whats everyone favorite detergent

[kenmoreguy64]

For me I have varied on detergents over the years depending on what I had a coupon for, what scent I liked, etc. but I seem to be settling into a pattern for now. I love Tide w/Bleach powder and I think it's my current favorite. I judge that as best for whites as it gets the bottoms of my socks the cleanest as I will often walk around in the garage with socks on but no shoes. I also like Cheer for Dark Colors. For towels recently I've been using Trend liquid believe it or not (yes I admit it). It makes a no-suds rinse, which with towels is important to me due to our drought we've got - I hate double rinsing. My towels need little more than freshening anyway, so Trend is great for that. Back in April our stores switched to the 2X formulas across the board, and one chain cleared the shelves of Trend at 2 bottles for $2.50, so for a buck and a quarter I tried it.

So that's Tide w/Bleach, Cheer for Darks, and Trend (for the sorta dirty).

 

[launderess]

Soap In Laundry Detergents

Yes, Persil has soap, but then again so do many other detergents on both sides of the pond. Was reading the MSDS for the new Tide "Pro-Line" detergent,and it lists soap as well.

Wouldn't get too excited about laundry detergents having soap, Savon de Marseille, etc; the amount is very low in most cases, <5%. Long chained soaps are used more for foam control than anything else.

Reason why Persil, Tide Pro-Line, some versions of Ariel (EU and UK), and others leave laundry feeling softer, has more to do with product formulation than pure soap.

The new buzz word in commercial laundry circles, and has trickled down to TOL domestic laundry products is "encrustation" and how to prevent it.

Encrustation is the rpcess where by calcium and other minerals becomes trapped and builds up in textiles. This causes items to have a rough feel and a dingy tattle-tale grey appearance. Phosphates are good for preventing and removing encrustation, but now that they have been pretty much banned, and or laundry products are moving to non-phosphate versions to be seen as more "green", other substances had to be found.

High pH levels in the wash bath also contribute to encrustation. High pH levels are great for cleaning very soiled laundry because it causes textile fibers to swell, and release soils. However if those fibers are not closed back down, the fabric will feel coarse and rough. In addition calcium and other minerals in the laundry bath can become trapped in textile fibers, thus adding to the problem. In the past the solution was to add a "sour" to the final rinse bath. However souring laundry requires careful monitoring of the pH level to get right.

What modern TOL detergents have done is to clean without raising the pH level above neutral to only slightly alkaline, or even slightly acidic. Keeping pH levels down means no encrustation, hence no worries about grey and rough feeling textiles.

If one compares Persil, and many other TOL European detergents, you will see they contain less washing soda, than say Arm&Hammer or other MOL and BOL laundry products. Liquid laundry detergents also leave laundry feeling softer due to the fact they do not contain washing soda in any amount.

 

[whitekingd]

dirtybuck

I use powdered Oxydol detergent. I've never tried the liquid before.

 

[angus]

L- strangely enough today at the Compare Supermarket( a local Latino chain with the cute motto (calidad, precio, servicio) I spotted some NuSoft liquid and dryer sheets. The liquid was not the ultra concentrated, but this is the only store where I have seen it in a long time. Apparently Stop & Shop, Shaw's and Shop Rite had to discontinue it to make room for the 400 versions of Downy, Snuggle, etc...

So I picked up two bottles which should last me a few years.

Also picked up several cans of Dole Pineapple/Mango juice - again this is the only store in my area that carries that and it is quite tasty!! Makes a nice marinade for pork and chicken as well with some soy sauce, garlic, lime juice/zest and juice/zest from "naranjas agrias" (may also be called seville oranges- very seedy, pulpy and not very juicy sour oranges but what little juice they produce and their zest are incredibly fragrant and great for marinades.) I think they also use these oranges to make marmalade

 

[gmmcnair]

My Favorites

I like using my own homemade laundry soap made from lye, water, borax, fat, and fragrance oil. I usually buck it up with a little STPP in the wash, and use a vinegar rinse.

Barring that, or when a batch is still curing out, I like the Kirkland Signature powder very much, as well as the Gain with Bleach powder, or Tide with Bleach Alternative liquid. Only problem is, they all make me itch.

 

[pulsator]

At the moment, I don't use anything but Persil Megaperls and Downy, I just LOVE them! Persil works great in both FL and TL machines and things come out soft and sweet smelling! I use the Downy Chamomile and Lemon Verbena scent. I have ever since they changed the formula on the April Fresh scent, it makes me gag!

I do LOVE the smell of powdered Tide with bleach, but I get HORRIBLE rinsing results with it no matter what washer I use.

I want to try the SA8 stuff though, does anyone here think it beats Persil at whites?

 

[frigilux]

Jamie---I wouldn't bother with SA8 anymore; They've done something to it and it doesn't clean as well as it used to. It's called SA8 Premium HE, now. Both Mike (nmaineman) and I noticed the substantial drop in cleaning ability in our most recent boxes. Too bad, too; It was fantastic detergent.

