Should I Reduce?

[powerfin64]

Mexican Detergents

I would love to try some 1-2-3, Viva, which we can't get here. I have and like: Ariel, ACE Regular and Limon( THANK YOU VENUS!!)and foca<--which I haven't used YET, and have some "Real" which has hardly any smell to it. Cleans ok, but I'll use it for Rugs.

I use the first line of the green scoop for all detergents, or 1 scoop from a pail dishwasher detergent if the load is light soiled.

Rich

 

[badata]

spanish

Robert, if there is a way you could copy the directions and email them to me I will be able to tell you what it says.

michael

 

[brettsomers]

do I want more suds than that?

Jeff, that looks like plenty of detergent for that load. and Tide IS very powerful.

my mom always used to say i tended to use too much detergent. ive been doing my laundry since i was about 10 y/o, and i now realise she was right.

 

[brettsomers]

also

i got some mexican and chinese detergents at the local gathering last year and am ALSO completely confused by the dosage instructions!

 

[toggleswitch]

Just a dab will do ya!

230ml is a cup.

Mexican detergents are not at all subtle in suds or smell.
in general, use less young man, use less.

 

[bobbyderegis]

Jon, buy Foca, Ariel, Roma and Blanca Nieves at K-mart in Somerwille, Assembly Square.

Toggles, Roma and Foca have very mild scents. You wouldn't be able to pick anyone up in a club with just fresh washed clothes.

Danemodsandy, Boston water is only fairly soft. It doesn't leave that slippery feeling after you wash. No comments, anyone else.

Jeff, good Lord, clean that bleach dispenser! What will people say?

Bobby in Boston

 

[gyrafoam]

Foca is like Ariel as it has a bit of bluing to it, although I prefer Ariel for washing colors. Roma is made for those who pound their clothes on rocks, so the sudsing issue doesn't matter.

Funny to see the differing opinions on the amount of suds we each prefer. I'm usually not big on a lot of suds. Fab has certainly proven to me that a layer of suds is not necessary for good cleaning. However, I am willing to make the trade-off when using Viva as I find it the most powerful of all the detergents I have tried and I love the fragrance. I also find the fragrance rinses out well even if the rinse water appears murky.

Paloma, on the other hand, is my favorite for towels, as the fragrance does not rinse out and leaves a wonderful fragrance on the towels. (I don't like fabric softener in my towels anyway).

Now, I know a certain person who believes a foot-high sudz- cake to be an essential element to proper cleaning. Fun to watch in a Kelvinator, certain torture to a poor 1-18, or BD Whirly-'Kenmo.

 

[Unimatic1140]

Robert, if there is a way you could copy the directions and email them to me I will be able to tell you what it says.

Hi Michael, thank you for your offer, I didn't realize you know spanish. Actually now that I take a second look, most of the instructions are in english as well, but I have no idea what these measuring cup sizes are????? It is alos interesting that Foca and Roma have NO dosage instructions on the bags!

 

[toggleswitch]

Bobby the detergents all stink to me! *LOL*

Use la practi-taza.

Use the "practical cup" (convenient scoup)?

 

[toggleswitch]

Gossip kills!

~good Lord, clean that bleach dispenser! What will people say?

*LOL* OMG!

Nothing if they are mature, decent, good kind-hearted people and can suppress their womanly instincts. Those who gossip get a reputation for that and their friends disappear ever so slowly, but surely.

 

[hoover1060]

Hmmm

For years my mom used Tide, and never more than 1/3 cup in a full load(and this was long before ULTRA) Parents house always had a water softner, and suds were never a problem.
Using too little detergent is a tough habit to break!

Sorry about the bleach dispenser Bobby, I seldom use liquid bleach in the wash, so the dispenser is largely unused, save for catching all the loose change/buttons I find in the washer...
I'll clean it up tonight {G}

 

[frigilux]

Love your Maytag, Jeff; but for God's sake, man, clean that bleach dispenser, LOL!

Robert-- I was told that once every couple of years bags of Ariel will come with a standard detergent scoop. Apparantly you're supposed to hang on to it for the duration. I have several extras if you need one. They're great---ultra-flimsy and made from the very cheapest of plastique---your favorite! Actually, I, too, use a Pyrex measuring cup (mine's the 2-cup size though---not that I'm trying to compensate for anything) in the laundry room. I tend to use it for bleach more than detergent, though...

Robert (again)---I'm going to Los Amigos (Mexican grocery) on Blaisdell on Saturday. Hopefully I'll be able to restock Ace, Viva and some of that 1-2-3, which I've never tried. And (crosses fingers) Mexican Downy, which I love for bed linens because the scent stays strong for days. BTW, dealing with opened bags of Mexican detergent can get messy, not to mention clumpy, in this humid weather, so I pour the contents into tall Rubbermaid containers (like the one you used for the electronics for your SuperUniFrankenFrigi). Seals up airtight to keep the scent strong and the powder flowing. You'll find that Ariel, especially, tends to clump easily. It's almost like there's powdered sugar in it---it feels sticky to the touch,even.

