What laundry additives do you use most often?

[maytagbear]

My arsenal-

Sears Ultra Plus

Downy April Fresh

(As needed)

Spray n' Wash stick

Amway All-Fabric Bleach

(rarely) Clorox "classic"

Lawrence/Maytagbear

 

[dogboy44]

Depending on the load

varying combinations of

Cheer
Spray and Wash
TSP
Clorox (real)
Mrs. Stewarts
Downey unscented

 

[danemodsandy]

My Current Arsenal:

- Oxydol
- Shout for pretreating greasy stains
- Fels-Naptha for pretreating protein stains
- Arm & Hammer Washing Soda for garden stains (this one may no longer be needed now that I'm no longer around Georgia's red clay)
- Oxy-Clean as an everyday bleach
- LCB when a chlorine bleach is needed
- Cuddle Soft Mountain Breeze softener - perfect in the dispenser cup of a centre-dial 'Tag

I also used to use Dreft on occasion when my partner was ill and was having, ahem, accidents. Oxydol worked most of the time, but once in a while something more was needed. I refused to send up any laundry to his room that was not absolutely clean - he'd lost enough dignity without being subjected to stained linens.

 

[peterh770]

Wisk HE
Snuggle (melon or peach)
Oxi-Clean (whites on very hot wash)

 

[brisnat81]

No laundry additives here.

1 scoop of Drive Front Loader and the appropriate temp and thats all it takes.

Maybe once a month I'll use a scoop of Vanish Oxygen bleach if something is still stained after line drying.

 

[passatdoc]

Normal loads: Tide HE plus 20 Mule Team Borax (very hard water here).

When I can get it: Persil or Via (Unilever's Swedish detergent), plus 20 Mule Team Borax

Heavy soiled loads: 1-2 scoops of Oxy Clean in addition to above.

 

[historyman]

Is Foca gone?

I (like Polkanut) can't find Foca around here or at least can't seem to. Does anyone know if Foca's being pushed out like Polkanut mentioned?

 

[westingman123]

Foca

We still have Foca at the grocery, and Big Lots has TONS of it. I'm skeptical, though, because the Foca on our shelves has just been sitting there for the longest time. If something doesn't move, typically it goes the way of the steam engine.

 

[rll70sman]

This is my regular arsenal.

Oxydol Extreme Clean powder
Shout spray pretreater
Go-Jo degreaser
Mrs. Stewart's Liquid Bluing (for whites)
Clean Breeze Downy (only used once in a while)
White vinegar (works better than fabric softener and removes odors)

These are leftovers that I'm using up and probably won't buy again.

Sears Ultra Plus Advanced Formula powder
Tide Original Scent liquid
Arm & Hammer Super Washing Soda

 

[autowasherfreak]

I just bought a box of Sears Ultra Plus Advanced Formula (green box) and Clorox Bleach. Sometimes I use Pine Sol or Murphy's Oil Soap. I don't use fabric softener roommate is allergic to it. I'm going to buy a Bounce Dryer Bar. I also use either Mean Green or dish washing soap for treating stains.

 

[electron1100]

In The UK

Hi there

Since the major detergent companies in the UK have been messing around with tried and trusted powders (Persil, Daz, Ariel) to the point that i find they dont work as well as the old ones did, I now fnd myself buying items like spray pre-stain treater (vanish) and vanishing oxyaction booster to go with the powder

Why oh why do they do it.........turn to 30.......pah! marketing spin thats all that is

Yours
disgruntled of Cornwall

 

[alr2903]

HOT water, and lots of it. alr2903

 

[aquarius1984]

I dont use any additives although I did swipe a bottle of foreign biotex from a pound shop in Cardiff the other week.

Says its just for prewashes on white fabrics only as it sudses when mixed in with mainwash detergent but I mixed it in with the remainder of the box of Tricel I bought for shits and gggles.
The biotex was useless.

Gary I finished that Tricel in 7 loads of coloured dosing rather heavily. Its bloody awful stuff.

Hows the Acdo doing?
As I mentioned while sipping on tea in Mathews kitchen that if the ingredients in Vanish or whatever were so good then Ariel and the like would have them mixed in there in the first instance.

I personally find them to be products ained at the easily scared market. I find it amusing how many folk buy detergents like Bold, Daz, Surf and the such then spend £4 on a tub of vanish. The cost per wash then works out to pretty much the same as Ariel if not a bit more expensive.