Also, I get remarkably clean rinses using liquid Tide X2 With Color Clean Bleach Alternative in my top-loader. Unfortunately, the same isn't true with the HE version in my front-loader.

 

[70series]

My favorites are based on my favorite scents from the mid 70s.

Powdered:
1. Cheer

2. Sears Roebuck brand

3. Fab

Liquid:
Era

I do not know whether they were top ranked in cleaning ability, but the aromas they generated made them a good buy.

Have a good one,
James

 

[phillygrl]

Right now it's grated Zote soap, borax and washing soda. Can't find washing soda lately, so the next batch will use baking soda.
I add some oxy wash for whites, and occasionally use Mrs Stewarts bluing. Never use fabric softeners.

 

[launderess]

Baking soda is probaby not going to work well, if at all the same as washing soda. Baking soda is too mild a base compared to washing soda, therefore will not provide the same alkalinity required for good cleaning results in laundry.

If you truly cannot find washing soda, but can find Calgon powder, try that instead. Would offer to ship some washing soda to you, but as you know those boxes are HEAVY!

L.

 

[sudsmaster]

Encrustation is more of an issue with detergents that rely upon zeolites for non-precipitating water softening. Zeolites are more sensitive to concentration than other softeners - if they are present in insufficient amounts then encrustation is far more likely.

I seem to recall a while back, Launderess, that you stated that phosphates caused more encrustation. Nice to see you have changed your mind on that one. It makes sense that a chemical with excellent mineral sequestering ability would lessen, rather than aggravate, the encrustation issue.

 

[jetcone]

Toss up

between, OMO, DUOMATIC and PERSIL..
oh I also like WISK 3x concentrate too!

 

[launderess]

I seem to recall a while back, Launderess, that you stated t

The subject of encrustation is one where one can find so much written about, with few points commonly agreed upon.

What is for certian, raising the water pH causes calcium and other minerals present in said water to become soluble. Once this happens such minerals are free to move into and on whatever is being laundered. If not rinsed away, these minerals become trapped in and on the surface of textiles, causing "encrustation".

In light of the above, suppose if one added enough STPP or any alkaline substance to raise the pH level, we would expect encrustation. IIRC the ability of phosphates or any other substance to hold minerals in suspension is not infinite.

 

[phillygrl]

Thanks for the tip, Laundress. I will keep a lookout for washing soda, and stock up when it reappears on the grocers shelves. I haven't seen Calgon powder in ages.

 

[mrboilwash]

Correct me if I`m wrong, but I thought the problem with encrustation is generally spoken more likely with builders of the precipitating type and less likely with builders of the sequestering type.
If STPP is not available is it better to use a powder or a liquid to prevent encrustation ? Of course I know I have to use a sufficient amount of any product.
I don`t have a favourite detergent at the moment, I like variety.

 

[cvillewasherbo]

my favorite

I like Gain Original Scent Powder. My Mom won't use liquid softener, but I like Purex Mountain Breeze. Purex's liquid MB detergent is good also, especially smell wise, but I always felt like I had to use a double dose and did.
Courtney in VA

PS==I don't like stuff that smells too strong and some of it does. You can smell it on the street a mile before you get to it. And the weird combos of smells, who sits around and thinks up this stuff.

Fav from childhood, Tide.

Courtney in VA

 

[maytagbear]

Still

SA8 here.

Lawrence/Maytagbear

 

[maytagmightyjj]

SA8 Plus used to be the best detergent out there. A year or more ago Quixtar (Amway) quit putting phosphates in it-- That's why is does not clean as well as it used to. The SA8 plus was the only one that had phosphates, and due to some states banning phosphates, they just took it out so they could sell the product in all 50 states. So far, phosphates are still legal in Alabama, but I haven't seen any detergent containing them in ages.-- Yes, I know about the environmental issues with phosphates, but it really did clean clothes better than anything else.

 

[launderess]

Detergents and laundry products getting rid of phosphates to ease distribution costs. It is much simpler and cheaper to produce, pack, and distribute one version, as opposed to several.

As the list of states banning phosphates increases, there probably isn't much of a margin or reason for continued production. NYS recently added commercial laundry products to it's residential ban regarding phosphates, and now many states are pushing to extend the ban to automatic dishwasher detergents as well.

Long as ChemistryStore.com stocks and will ship STPP, we all should be fine. Indeed rather prefer adding STPP as opposed to including it with every wash load. Colours, IMHO don't require STPP, and indeed IMHO too much of the stuff can cause fading.

L.

 

[iheartmaytag]

I have switched around

To find the "Best" detergent. I have tried Cheer, Gain, and several store brands. I always come back to Tide. My mother swears that Tide is harsher on the clothes and causes more fading--too bad It doesn't leave dirt, grease and ring-around the collar either.

I put my whites in with just warm/cold wash, but use the auto-soak cycle. I feel if it stays in contact with the detergent a little longer it has a better chance of coming clean. it seems to work.