Sears Ultru Plus Powder Laundry Detergent

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Suds lock!

I musth not be typing well today because I can't find the DeSoto stuff via the Searchalator. I did find a reference online in an Obit for someone who "formulated the first effective non-phosphate laundry detergent" (cool!) and worked for DeSoto Chemical, and according to that they are apparently now referred to as Keystone Industries?

Did they change names?

 
Green vs. Orange (vs. Blue)

sudsman,

Thanks for all the info - I really appreciate you taking the time to post pics and answer questions! I have a few more...

What are the differences between the "orange box" and "green box" (Advanced Formula) versions of Ultra Plus? Have you ever tried the "blue box" (AF - Free)?

Do you feel that Ultra Plus rinses out completely & leaves no significant residue? I would imagine in a hospital setting this is especially important so you don't get any allergic reactions, etc. but my experience up to now has been the bigger (so to speak) and more complex the detergent, the more likely it is something will irritate me or my boys skin.

For comparison, right now I use Charlie's Soap and some STPP which has so far worked pretty well. But I'm always keeping my eyes open for other possible alternatives.

Thanks again!
 
Mystery--

Can't speak for sudsman, but I have somewhat delicate skin (I should shower with Dove all the time, but just shower with it in the winter), and I have been using Ultra Plus (Orange box) for over two months now, and I have been pleased with how it rinses.

So far, no rashes, break-outs or anything of that sort.

I love it, and want to use it forever.

Lawrence/Maytagbear
 
Have used the Green box the blue box and AF

And here in this area for a short time there was a yellow box. The Standard orange box is best for our use. I have had NO rinsing problems with it at all. And do not use any sour and only a little softner with it. On the brightly color items we use 2 0z of hydrogen Peroxide bleach on other things we use 1 or 2 oz of dry bleach.. I like the fact that is says on the box bleach is ok. Most do not. Also like the fact that after I talked to DeSoto chemical they worked out a formula use for us.. And found that a good guideline for us to follow is 1 scoop for every 20 lbs of wash Ie 100 lb load 5 scoops..(not very much for commerical standards)150lb 7 scoops.. they did the calculations after taking time to figure out the water volume in the machines and called us back with in 2 hours.. after I contact them.
We have one Dr. that does surgery with nothing on under the surgery barrier gown..(they are quite hot)(thank GOD they do close fully) and had problems with rash for a long time. and it is the only product I have found that keeps the rash off his sweet cheeks. I dont mean facial either. Also they are known to harbor odors and sometimes had a major problem with that Ultra plus knocked that right out. I am in contact with them on a regular basis and at this time they are trying to work out packing in 300 lb fiber Drums for us. We will have to buy in 100 drum lots but the saving would be fantastic.
It would be nice also to only have to order every 4 or 5 months.
 
Orange Box: Original Formula

Green Box: Advanced Formula with Dual Enzymes

Pink Box: Contains Fabric Softner

Light Blue Box: Free of Dyes and Scents

Dark Blue Box: Contains Oxi-Clean

Green, Pink, and Blue boxes are all Advanced Formula. I might get a green box the next time I need detergent, but I am happy with the orange box.
 
I use the orange box variety

in my Maytag Dependable Care toploader, and it works just fine.

Lawrence/Maytagbear

As the old Kenmore slogan went: "For people who want the best, even if it costs less."
 
Non HE

Generally speaking, you can use an HE formula in any machine (you may have to increase dosage) but not always the other way round....

...and one of the positives is that the chance of 'suds lock' is substantially reduced as well as increased rinse performance.
 
Hard water?

sudsman,

Thanks for the info. Sounds like they are a really great group of folks to work with! Have they ever changed the formula on you or has it stayed pretty consistent since you started using it? I used SA8 for many years until about 1 1/2 years ago when they changed something in the formula and it started both not cleaning as well and making the boys and I break out.

How hard is your water there in Ft. Worth? No matter what the USGS government maps say we have really hard water here in Middle TN, so detergent performance is a real trick here (STPP has been a nice discovery for me recently.) Our SS washer drum literally looked frosted (and the top of the SS dishwasher tub looked flocked!) after about 18 months before I started working to get the buildup out and found some tricks to keep it in check.

So if Orange UP works good in profoundly hard water, it'll certainly be on the short list next time around.
 
I use did use sa8 too.

And still use the All Fabric Bleach it is the best non chlorine bleach money can buy.
I have never had any problems with Ultra Plus in hard or soft water. I do have a softner but many times it has been down. And ultra plus never missed a beat. Ft Worth water runs from 12 to 24 grains. depending on the time of year. Amway change when they changed to the Bioquest formula and it is not as good as it once was and cannot beat ultra plus.
 
I LOVE IT!!!!!

I did several loads with it yesterday. I LOVE it! I use 1 full scoop per load, and there is hardly any suds. The clothes have a very light scent after dried, not perfumey at all. My whites seemed brighter after using it too, especially socks and towels.
 
Would like to thank everyone here for the recommendation .

Lately, I`ve ben wandering whitch type of powdered laundry detergent to use for the best possible cleaning & after seeing the great reviews on this thread regarding the Sears ultra plus brand -I`m now fixing to give it a try.

After spending an hour in the store today trying to figure out whitch ones to buy , I`ve decided to persue the following.

The green boxes & Dark blue boxes

Obviously this is a great company to do business with they even post the Ingrediants on the box.

I was tempted to buy the original (Orange box) but it appears that the advanced formula`s might be slightly better ?
Decisions, Decisions, Decisions ,
 
Water hardness, pt. 2

Well I finally got around to calling my local water dept. and they said we typically run 175-200 mg/l hardness, which if I'm doing the math right (one grain= 17.1 mg/l ?) is 10.23-11.7 grains. So that's considered Very Hard according to what I've read, so it is no wonder I get so much buildup in the washer, dishwasher. Still, we're apparently on the low end of what you get in Fort Worth, in spite of sitting on a big limestone outcrop here -- wow!

If UP can work in 12 to 24 grains, 10-11 should be a walk in the park.
 
Big Box

I bought a big box of it, as it was on sale. It seems to do a good job of washing, but is it unscented (orange box, BTW)? I wasn't able to discern any smell in the clean clothes or towels, and the kitchen usually smells after the washer dumps into the sink but didn't after Ultra Plus. Do I need to shake up the box? I'm not looking for a big smell here. I love Tide, but it smells so strong I'm not sure it's all rinsing out. Ditto for All and the Tandil I bought on a whim.
 
Lawrence is right the scent is very light almost non existent. I can really smell the scent from the dryer sheets when I used the Sears for the first time, and not a combination of detergent and dryer sheets when I was using Tide.
 

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