THE GREATEST DETERGENT EVER SOLD

[retromom]

Laundry Boosters

I was using Borax until I started buying Biz about six months ago. I thought it did a great job. I would alternate between the Borax and Arm and Hammer washing soda. Our water is very hard here, so I need all the help I can get.

 

[agiflow]

Lestoil was good for getting out grease stains.

 

[cehalstead]

Borax

Yes, I still use 20 Mule Team Borax in the wash...esp in the summer when clothes get dirtier, and if I am using Purex. Purex is my main detergent, but sometimes you just have to use Tide........

 

[coldspot66]

I've used borax for a looonnngggg time. Tends to pull odors out of the clothes. Also used Borateem years ago because it had borax in it. I also like A&H powder with baking soda for sweaty work clothes, especially in warm weather!!!

 

[kenmore1978]

Borateem

Darn, forgot all about Borateem! I assume it's still around?

 

[spiralactivator]

Borateem is still around. I've never used it though. Years ago we had a flea infestation (before they came out with Hartz flea-control drops), and Mom heard that 20 Mule Team Borax kills fleas. She bought a huge box of Borax, sprinkled it around the house...and we had clean fleas. The surplus Borax went in the washer, with very good results.

 

[retromom]

Suds talk

I just got back from my in-town supermarket and wanted an opinion:

Bold Plus - what is it? There wasn't anything on the box (except the dreaded "no phosphates") to indicate what the "plus" was. It was retailing for $6.99 for a 31 load box; pricey right?

Also - Sun plus bleach for $2.99. Is it any good?

I saw some Boraxo powdered hand wash as well. Haven't seen that in years!

It's really crazy but.....I now find myself lingering in the detergent aisle of the supermarkets. Am I a weirdie or what?

 

[neptuneguy27]

Venus,

The "Plus" is probably either color safe bleach or fabric softner. I think Bold was known for adding fabric softner to their formula's. Someone correct me if I am wrong. I am not too sure about the price considering the amount of product you are getting. It seems a bit high.

Sun Plus Bleach.....I used it a while ago and I know some swear by it. I wasn't all that impressed. It has a very nice fragrance but just not too happy with the results.

I personally love to spend time in the detergent aisle. So I guess I am in the same boat as you.

Have a great one,
Chris

 

[angus]

I checked with P&G. Bold Plus no longer contains fabric softener nor does it contain any color bleach. It is just the name that was kept from the time when it did contain fabric softnener. Let's face it. In the marketplace, Bold is no longer a major player - being overshadowed by Tide, Gain and Cheer. My guess is that this is one of those brands like Oxydol, Dash and Duz that P&G will ultimately let die a slow painful death. They put no money into advertising, haven't changed the product in many years, so no one even really knows it exists. Only one small supermarket in my area even carries it =- at $7.49 per box......

Funny, for a long time Gain powder was treated like that and suddenly after some advertising, it's one of the top sellers........

 

[mrmaytag]

Laundry Detergent

My favorite of all time has to be Oxydol. Mom used it for years and I loved the scent. When P&G changed the recipe in the mid-late 80's, I was disappointed because the scent changed. However I got used to it and continued to use it until P&G took it off the market and sold the formula to a new company. I have tried the new Oxydol and it is still quite good, however, there is only one store locally that sells it and it is almost $9.00 for a small box.

I also fell in love with vintage Blue Cheer. The scent was terrific. My grandma used it for years in her Speed Queen solid tub machine.

I now use Gain with bleach as the replacement for Oxydol.

I must admit, I am going to date myself here, but I too remember watching the Porter Waggoner show and seeing Dolly advertising for Breeze detergent. Dolly has always been a favorite of mine, (I love to hear her sing). I remember going to the grocery store as a kid and asking mom to buy a box of Breeze, I wanted one of those pretty floral towels (I was a sucker for freebies back then! ) She finally gave in and bought a box. We found out later, the towel was good, but the detergent wasn't. Anyway, that was the last box that we ever purchased.

Dennis

 

[kenmore1978]

Costco Clout

I've never seen an opinion expressed here about Clout detergent sold by Costco.

 

[davenp]

Favorite smelling liquid: Solo or 1980's Fab
Favorite smelling powder: 1980's Tide, Bold 2&1 or Fab

Neatest idea: Fab One Shots. Anyone remember those?

Best smelling new detergent:
Gain with a touch of softness. Clean Linen I think is the scent? It's the purple one. The smell is intoxicating. I don't think I've liked the smell of a detergent as well as this since... well... maybe ever?

Dave

http://www.gainscent.com

 

[programcomputer]

We always used Rinso...why?

Hi,

My mom was a Rinso user up until she couldn't find it anymore in the late 1990's. She now uses Era detergent and some sort of flowery scented Downey.

