Vintage Gain Detergent - Excellent Results!

[launderess]

Recently decided one did not wish to be one of those persons whom leave this earth with huge stash of laundry/cleaning products. I mean you see those things at estate sales and wonder "what was her/his problem"? *LOL*

So this weekend decided to start using some of my stash of vintage laundry products. Awhile backposted of several boxes recently added (Gain, Oxydol, and Rinso), and choose Gain to get the ball rolling.

Both the Gain and Oxydol give dosage amounts for front loaders (cannot remember about Rinso), but all state one should use enough product to bring suds "half way up the window" of the washer. Well not wishing to risk suds locking my Miele did use the recommended dosage (1/2 cup), but added a bit of defoaming agent to keep things in order.

Since my Miele has a solid door thus there isn't any washing action to see, didn't bother getting the camera out. Could tell from the sounds of laundry and water slapping back and forth there was little to no sudsing going on. Now don't know if this was because of the anti-foaming agent added, or because the product wasn't as sudsy as P&G claimed.

Did a full 5kg mixed load of whites (clothing, bath towels, wash cloths, etc), on 120F (cold fill), and when things were over was totally gobsmacked! Laundry came out brilliant white, totally clean and virtually stain free. Now to be fair did add a bit of oxygen bleach, but no STPP. After machine drying the laundry had a faint "fresh laundry" scent. Not at all like the heavy perfume used in today's Gain detergents, just a very light fragrance. Of course it could also very well be that over the years whatever perfume was added to the detergent has faded, even with the box being sealed.

Cannot get an exact date as to when this particular Gain detergent was made. Judging from the old P&G logo on the box (Moon and Stars), and the fact it contains "micro-enzymes", am going to say perhaps the 1980's?. Packet lists no contents or mention of phosphates, but am willing to bet the later is in there. I mean even the white gym socks one wears around the house came out totally clean and white. That normally only happens when one adds STPP to powdered detergents.

 

[jamiel]

If there was no mention of phosphates, I'd think it was early 70s at the latest...enzymes also were a late 60s/early70s thing then disappeared until Liquid Tide in '84.

 

[miele_ge]

Rinso!!

That is what my mom used to use when I was litle.   I remember a lot of differnt box designs - some blue, some green and I think some red (Was a long time ago!)   I remember it went through a period of intermittant availabilty as the phosphate bans were implemented in the late '60s early '70s.  Finally, it was gone all together - I think we switched to fab at that time.

 

If not too much trouble, would love to see a photo of the box of Rinso and hear of your results!

 

Regards,

 

Alan

 

[launderess]

Rinso

Here ya go!

 

[MikeS]

Gain

From the box, I think that version of Gain was sold in the late 60's/early 70's. At that time, Gain became the regular detergent in my beloved but trouble-prone Kenmore 800, replacing former stalwarts Bold and Ajax.
Never used Cold Power or the Color Bleach version of Rinso, however. I do remember my grandmother using Tide or Cheer in her Maytag AMP, and one of my aunts was a devotee of Rinso Blue ("the modern detergent") for her ABC-O-Matic.
Tide was also a favorite of my next-door neighbor, who used it in her turquoise GE Filter-Flo with the front-mounted bleach injector.

 

[launderess]

Cold Power

Was Mom's brand!

Growing up during the "energy crisis" of the 1970's (hated going to school in the dark mornings), there was this HUGE box, no scratch that as it was more crate sized, of Cold Power on a small stool next to the washing machine. Don't know where Big Daddy got the things from. Want to say the "Port Ivory" plant on Staten Island, but can't be sure. My brothers would make "forts" and other play things out of the empty box. Mind you it took a long time to empty out those boxes!

After CP, mom switched to Cheer detergent.

 

[angus]

Yes, that box of Gain has to be from around the late 60's to very early 70's - since it says "unbelievable new detergent" and it was in '72 that all the phosphate nonsense started. The original Gain fragrance was quite pleasant - slightly sweet, slightly citrusy and certainly nowhere nearly as overpowering as today's Gain formulae.
Same vintage as the Rinso with Color Bleach. That was introduced around '68 or so, superseding "Sunshine Rinso". Although if I recall correctly, Sunshine Rinso didn't replace Rinso Blue. Both seemed to co-exist for a while, but Rinso Blue did disappear when the "Color Bleach" formula hit the market. The Rinso formulae were non enzyme as were most of Lever Brothers' offerings. The only enzyme product I recall from Lever was Drive.
Mother used the Rinso Color Bleach once or twice and seemed to be fairly happy with it, but she was more of an Oxydol/Cheer/Ajax fan and ultimately came to like Punch also. Once the phosphate nonsense started she kind of went back to Cheer almost exclusively. Interesting about the phosphates. When it started none of the detergents on any of our store shelves had phosphates. However by late '73 or early '74, the manufacturers were distributing different formulae and depending on the store you could find a phosphated product. A&P, Stop & Shop and Pathmark had phosphated products; Grand Union, First National, Pantry Pride/Food Fair did not. And the few IGA stores had some as well.
Not surprising that you got such great results with the vintage Gain. I wonder if it was a regulated sudsing product back then - can't remember.

 

[whirlcool]

You are exactly right. It was 72' when both the original Gain and Drive were launched. They both had nice, light clean smells to them. While I liked them both, I liked the way Drive smelled best. But within a couple of years they were both reformulated and the smells changed. The new ones were not as good as the originals were.

 

[launderess]

Packaged Water Softeners

Directions printed on the box of Gain state under "Packaged Water Softeners" that they are not required nor should be added. So guess the stuff is loaded with phosphates after all! *LOL*

Watched the water drain from one wash load, and it was rather "clear", with the same tint as the powder (a pretty robin's egg blue). Hope this means it is not loaded with Zeolites and other fillers of modern detergents.

 

[supersuds]

Biodegradable Cold Power must have been from the early Seventies. It was about then that detergents were reformulated so that the suds would break down and not cause foaming in rivers, as I recall.