And now, I'm off on my mini-vacation; first Alexandria, then Minneapolis, culminating in going to see the Noel Coward play "Private Lives" at the Guthrie Theater on Saturday night. Yay!

 

[badata]

spanish to english

si reusa la solution anada 1/2 practi-taza mas, En Guatemala para tandas pequinas use 1/2 practi-taza por cada 4.5kg de ropa

if you reuse the suds add a 1/2 a cup detergent. In Guatemala ( i don't know what makes the difference where you are) for small loads use 1/2 cup for every 4.5kg of clothing.

 

[peterh770]

Ariel label says:
"If you reuse your washing solution, add another half Practi-Taza more. In Guatemala, for small loads, use a half Practi-Taza for each 4-5 kilograms of clothes."

A Practi-Taza was an attempt made by P&G Mexico to standardize laundry detergent measurments. I think they still give these away down there, but the attempt failed. Old bags of Viva used to refer to the Practi-Taza also.

As far as suds go, from most to least, the order should be:
1-2-3 (Henkel-made, more of an all purpose cleaner)
Roma (bargain basement detergent and all purpose cleaner)
Foca
Ariel
Viva
Lirio (if you can find it, has been targeted by enviornmentalist for excessive phosphate content)

 

[bajaespuma]

por su puesto

I'm with Toggle: I love using Ariel because of the phosphates but I find the smell of it out of the bag nauseating. Fortunately it doesn't linger on the clothes

Do we have any Mexican club members? One thing I'm very curious about that relates to usage of their detergents is what kind of washing machines to they use? Are they more like old American top loaders or are they more like European or Japanese machines.

On a slightly related topic, any of you who haven't seen the movie "El Norte" (made in the 80's I think), will find at least one scene relevant and amusing. It's a tragic story though. I work with a lot of Mexican men and it's almost funny to watch them wash their clothes at work. They're absolutely clueless about washing clothes because it's a job done usually by their mothers, wives and girlfriends. I've had to save many a coworker's life by explaining to them, in my limited Spanish, that mixing Clorox and Ammonia is never a good idea.

 

[rocketeer500]

About 3 months ago, I started using Roma. Being in Southern CA, our water is as hard as a rock. I was tired of using "Ultra" brands and "HE" detergents because you can't develop any suds, well, no significant suds. I have a front loader, and the whole reason for me to have one (front loader) was to watch the clothes/water/suds action through the window.

With a full load, I can put up to 1 1/4 cups of Roma and see a little suds action. For smaller loads, I have to decrease the amount of detergent to about 1/2 cup, as the drum will develop a large amount of suds. Roma was the first detergent I ever had a suds-lock.... what a wonderful experience

 

[Unimatic1140]

Peter now isn't that odd, I as others have found that Viva by far is the sudsiest and Roma is the least Sudsy. I wonder why were are seeing some diffences, I wonder if it has to do with the type of washer(s) we are using this stuff in????

Now, I know a certain person who believes a foot-high sudz- cake to be an essential element to proper cleaning. Fun to watch in a Kelvinator, certain torture to a poor 1-18, or BD Whirly-'Kenmo.

Who me???
Very good point Steve, you certainly don't need suds to get a clean wash, but a few vintage machines handle suds so well that it's just fun to have them. I'm have no idea if any modern washer can handle a suds cake at all these days. I specifically designed the Super Unimatic not only to play with the suds but to utilize them for extra hair free clothes as I hate putting stuff with pet hair stuck on it into the dryer. I'm a total believer in hair and lint coming off in wash water and not in heated air. I should put this label on my machine LOL...

 

[gyrafoam]

No Robert, I was thinking of someone else-----

A certain friend of mine in Virginia. I have much fun chiding him on the copious amounts of sudz he like to have going on when he washes. Lawdy lawdy, she needs a huge box of "Breeze"!

 

[gyrafoam]

Robert---

IMO that "HE" stuff is such a rip-off anyway. I can't tell any difference at all in the way it works versus the regular formulae, so why pay that high price? Anyway, I never thought of the suds as a method of hair removal, although I know it does float on the top of it----to be washed over-board during the overflow----or flung over the top on throw-out?

AND, as you already know, one of the oys of owning a Lab is dealing with all that fur! They are such sweet creatures, it doesn't really matter does it?

 

[bobbyderegis]

Labs? How about two cats? I think one of the best "HE" detergents out there is by Sears. It's the regular concentrated powder. You use one scoop, but even if you put five cups you would still get no suds. I use this in the Dexter FL. Rocketeer, your water must be ROCK hard if you can use that much Roma in a FL. Wow!
Bobby in Boston

 

[mickeyd]

tried logging out, see if it works.

