What laundry products do you use and why?

[launderess]

"Please tell me more about old fashioned laundry smell.

Not much to tell really, just scent one recalls from youth. Laundry has a fresh soft and clean scent, again not over powering and cloy as with what you get today from most detergents. More to the point things don't smell like cheap perfume weeks after laundering either.

 

[volsboy1]

I use Persil powder from Germany , I get it on Amazon, It goes very far a table spoon and everything is clean, I also use Persil Liquid for stain treatment. I use Biz and TSP mixed up for whites.
I tried to save money with detergents and it did not work out.
I started to break out bad and my yard clothes would still smell of sweat and body odor.
I would have to put in double what is called for just to get them passable clean.
My Mom gave me a box of Miele detergent to try .
Well I loved it, it cleaned great but was too pricey for me. Persil costs me 25 bucks for a box of 44 washes and I get more than that out of it.

 

[chachp]

Laundry

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<span style="font-family: 'courier new', courier;">A couple of things I have to keep in mind in what products I use and how much I use:</span>

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<span style="font-family: 'courier new', courier;">- We have a water softener, so I have to be careful how much product I use in each load</span>

<span style="font-family: 'courier new', courier;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font: 7.0pt;">-   </span></span></span>I have psoriasis so heavily scented products generally cause issues for me.</span>

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<span style="font-family: 'courier new', courier;">Colors: Permanent Press cycle using Warm water and the Miele Ultra Color Powder</span>

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<span style="font-family: 'courier new', courier;">Whites that I don’t want to shrink: Warm water, Oxi Clean and the Miele Ultra White powder.</span>

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<span style="font-family: 'courier new', courier;">Whites like towels, etc: Sanitary cycle using Oxi clean and Miele Ultra White powder.</span>

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<span style="font-family: 'courier new', courier;">Bedding: I use hot water and Miele Ultra Color Powder.  This is the only load type where I use any kind of scent.  I use those beads you put in the wash cycle and avoid the second rinse.  Hubby likes sheets to have a scent and for whatever reason using this on my sheets doesn't bother my skin.</span>

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<span style="font-family: 'courier new', courier;">I used Persil for a long time but I got tired of it fading all my colors.  I had to use the Sensitive product due to my skin issues so I moved away from that on to Miele and have had pretty good luck with no skin issues.  I will add on most loads I choose the extra rinse cycle because any trace of product left behind could be problematic for me.</span>

 

<span style="font-family: 'courier new', courier;">I hang dry my casual shirts that I wear daily.  Jeans, Underwear, etc. I dry on very low heat.</span>

 

[iej]

When it comes to any kind of body odour issues in clothes, or mildew odour problems the key ingredient for breaking them down is the correct cocktail of enzymes. There’s a lot of R&D, particularly by Novozymes into getting maximum effect on fungal and other persistent organisms that can live on textile fibers and survive a simple chemical detergent.

Bleach will obviously get rid of most of them too, but you can’t reasonably bleach most clothes without causing fading and weakening fibers.

Those enzyme cocktails are expensive and the tend to be used in the top of the line brands only.
Miele seem to be using a 6-enzyme Novozymes cocktail in the European versions of their Ultraphase detergents and I would assume the US version is identical.

Interesting, their skin sensitive detergents are also enzyme based.

I got a pack of he Miele Cotton restoring enzyme cap dose product that is supposed to work wonders on tired looking cottons. I haven’t had a chance to try it out but I might run a wash with some old T-shirts and see how it works. It’s the first product I’ve seen with Novozymes branding on the packaging.

