What Is Your Preferred Detergent of Choice?

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Arm & Hammer detergents.. well I used them for years along with other cheap stuff like ERA and while I thought they were doing a good job but it wasn't until I switched to Persil a few years ago that I noticed my clothes were noticeably brighter and cleaner looking. I'd never go back to using A&H detergents.
 
Thank-you Petek for the reply, do appreciate it. Think I read a post sometime back from Laundress that it is heavy in washing soda.  I unscrewed the cap and took a whiff, smelled good if a little strong. My cousin uses it and may be going to visit her, so I was just wondering. She swears by it. 

Was hoping to hear from more members.

 

Barry
 
I use powder only

And I think the reason is this:

Back when I first got a FL washer years ago, people were sharing all of their thoughts on different things, and there was this thought that powder was better than liquid in FL washers because liquid could cause a build up. I'm not sure if that was true, but I just started using powder and I have from that point on.

This is what I've used for years. The thing I like about it is the scent is very subtle and it lasts a long time and I don't have to buy it often because there's so much. It seems to work really well (maybe not as good as Persil or Tide, but still removes stains. I don't notice it fading colors too much.

mark_wpduet-2021062315155701512_1.png
 
 
Member's Mark (Sam's Club) Wind Fresh powder is made by Sun/Henkel.  The safety data sheet I find lists only 4 ingredients, no enzymes, but it may not be a full ingredient list.
Sodium carbonate (washing soda) 20-30%
Sodium silicate (water glass) <1%
Ethoxylated alcohols (surfactants) <1%
Sodium chloride (table salt) 15-80%
 
Safety Data Sheets (SDS)

Formerly Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS)

https://blink.ucsd.edu/safety/resources/SDS/index.html

Must list hazardous ingredients, and for some reason enzymes are considered in that category. Thus when included in laundry products they normally are listed. At least have always seen them included on all such sheets for laundry products that contained.

Many middle and lower shelf laundry detergents don't contain a single enzyme. Some only one (usually protease).

OTOH in world of commercial and industrial laundry detergents many are formulated without enzymes. Such places still rely more upon chemicals, moderate to high pH levels, and hot to very water along with good mechanical action to deal with soils/stains. What isn't removed by detergent alone will be handled by extensive use of chlorine or other bleaches.

Part of this has to do with short wash cycles in commercial/industrial laundries. In such settings wash times are between 6-8 minutes only on average. If soil is heavy there might be a second suds for same amount of time. Usually such short wash times don't give enzymes time to work properly. So a laundry must decide if the added length of time (which ties up a machine) is worth results.

Speed Queen washers at local laundromat complete a full "Normal" cycle in about 30 minutes. The pre-wash is barely two minutes long, main wash about 8-12 minutes (you can pay extra 25 cents for two minutes extra time), then onto three rinses then extract. That just isn't enough time for enzyme detergents to work.

This is reason you see so many tubs of Member's Mark or similar powdered detergents in rubbish of laundromats that offer wash and fold service and other such places.
 
well

I don't think my duet cycles are long enough to give enzymes time to work either. For example: Heavy duty (no options) is only 50 min's and that's default 2 rinses. So I think the wash phase is 20 min's and the heater is active. What I usually do, is add more soil and extra rinse, which totals to 1:10, so 30 min's wash time. Not sure if that's even long enough for it to work. Maybe only the sanitary cycle would work with enzyme detergents. That cycle is 2.5 hours long
 
20 minutes is enough for enzymes to work their magic. Not long enough for oxygen bleach though.
 
I think there is only an obligation to list enzymes in an MSDS if the enzyme or whatever else exceeds a certain amount in the finished product.
For instance the regular and color version of German Persil Discs list Subtilisin (Protease) in the MSDS as a substance of concern and the detergent package has an allergy warning about it.
Persil Sensitive Discs on the other hand lists Subtilisin in its full ingredients list but not in its MSDS nor is there an allergy warning printed on the package.
Obviously it contains much smaller amounts of the skin irritating enzyme because it is targeted to consumers with sensitive skin who still expect good performance of an enzyme containing detergent.

It`s always a good idea to study both, the MSDS and the full ingredients list to get the whole picture. [this post was last edited: 6/24/2021-01:06]
 
Sadly not all American laundry products are clearly forthcoming on label as to what exactly they contain. P&G has gotten better on that score, but often you may have to go online or something to look it up.

Would suppose enzymes below a certain level aren't deemed to likely cause a "hazardous" or whatever issue, thus not have to be listed.

Enzyme time...

Twenty mins wash time is more than enough IMHO. For badly stained or things am attempting to remove old marks will do an overnight soak instead of long washes.

Am going to assume makers of washing machines, especially at higher end like Miele, Bosch, etc.. have tested cycles with various products including enzymes when developing cycles. On other end makers of top shelf detergents like Persil, Tide, etc... also test their products for optimal performance in commonly used cycles.
 
We've been working on our stash of Sears Ultra Plus powder.  I hope it doesn't eventually go the way of Sears itself.  

 

sears-laundry-detergent-ultra-plus-powder-button.jpg
 
In honour of this thread

Which gave one's memory a bit of a jog, went ahead and cracked open box of Sunlight "Lemon Fresh" detergent that came into stash back in 2018 (where does the time go?).

https://www.automaticwasher.org/cgi-bin/TD/TD-VIEWTHREAD.cgi?76039

Scent is rather light, not exactly overwhelming lemon, just a tinge of freshness. Of course this powder has been sat sitting for bit so maybe things toned down.

Am doing bed linens atm and have to say at least coming out of washer (Miele) things smell fresh and clean. Only used two small scoops and had no trouble with suds or rinsing. This despite product not being labelled "HE".

Now that the box is opened will have to find some sort of plastic container to keep the moistness out. Don't want clumps.....
 
Since using the Amana. Can get more benefit with oxi clean instead of chlorine bleach.The Heavy cycle has an agitation period alone of 31 minutes and change.Not at constant high speed agitation though. Powders give the water the softening it needs. Just don't get that with liquids.

I imagine powder is probably better for the machines parts being more additives can be used with dry instead of liquid.
 
Tide clean breeze powder for the washer, with snuggle blue iris and ocean scent booster pacs and liquid softener. I use bounce sheets sometimes as well, or the snuggle intense fresh.

For the dishwasher cascade is required, the Fresh scent with Dawn plus OXI gel which smells absolutely to die for and cleans so nicely without disgusting chlorine. I always use finish jet dry as well.
 

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