Washing with vintage detergent....

[state-line]

Hi Laundry fans! I recently acquired a box of "Quik-Solv" detergent from the early 60's. This was Colgate's answer to P&G's "Salvo" and Lever's "Vim", in case many of you don't recognize the name. This box is full and I'd like to do a load with these tablets. However, given the age of the product, should I plan on not getting the best cleaning I would if it were a new box? Or should I even use them at all? What advice can you give me, experts?

 

[toggleswitch]

Smer will say "keep it forever" it's vintage; others will say "enjoy the flashback to the good old days" and comsume the product as you would any other.

Unlike pharmaceuticals that MAY loose efficacy wih age, I am thinking that detergets don't. And there may be performance-boosting phosphates to boot. These older detergents may outperform today's tree-hugging "eco-friendly" versions.

Worse case scenrio, you just rewash in today's stuff before hitting the dryers.

YAY phosphates! ENJOY!

 

[toggleswitch]

*Some*

Jeez with these sloppy fingers my membership to the "Sisters of Sappho" will be revoked!

 

[Unimatic1140]

A Total Luxury

I never heard of Quik-Solv before. What I have found is age does not reduce the effectiveness of most vintage phosphated detergents (meaning pre-1970 detergents), the only difference is in most boxes the scent has diminish considerably, but you can usually still smell some of its original scent. Vintage phosphate detergent is a wonderful luxury, the high suds types (Tide, Cheer, Rinso, etc.) make wonderful suds and they rinse away like magic, its amazing to see how clear the rinse water is after tons of suds in the wash. When you uses these detergents the wash water feels so soft and slippery and the clothes come out softer than modern non-phosphate detergents. There is also no powdery residue left on the clothes and the wash tub at the end of the cycle that is so common with some of the better modern detergents. If you using only a front loader(s) and are stuck with having to use low sudsing detergent, 1960's Dash has to be the best low-sudsing detergent I have ever used, puts all the modern stuff to shame, especially with its rinsing ability.

I use vintage detergents all the time, I like vintage (pre-1970) Tide, Cheer and Fab the best. Salvo was rated very low in cleaning ability and I suspect Quik-Solv was similarly poor in its cleaning ability, so if you find it doesn't clean very well it has more to do with the original design than age.

 

[panthera]

Unless they used enzymes

- and very few vintage detergents did - I doubt anything has 'gone bad'.
Please let us know how it goes! I remember my mom trying and quickly rejecting the various tablets back then, but then she was coping with me - the model for Peanut's Pigpen - and my dad's work at a steel mill.
No wonder she only bought thumpers. Nothing else, short of rocks and a swift stream would have solved her problems.

 

[sudsmaster]

Theoretically at least....

Complex phosphates like STPP are supposed to have a limited shelf life. That's because with time, moisture will turn the STPP into TSP, which is far less effective (it's on a par with washing soda in terms of water softening, break, etc). However if the contents of the box are kept dry and do not show signs of caking, perhaps the STPP component is still good.

 

[retro-man]

Not to ask a stupid question but I will

I have seen several references in the past to washing soda. Is this the same as baking soda? Is this a product that you pick up in the laudry detergent aisle? I have used boraxo before in laudry, but I don't think it is the same thing. But a great use for Boraxo is on your carpets and old floors with cracks in them. This is a natural remedy for fleas. You spinkle it onto carpets and floors, leave on for 10 minutes or so then vaccumm it all up. Have been doing this for years and no fleas since doing this. Thanks
Jon

 

[gansky1]

Here's my box of Quik-Solv in the lower right corner - I've tried it a couple of times with so-so results. For lightly soiled loads, it worked fine. So many advances have been made in the detergent field that it's hard to compare vintage products with newer products in many instances. I love using the vintage stuff for the wonderful scents and lots-o-suds, but for real cleaning of grungy things, I'll grab the Tide with Bleach or similar modern product.

Congrats on the find!

 

[sudsmaster]

Washing soda goes by several names: sodium carbonate, soda ash, and washing soda. It is not the same as sodium bicarbonate. It is more alkaline (more harsh).

Washing soda is a relatively cheap chemical, and is a major component of various laundry boosters like Oxyclean or White King. However in these products it's not the primary active component. While it softens water, boosts alkalinity, and helps break soil from fabrics, it also forms an insoluble precipiate with mineral dirt which can get deposited like cement inside the washer and back on fabrics. Sodium tripolyphosphate softens, breaks, and saponifies like washing soda but doesn't form a precipitate so it is far superior to washing soda. Borax is semi-precipitating, and so it may help counteract some of the ill effects of washing soda.

Borax is a sodium borate compound. It actually works pretty well in laundry, however, it is toxic if injested and if you have pets you don't want to leave it sprinkled on floors. It is also toxic to plants in larger than trace amounts.

STPP is relatively non-toxic and my preferred laundry booster. It's the active ingredient in White King phosphated laundry booster, and also in vintage (and some imported Mexican) detergents.

 

[bellalaundry]

I have to know...

Where are you all finding these vintage detergents and softeners? I have never come across any?

Guy

 

[danemodsandy]

Salvo:

I remember my mom giving Salvo a try. Loads kept coming out with half-dissolved tablets in them. I also remember her complaining about the price of the convenience they represented, but that may just have been her- she was, shall we say, a thrifty soul? 2 cents one way or another was a big deal to her back then.

 

[mickeyd]

That's the biggest suds-saver I've ever seen, Gregor

Wonder how much a box of Dash would be? ;-)

 

[paulg]

Put me on your PUNCH list..

At a recent dinner party we used vintage YELLOW table linens and napkins. Afterward I did the laundry but used vintage PUNCH (by Colgate Corporation).
The PUNCH not only removed the stains from that day's party but it also removed all the earlier stains that never quite got fully washed away. (The older stains were minor. I would never serve my guests on stained TABLE linens :0 ) I swear I scoped the entire tablecloth and napkins and was really impressed.
Of course I must give my SPEED QUEEN some of the credit. In my opinion, the Speed Queen kept the ball in the air and PUNCH knocked it over the net.