What Is Up With Gain he Powder?

[rp2813]

The latest box of Gain I bought has the "he" logo on it, but now right below it is the verbiage "For Both" (FL and TL machines).

 

I've had nothing but oversudsing issues -- as in window completely obscured -- in my Affinity since starting on this new box, and am thinking that I can no longer buy Gain powder.    The machine has to go through a suds reduction routine almost every time unless I add liquid fabric softener to the wash cycle to knock down the suds.  It's worse with some items more than others.  Sturdy fabrics/cottons don't cause as much sudsing as synthetics.

 

What are my options now?  I've been buying Gain because Tide is rarely on sale, and the price difference is significant.  And aren't they both made by P&G anyway? 

 

I suppose paying more for Tide is better than destroying the bearings on the Affinity, but what if Tide powder is also making the "For Both" claim?

 

Any suggestions for alternatives?

 

[tomturbomatic]

Options

You call the 800 number on the box or go to the website and bitch like hell. Be sure to mention that you are going to blog about the high sudsing and ask what the hell they are thinking making a product that causes machines to go into extra rinses when parts of the nation are facing drought and water restrictions. You get your money back and/or a bunch of coupons--for a different brand.

 

[mamapinky]

gain

Ralph...I just recently in tha past month bought a 40 load box of gain original and the 120 load box of gain lavender they both have the HE logo along with a pic of a he and standard washer that says *for both*...this is the first gain I've bought in years...but even in my standard top loader it makes a lot of suds. I know top loaders can handle more suds but I hate double rinses in this water guzzler. ..and I didn't overdose it.Cheryl

 

[jerrod6]

Growing up my parents had front loaders.  Then you used the same detergent as for top loaders. The boxes had separate instructions for each.  Usually you used less in the front loader than you did in a toploader.  Dial/Henkel has been making Purex detergent for both top and front for the last year, so perhaps you need to use less for a front loader.

 

In general I use the least amount of detergent that will get the job done so I always use less than what the container says to do.  

 

I will be interested to see if this "use in both kinds" spreads to other P&G detergents including Tide.

 

I guess there is going to be some point, unless we have already reached it, in which there will no longer be top loaders with agitators and every machine will be "He"  so I guess we better start having a plan for that. 

 

[rp2813]

". . . I guess we better start having a plan for that.&#

Seems to me like Gain is planning for exactly the opposite by producing a formula that, instead of creating low suds for the front-load future, creates plenty of suds for top loading dinosaurs.

 

This makes absolutely no sense to me.  I guess I'll do a little searching on line to see if people are complaining about it. 

 

Enough bitching about non-phosphated dishwasher detergent got everybody to fix their formulas, so maybe the same can happen for those of us who have FL machines but prefer powder.

 

I can't imagine using less detergent than I already do.  Even just 1/4" deep in the scoop is enough to put the machine into anti-sudsing mode when washing certain items.

 

P.S.  The "&#" at the end of the "subject drift" field are not mine.  I put quotes there but when I hit "post" it produces &# even after I preview and re-preview, where it looks fine.

 

[mamapinky]

I have a standard TL but I usually buy HE detergent because I don't want all the suds their not beneficial. I like to see a few bubbles but not suds..I spend enough on water I can't be doing multiple rinses every time I wash..Cheryl

 

[toploader1984]

Gain

I just bought a bottle of tide (HE turbo) with april fresh, it did the same to my front loader, suds were halfway up the door, i complained and got the usual "you used too much" or "your machine has leftover deposits" response, which pisses me off because just the week before i tried the HE turbo in the original and even with a full cap there was basically no suds!!!! I got so angry i went to target and bought a couple of different versions of arm & hammer detergent which has almost zero suds and is cheaper, also bought snuggle instead of downy, take that P&G!!! Im done.

 

[toploader1984]

[No message]

 

[rockland1]

Gain

Last week at Sams I noticed the HE Gain as well and almost considered buying it.
Glad I didn't. Bought the usual pail of Wind Fresh which works very well.