No Dearest not kidding-- here it is saved it the CUT/PASTE place: Red
italics : "Should I reduce?" Certainly not those pythonbiceps!!!!!!!!! ;D

We don't got no Tex-mex soap in these here backwaters, but speakin' o'
suds, couldn't help but spy on the dial of your Whirlpool under the
Tex-mex where it clearly says "SUDS" which will operate at the coveted
high speed. I know! I know!--all the oldies are one-speeders, but I
see that you don't have it set up to save suds. They're so much fun to
play with even if you're uncomfortable with re-using wash water. Try
it, Buddy--so much fun--Honest!

 

[mickeyd]

Yay for Robert

It worked.

Do you, by any chance, do computers for a living ? --when you're not Doctor Seegersteining in your laboratory.

 

[bongobro]

"...mas chaca-chaca para su dinero"...

Mexican detergents, as you notice, contain instructions for hand-washing as well as machine-washing. In Mexico, automatics of any type are still rare luxuries, and I have read that in some rural communities, women do their wash in one centralized area that may serve a dozen families or more.

The Latin concept of machismo extends right to the detergent aisle, since most Mexican detergents make mucho suds (to them, low suds = weak cleaning, and thus a poor value). And--as I discovered when I bought some Ariel Ultra some years ago in St. Louis--heavy perfume is the rule, rather than the exception!

Ai-yi-yi-yi-yi....

 

[frigilux]

Robert--- You'll notice your bag of Viva says 1 dose equals140 grams. I weighed that out and it comes to just a bit under 1-1/4 cups (standard US measuring cup).

Your bag of 1-2-3 says that 1 dose equals 135 grams, or about 2 teaspoons less than the above measurement.

I went to Los Amigos in Mpls. yesterday and snagged the last two bags of Viva on the shelf and the last three bags of 1-2-3. They also had Mexican Downy (which is not concentrated like ours), YAY!!! Bought several bottles (they're smallish). The detergent filled my car with its strong, citrus-candy scent---the car sat out in the sun, so the interior was super-hot.

I noticed they had green-colored boxes of Ariel (not the blue-bagged Oxi Azul version). I should have picked one up. I'm wondering if that's also a Henkel product or if it's UniLever. Oh well, next time.

 

[Unimatic1140]

I went to Los Amigos in Minneapolis yesterday and snagged the last two bags of Viva on the shelf and the last three bags of 1-2-3.

Eugene I want back to Los Amigos today and bought two more bags of Foca because that is the only one of the Mexican detergents I really like. I tried 1-2-3, but like so many of the other Mexican detergents I found that it does not rinse out very easily. Foca on the other hand has a mild scent, creates a huge suds cake but most importantly unlike the other detergents the rinse water from Foca is pretty clear. Ariel seems to rinse out well but I don't care for its strong scent.

You will be happy to know that they must have restocked this week with Ariel. I counted 46 new bags of Ariel on the shelf, along with 20 something bags of Foca and 5 or so bags of Roma. They were out of the others but I don't know if that is because they are waiting for a new shipment or if they are discontinuing the others. I will check back again in a few weeks and let you know.

 

[andrewinorlando]

Robert - do you notice any difference in cleaning using these detergents between any of your vintage machines, and say, the GE Harmony? How about rinseability between the vintage machines and the Harmony? Curious to see if there is a big difference since their wash systems are so different. I was very surprised at how the Mex detergents worked in the Calypso, not just washing, but rinsing, too. Just amazing results with maybe 3 - 4 tablespoons for a full load of clothes. And the Calypso is very sensitive to any kind of oversudsing conditions, so less is definitely better.

 

[frigilux]

Thanks, Robert! I decided to snag their remaining bags of 1-2-3 and Viva (which is my 2nd favorite Mexi detergent after Ariel) just in case they were discontinuing those.

I'll have to give Foca a try. I've always thought it was a 'grade-B' detergent, so I didn't pay much attention to it.

I also want to try the Ariel in the green box (which was at Los Amigos); It looks like the UK Unilever version. I should have picked one up while I was there; haven't seen it anywhere else.

There's so much detergent in the house right now, I could probably not buy any more for a couple of years and not run out. But it's just so damned much fun to have a smorgasbord to choose from.

 

[Unimatic1140]

do you notice any difference in cleaning using these detergents between any of your vintage machines, and say, the GE Harmony? How about rinseability between the vintage machines and the Harmony?

Hi Andrew, I've only used the Mexican detegents in the Speed Queen and the Super Unimatic. I havent even opened the lid of the Harmony washer since about March. Since I've been doing so much work on the Super Unimatic I've only used that for the past few weeks for all the wash.

 

[geoffdelp]

Good heavens; my Maytag sudses quite a bit; I really have to be careful with it. I assume it's my mechanically softened water.

For a full load of sheets, I use just 1/2 a cup of regular Tide and that seems to be quite sufficient.

It loves to oversuds on towels; I usually have to rinse twice.

Here's a load of towels ... a MEDIUM load of towels.

 

[geoffdelp]

Or ... maybe because we were using too much 1950's Oxydol!!!

This load took 3 rinses; I learned my lesson.