 

[chachp]

Miele Ultra Color

 

<span style="font-family: 'courier new', courier;">This is the ingredient list from the Miele Ultra Color box.  There isn't much else on the box.  There may have been a card inside with additional information but it was likely thrown out.</span>

 

[gusherb]

2-3 years ago I became mildly obsessed with buying and trying different detergents so I built up a small stockpile of Tide & Gain products, and stopped once my space for them in the closet became full. Out of everything I’ve used I haven’t really been able to tell any big difference in performance and can’t settle on anything in particular. Right now I’m onto a box of unscented Tide powder and next time I’m at Target I’ll get whatever appeals to me at the time. I’m thinking about trying some Persil next (although the scent has always been a bit strong to me), or maybe I’ll buy Gain or Tide again...who knows.

Not a big user of fabric softener but with the unscented Tide I was wanting some scent in my clothes so I bought softener in one of my all time favorite scents - Gain Original to use with that. If I go back with a scented detergent I’ll just stop using the softener, and perhaps buy some unscented Downy to use in the winter to cut down on static.

The one thing that does remain constant in my repertoire is OxyClean, and that gets used on the whites. Might even try some Tide with Bleach next.

Everything gets washed in warm water, towels and sheets get washed on hot. Only time I used cold was when I was using a bottle of Tide Coldwater, but I would only do that during the summer when our tap water is 70° or so.

 

[electradeluxe]

I like the detergent from the Co-Op store (UK)
Cleans well and I like the fragrance, and a stain remover spray to pre treat and I like to use Comfort Intense fabric conditioner, I use Woolite liquid for delicate items

Neil

 

[kd12]

All Tempa-Cheer

Cheer colorguard liquid. Why? For starters, we always had Cheer powder at home growning up. I tried Tide liqud years ago, but it didn't seem to get clothes as clean as Cheer.

 

[jerrod6]

For most regular loads, I use the auto-dosing system on the machine which uses Miele Ultra phase 1 which is detergent, along with Miele Ultraphase 2 which is hydrogen Peroxide. I also run a few loads with Persil liquid stain fighter. For fleece and wool, I use Miele liquid for Delicates and Wool, because it cleans well and leaves a nice scent to the fleece. For gym clothes, I use Power Wash Performance Detergent that is designed only for workout clothes. It cleans and removes odors very well. I don't use detergent additives but I occasionally use Zout or Shout stain pre-treater. For fabric softener, I alternate between Snuggle, Miele Softener, and Laundress.

 

[lakewebsterkid]

Current detergent

I have started washing loads a little more carelessly. Almost all of my colored clothes go in one load. They all are washed in Old Tide Coldwater HE (the good scent) using hot water. After the washer is done adding water, I will add one cup of ammonia. Sheets and Permanent Press items are washed the same way.
For the non-colorfast items I use Tide PurClean in cold and will use 1C of ammonia with it as well.
Whites receive either Tide Mountain Spring powder or Tide Ultra Stain Release and are washed in hot with 1C of ammonia as well.
I always add 1T of STPP with a full load, and recently have been using the new Downy WrinkleGuard. It actually has been quite enjoyable. Wrinkles really aren't much of an issue anymore.

 

[lordkenmore]

I have poor--no, terrible loyalty to any product. I almost always buy different detergent each time. It may be something I've had in the past, but almost never the same stuff two times in a row.

I'm influenced by price, and also (sometimes) curiosity about a product.

I tend to prefer powder--it was good enough for my mother's Kenmore, it's good enough for my BOL Shredmore--but in recent history I've mostly bought liquids (more choices, and better sales). I also tend to prefer unscented--I hate how strong scents can be.

Currently, my daily driver is Tide purclean.

I can't say I notice huge differences, but then my laundry is mostly freshening, not nightmare dirt. That said, I do notice a difference between cheap brands and better brands. It's not immediately noticeable, but after using, say, All for a while and then switching to Tide, I notice slightly better freshness. But part of that might be the washer.

I'm not a regular user of products other than detergent (e.g., bleach, color safe bleach, softener, etc).

 

[aquacycle]

Persil Bio powder for whites, bedding and light colours. Persil Bio powder has always been my favourite detergent. It’s gets whites white, colours bright, smells clean and not too over powering and rinses exceptionally well.
Persil Small & Mighty liquid for darks. I’ve only recently started using this after disappointment with other brands. Cleans brilliantly.
Liquid Soap for woollens and delicates for obvious reasons.