 

[rp2813]

This sounds like the GM, Firestone & Standard Oil conspiracy from the 1930s that saw interurban railways ripped up all across the country in favor of buses.

 

I wonder if P&G holds any large interest in an appliance manufacturer and if they're out to destroy our machines.

 

If I were more tech savvy, I'd start a rant blog against P&G.

 

[mamapinky]

Ralph

Lol..there's enough ranting about P&G right here and rightly deserved and i'd bet P&G knows about it but as long as their product is still moving off the shelves they don't care. If they're changing their formula they have some agenda to benefit themselves not the consumers and they have a history of never letting well enough alone. Cheryl

 

[passatdoc]

So far Tide HE is safe, and there is always Henkel Persil at Walmart.

I use a coffee measure (2 tbsp = 30 ml) to dose my detergent for my FL Electrolux (4.3 cu ft drum). Depending on load size and soil level, I use 15-30 ml and never exceed 30 ml. For pre-wash, 10-15 ml. I use old style Gain HE, Tide HE, and Ariel and Henkel Persil brought back from Europe. Powders only. I never get suds lock nor major suds residue at end cycle.

FYI this is why I've shied away from Costco's powder marked as "HE" and as "safe for both types of machines". In England they still sell both types of detergent for those still using TL (twin tubs or what have you). They don't try to pretend that a single product works fine in both types of machines.

I recall directions on detergent boxes in the 60s advising customers to use less for a FL (i.e. 1/4 cup for FL, 1/2-3/4 cup for FL, depending on machine capacity; most new FL were Westinghouse and I believe did not vary much in capacity). For those who understood that oversudsing was undesirable in FLs, Dash detergent was available and they clearly promoted their low-sudsing action.

 

[toploader1984]

Persil

Please do not buy persil proclean it is worse!!! This is a pic of the persil filled cap to line 1 which is for "regular" loads it was not a small load eather and suds were halfway up the door, and my water is not soft, i tried using only a tablespoon full but the clothes do not come clean. Persil pods however do not suds.

 

[aquarius1984]

Toploader1984 why is that a regular load in your opinion? That drum is 1/4 filled with clothes at the most yet your using a dose designed for a FULL load which you clearly do not have in that machine.

 

[rp2813]

Water here is fairly hard.  I can't even imagine what the problem would be like if we had soft water.

 

As stated above, I use less powder than suggested, a practice I do remember from the days when Westinghouse owned the FL market and their machines worked fine on "LE" detergent.  My old clunker of a 1950 Westy did just fine with regular detergent.

 

I think mama's post #822098 above sizes up the situation with P&G well.  I was tempted to provide a link to this thread in the written (OK, typed) complaint I submitted to P&G, but I think I used all 4,000 allowable characters.

 

If original Wisk still existed and could be found in "HE" I'd never have used powder in the first place.  I don't think I have any option but to find a suitable "HE" liquid now, since the choices are many compared to powders.

 

[lakewebsterkid]

Sudsing

I too, have had problems recently with too many suds in my Duet. Purex is a big no, and the Persil ProClean isn't ALL that great either. Tide liquid is still my to go to, but I have not tried the HE Turbo versions yet. I have been having a lot of issues with towels rinsing recently with 10 ppm water hardness (moderately hard). But, nothing is perfect...

 

[mamapinky]

Sent hubby to the store today to pick up cheer powder (had four 9$ off coupons P&G owed me lol) they also say *ForBoth*and the dosage instructions say line1 for med loads..line3 for large loads and line 5 for full HE loads...P&G obviously doesn't realize HE washers take less detergent than a standard TL so how can we expect them to make a detergent that is low sudsing for that said appliance.
By the way I had the coupons to replace a 120 load box of cheer that was all hard lumps..they were supposed to send two 9 $ coupons but sent 4 lol

 

[logixx]

Full HE loads

The rationale behind this is that high efficiency washers can take larger loads (up to two cubic feet more) than regular top loaders. More clothes mean more soil - thus more detergent.

 

[mamapinky]

Isn't Turbo lower sudsing? This cheer doesn't say turbo