kb0nes

I didn't think of it that way.

 

[washman]

Well it sure did suds up!

WOW. As in holy bubbles batman!

I used a full liquid measuring glass 8 oz dose. Washed 4 dress slacks and my PJ. Warmer than warm but not hot wash, normal speed agitation.

Pic shows the suds roughly about halfway through the wash.

 

[washman]

And here is the rinse

Boy I was shocked. I was planning to engage the anti Algore switch (second rinse) but behold, the suds were nowhere near what I thought.

SQ has a rather short rinse cycle, much to my chagrin, but anyway here is the rinse pic about 1 minute into the agitation.

 

[washman]

Used it again

on 100% cotton bath towels, still got suds, not as much,used 3/4 liquid measuring cup. Rinsed clean though, did not need second rinse

 

[washman]

Well ran out of the Roma

and won't be going back to it. Just too much required to get decent cleaning. And if it suds up like this in a TL, I can imagine in a FL machine a host of issues.

I still have a good amount of Sears, a teeny bit of Tide liquid, and half bottle of A&H mountain scent or something like that.

When those run out, I will try some others but A&H is my usual go to detergent as it cleans pretty well and has a reasonable price tag.