Becasue we ALWAYS had Maytag's ( the 55 Bendix Duomatic NOT withstanding becasue we used it for SUCH a short time); the older Maytag was a standard size Fabric Matic from 1980, and her newer one is a Fabric Matic from 1992 w/Extra large Tub...she dissolves powdres in hot water...stirs it up in a mason Jar that she uses especially for that purpose and then adds it after the washer is done filling. She has done it that way for years...except now she uses liquid Era.

My maternal grandmother who had the 63 Westy's used some sort of powder from ScAmway, that used to come in a huge cardboard drum. It smelled lemony and lasted her a year. I never could understand why she used it, but she did. Now she uses whatever she can find onsale at Wallmart.

My maternal grandmother has used ALWAYS without fail ( in my lifetime) Dynamo and Downey ( regular Downey not that floral scented stuff), and she uses Cling Free Dryer sheets. I can remember her stuff smelling like a million bucks with that combination.

I use predominatly Cheer liquid in my Frigidiare FL'er and Downey ( regular only please). If I do use dryer sheets which I dont becasue I think that they mess up your dryer...is mountain spring scented cheap stuff from Krog-er's.

I used to use Tide powder in the 1-18's becasue I couldn't find a better detergent that would work as well with it...and my brother and his wife are using exactly what I told them to when I gave them the set last year. ANd regular Downey in the rinse.

I guess for that matter I hate floraly scented stuff. I never could tell you why? I just dont.

I have tried other detergents but have never found one that I have stuck with for very long. I always end back with the Cheer Downey combo. So that is my vote...

Chad

 

[agiflow]

Fab one shots

I remember using these very briefly between washing machines in the late 80's.I don't think i was too impressed.Too much packaging to be considered convenient i thought.

The Arm & Hammer powdered detergent i used for a long time until it plugged up most of the the holes in the spin basket of our Whirlpool.

As far as fabric softener goes regular downy.Lavender Sachet i thought had such a great scent too.

 

[doityrselfguy]

I'm enjoying this thread!

All I have to say is....

Mrmaytag: The last box of Oxydol I bought was during college in 1988. It was one of the last times I saw the old formula - white powder with pale green specs in it. It smelled wonderful!!. I vividly remember using it in my dorm laundryroom, which had recently been equipped with brand new (these had an unforgettably new washing machine smell) Maytag belt-drives with the short black four-vaned agitators. I had my keys jammed in the safety switch and remember the dramatic turbulence that those machines generated....along with really clean colored t-shirts!

Programcomputer: I used Rinso regularly as a young adult through my 20s. The formula was the original - in the full-size box. It was always a good buy, and left a clean basic lemony scent.

Agiflow: I was about 21 when I last saw Fab One-Shots. They intrigued me, but they seemed to have very limited distribution and I could never get my hands on them. If they were re-introduced to the market, I'd buy them in a heartbeat.

Thanks everyone for the memories!

Pete

 

[kenmore1978]

SCamway

detergent was called SA-8. They climed that you needed much less than regular detergent and didn't clog up the machine. I tried selling it for a while, and the instructions were that you run a cycle with it with no clothes because it supposedly cleaned out the crud that other deterggnets left in your machine.

"My maternal grandmother who had the 63 Westy's used some sort of powder from ScAmway, that used to come in a huge cardboard drum. It smelled lemony and lasted her a year. I never could understand why she used it, but she did. Now she uses whatever she can find onsale at Wallmart.

"My maternal grandmother has used ALWAYS without fail ( in my lifetime) Dynamo and Downey ( regular Downey not that floral scented stuff), and she uses Cling Free Dryer sheets. I can remember her stuff smelling like a million bucks with that combination."

You had TWO maternal Grandmothers?

 

[cehalstead]

(sc)amway detergent

I sure can understand why someone would use the SA8 formula. I used it for years, and nothing I have used since cleans better. It made little to no suds, rinsed well, and left no itchy residues. With no suds, SA8 was the perfect detergent for a front loader. Besides that, SA8 was loaded with phosphates (16%, I think). Wish you could still buy the formula sold in the '80s.

 

[jimmyb]

I think the best detergents were Tide and Cheer in their old formulas. Loved the scent of Cheer. I currently use powder and am trying out Costco's Kirkland detergent. Otherwise Tide HE or Gain HE. Sometimes I use Borax (endorsed by the Queen of Clean from Phoenix). I also like Safeway's powder color safe bleach which has the same scent as the old Clorox 2 formula. I can still get Lavender Sachet fabric softner when I visit family in Western NY, and will probably test out the new Downey Lavender-Vanilla. For the dishwasher always Cascade.

My grandmother always had Tide or Oxydol. My mom seemrd to like "the little blue jug Dynamo" as well as other liquid detergents. She didn't like powders much because she almost always washed with cold and felt they did not disolve. I am sure with three kids her object was to get the wash done as quick as possible in as few loads as possible. Funny now she seems to get the jumbo box of Tide powder from Sam's club and uses different wash temperatures.