vintagekitchen
Well-known member
- Joined
- Aug 28, 2011
- Messages
- 706
Realizing I was running low on a few things, I made a trip to the shops earlier this week, and decided to share a few things here. I know several of us bemoan how much our favorite cleaning products have changed, but I am finding that some of the cheaper store brand products seem to use the original name brand formulas from years ago, before all the changes.
First the "pink lotion dish liquid". When I was little, a big bottle of this was always next to my favorite aunt's sink. I beleive the brand was Swan? It had the top which cam to a little point that one was supposed to snip off, to make it a squirt type bottle. She never did, as there was no way to close the bottle after you snipped off the point. Our Local IGA carries an in house brand which is identical to the sweet rose scented dish liquid she used, for only $1.26 a bottle.
Next the watery, gallon jug fabric softener. I can't stand the way modern Downey and other brands are so thick, and waxy, with overly strong perfume like scents, that barely resemble the original. Even the classic non-concentrated April Fresh Downey no longer smells the same. Again, the local IGA carries an in house brand softener, which smells like the Downey of my childhood, with no thick waxiness. One adds 1/3 cup per load according to the bottle, making it a real bargain at $3.49 per gallon. Thats 48 loads per bottle, at only about 7 cents per load.
Now for something I hadnt tried before. The local Dollar General store has a section of shelving for cleansers etc at 1 dollar each. In this section I found PowerX brand dishwasher detergent. It says no phosphates and is a clear gel, but, it smells like the old Cascade gel. When you open the bottle, you smell chlorine bleach, and lemons, just like Cascade once smelled before the formula changed. And it cleans like the old Cascade. Any of you who use melmac dishes regularly know how they stain, and have to occasionally be bleached. I had some that I was planning to bleach, but after a run through the dishwasher with this, the stains are practically gone!
So there you go guys, it seems we can still find some of the vintage formulas we miss, but under different names. Next week I'm going to try the Kroger Everyday Value powder laundry detergent, to see if it really smells and performs like the Tide (or was it Oxydol?) of years ago, like I have read in an old post on the site. Anyone have any other products that seem to use the vintage formulas to suggest?
First the "pink lotion dish liquid". When I was little, a big bottle of this was always next to my favorite aunt's sink. I beleive the brand was Swan? It had the top which cam to a little point that one was supposed to snip off, to make it a squirt type bottle. She never did, as there was no way to close the bottle after you snipped off the point. Our Local IGA carries an in house brand which is identical to the sweet rose scented dish liquid she used, for only $1.26 a bottle.
Next the watery, gallon jug fabric softener. I can't stand the way modern Downey and other brands are so thick, and waxy, with overly strong perfume like scents, that barely resemble the original. Even the classic non-concentrated April Fresh Downey no longer smells the same. Again, the local IGA carries an in house brand softener, which smells like the Downey of my childhood, with no thick waxiness. One adds 1/3 cup per load according to the bottle, making it a real bargain at $3.49 per gallon. Thats 48 loads per bottle, at only about 7 cents per load.
Now for something I hadnt tried before. The local Dollar General store has a section of shelving for cleansers etc at 1 dollar each. In this section I found PowerX brand dishwasher detergent. It says no phosphates and is a clear gel, but, it smells like the old Cascade gel. When you open the bottle, you smell chlorine bleach, and lemons, just like Cascade once smelled before the formula changed. And it cleans like the old Cascade. Any of you who use melmac dishes regularly know how they stain, and have to occasionally be bleached. I had some that I was planning to bleach, but after a run through the dishwasher with this, the stains are practically gone!
So there you go guys, it seems we can still find some of the vintage formulas we miss, but under different names. Next week I'm going to try the Kroger Everyday Value powder laundry detergent, to see if it really smells and performs like the Tide (or was it Oxydol?) of years ago, like I have read in an old post on the site. Anyone have any other products that seem to use the vintage formulas to suggest?