Id still say Ariel was the best at the minute but only the best of a bad bunch.
I am tiring again of that scent....

Why cant they just bring back the old 80's scent!!!!!!

Just as my housemate amuses me by buying Bold, gets crappy cleaning and pays the same as what it would cost to buy Ariel only to use a seperate softener anyway.

 

[dblrinz]

My Arsenal - (Obviously load dependent)

Detergents -

Classic Tide Powder - whites/lights
Cheer (with colorguard) - Colors
Woolite Regular - Delicate whites/lights
Woolite for Darks

Additives -

20 Mule Borax
Calgon water softener
Classic Clorox Bleach
Clorox 2
Oxy-Clean
Classic Downy
Downy Free
Cascade
Krud Kutter
Vinegar
Shout
Zout
Bounce
Bounce Free and Clear

Yes, I am nerotic. The concoction depends on what type of load I am running.

 

[electron1100]

ROB Tricel/Acdo

Never mind at the price paid the Tricel it was not going to be that good, but it was fun buying it.
I havent used the ACDO yet

I never used to buy extra cleaners, but since the last lot of DAZ has failed to clean properly I have bought the ones listed.

I am sorely tempted to try out Ariel Bio to see if will clean whites properly, but if it is like the colour stuff that suds up and takes ages to rinse out oh and yes that crappy scent......i dont know

I was looking at persil small and mighty but i have read such mixed reports i am not covinced........

As I said before the Waitrose colour powder is very good , so maybe ill try there ordinary bio powder.........

YEs bring back 80s Ariel and Persil new system........

 

[jt1985]

My stuff:

Additives:
Tide Stain Release Pacs
Febreze In-Wash Odor Eliminator (my secret weapon)
Resolve/Spray 'n Wash

When I use the Febreze In-Wash Eliminator with my Snuggle (Blue Iris & Bamboo Silk), it leaves clothing smelling fresher.

Every once in a while, I get some Persil Bio powder.

 

[vacbear58]

Waitrose

I tend not to use any additatives at all, although I usually always use a soak program on my Miele for all wash programs (its a way of making sure that the main part of the wash takes place during my off-peak electricity tariff).

I tend to go between waitrose liquid (Bio and coloureds) and Persil S&M - I will normally buy Persil if its on promotion. Being old fashioned I use a ball rather than stick it in the drawer, although having measured the required quantity into the ball, I fill it up with water to help the dilution pf teh liquid - always seems to give good results
Al

 

[zanussi_lover]

I'm an Ariel Colour Fan

I use ASDA 2in1 Tablets for Whites, the pink box orchid and pearl, yes very gay indeed!

Ariel Colour Powder for Darks, Love that smell, its the old Pre 2006 ariel scent that the bio powder used to have, and I can use it on whites as well and it cleans just as well, so its not always necessary to buy a Whites Powder. Mind you I don't own many white items.

Lenor Spring awakening and Febreze Effect Softeners.

I do all my laundry at 30/40 degrees and Haven't had any problems.

With the Ariel Colour though because i'm a student i only use a small amount and I can make one 10 wash box last about 20 washes. All my laundry comes up clean and fresh.

I bought ariel tablets a while ago to try out and it gave me a headache when i was hanging the washing up to try, it has a really sickly pungent smell, they smell like the powder now.

I would recommend trying Asdas Bio Tablets, Daz Tablets, and Persil Gel Tablets on Whites.

Or better yet try Ariel Excel Gel!

 

[zanussi_lover]

Bring Back Ariel Alpine

Does anyone remember Ariel Alpine?, it was only sold in the Uk from 1999-2001, I remember using Ariel Essential Alpine at the time, and it was sold in a compact bag, or a Big Box.

Apparently you can still get it in France, so I may have to get some when i'm over there

 

[ronhic]

Very little in the way of additives.

Generally use a standard powder

Drivematic
Omomatic
Biozet
Duomatic

Sometimes use some washing soda with it.....

....and that's all.

Interestingly, Choice have recently carried out a test on the new 2xpowders here and decided to try something. They found that by reducing the dose of Omomatic to 1/4, they still had results almost as good as the 2nd best powder....

Choice effectively said that at half dose it's stain removing ability on grass and tomato is still above average and that at 1/4 dose it still cleans with 'impressive results'.

At full dose, it was their top performer and at quarter dose, it 'just marginally' trailed our second-highest performer which we’d tested at full dose.