 

[liberatordeluxe]

I use Splosh, Ecozone or Tesco detergents.

@aquacycle do you prefer Persil to Ariel? I always thought Ariel was more popular in the UK at least.

The last Persil detergent i used was the Powergems which cleaned well i found. Didn't like the fragrance much though.

 

[aquacycle]

Hey Ben, long time no speak! Hope you’re well.

I like the Splosh liquid and I used to really love their Cotton Flower powder but not keen on the Jasmine powder. I find the smell a bit too strong and it’s not great at rinsing out.

I much prefer Persil to Ariel and have done for many years. When I first left home in 2008, I was using Ariel and it really was brilliant. But then they brought out Actilift and the stain removers and the performance dropped. It never quite recovered IMO. I used it recently as my in laws are Ariel fans but as with most P&G detergents, it’s a nightmare to rinse out.

 

[oliger]

I have been wanting to buy Persil Bio forever! It is unavailable anywhere in the United States, I can't even find a place to buy it online, except for some ridiculous price.

 

[electradeluxe]

Persil small and mighty

I stopped using Persil a few years ago when I kept finding greasy marks when ironing my grey shirts, when I changed detergent it stopped happening,I’ve been using the co op detergent for a few weeks now so I’m sticking with it for now

 

[liberatordeluxe]

Hi Chris,

I am good thanks

I liked Persil powder til they added optical brighteners.

 

[aquacycle]

You do know that both Splosh liquid and powder contain optical brighteners, right?

 

[liberatordeluxe]

Hi Chris,

Yeah i know about the powder but not bothered about that for whites or underwear etc. Just some of my clothes say to use a detergent free of brightening agents.

Have looked at the Splosh liquid and can't see any mention of OBA's in the liquid.

I shall message them on Twitter.

 

[kenmoreguy89]

Wow so many of you seems to use chlorine for their whites.
Chlorine is avoided in this house I never used it and never will, weakens fabrics, hard to rinse and gets yellow with heat or sun if not totally rinsed and yuck leaves a terrible hospital smell on clothes, chlorine it's outdatef stuff still good for toilets but not in laubdry, except for laundry errors and even there I prefer to rely on sodium hydrosulphite whiteners which yes may smell a little of sulphur but are not that bad when mixed with detergent.
Key in my laundry beside enzymes surfactant is oxygen!!!
Enzymes are go to break some sort of stains, but pigment Such as coffee, tea, grass or the darn pasta sauce stains needs to be whitened and oxygen is the one doing that job, also oxygen is needed in laundry to get rid of odours.
Odors are caused by bacterias and no surfactant detergent or enzyme is able to kill bacteria but oxygen is is the same way it kills mildew.
So I stick with whatever product includes a good amount of oxygen.
Liquids don't and are avoided in this house the same way chlorine bleach is.
Not a secret that liquid just don't clean like powders do.
That is because they contain the dear oxygen that liquid don't and provide a better washing solution by being alkaline.
As of today for what concerns what offered in the US have been very pleased with tide powder, arm&hamner powder Mexican Ariel.
I try whatever detergent there is in the world, and I currently have a very large stash of worldwide detergents and many many many vintage of course and as other side does Mel of integer detergent is simply different and good compared to the cheap stink of today's products.
I also used to love gain and it was fantastic until not long ago but they took off the percarbonate in it also and now obviously I don't like it anymore still smell good but the cleaning power is dreadful.
I'm saddened to see how the American market for what concerns powders is downgrading at an impressive rate.
Products once very good now being taken off of enzymes and percarbonate and key ingredients becoming nothing but plain surfactant with a few stupid enzymes in them.

I am also against the use of additives if add a surgeon doesn't do the job alone then screw them, will not buy again!