Which other detergent(s) comes close in characteristics to Cheer (powder and liquid)?

[re1174]

Hello from a newbie here,

Loads per week, laundry soiling, and water hardness are all likely low compared to many here, but would like to ask, in your experience, which other brand is most similar to Cheer - scent level, cleaning, etc.? Family tradition of Cheer brand laundry detergent, so neither a logical nor tested-performance basis, but rather being quite used to it.

Stores mostly offer what seems like a couple of dozen varieties of Tide, and several kinds of Gain, besides a couple specialty(?) types.

P&G has deprecated Cheer's web presence. Retail availability of Cheer has steadily declined over the years. More recently, only found non-locally (stopping-in on the occasional trip to visit a suburban relative) at Walmart, which at least a few times a year stocked several boxes of powder and a few jugs of liquid on the shelf (sometimes even on-line). But for months now, no powder has been seen.

Thanks for any comment.

 

[stan]

If Laundress stops by

I’m sure shel have a suitable suggestion for a substitute.
IIRC..Cheer was for colors.
So possibly a mild detergent like Seventh Generation or Ecos.
They don’t contain Optical brighteners, or oxygen bleach, and O.K for lightly duty
HTH

 

[lakewebsterkid]

Tide plus Downy FREE

Very similar ingredients, plus Protease, Amylase, Mannanase, and Cellulase with OBAs.

 

[re1174]

Appreciate the suggestions. Was hoping to get such ideas to narrow things down, as with the low usage, it would take forever to buy, try, and use-up multiple random products.

 

[mickeyd]

Hello Missus, what fun! Thanks for the query~

Smell being one of the five senses, the fragrance of laundry products drives many of us wild. I buy and smell everything. If you live near a Wegman's, the Method brand comes in two flavors, one gold which smells like the old gold Dial liquid; and green which smells like evergreen trees. I buy both and love them both. The liquid Foca available at Walmart smells like a blue winter igloo; it is delightful. Method is $9.99 for 60 washes, while Foca is just a couple bucks, dirt cheap--a great value.

Thanking you because my adored grandmother Margaret Crotty used Blue Cheer my whole life. Your request brought her right back to me. She did her laundry in a dramatic Frigidaire Pulsamatic, and then in the iconic Kevinator. Cheer was her only "soap" as we called it then, and Kirkman's flakes for delicates.

The only detergent I can recommend as a Cheer facsimile is powdered Ariel with Downey, available at Walmart. A deep blue, it even looks like Cheer, but in truth that scent memory is a half century ago, and I can not therefore swear that it smells exactly like Cheer, but it's pretty darn close.

Thank for asking, and welcome to Aworg.

 

[mickeyd]

PS:

Since your scent memory of Cheer is more recent, if you buy the powdered Ariel with Downy, and deem it a good stand-in, let us know. Thanks.

 

[stan]

Think

You have to ask yourself if you want something that performs as cheer was supposed to.
(Less fading of bright colors and darks) or if you want the scent?
Cuz I don’t know if you can have both.
If you want to keep darks dark, then avoid optical brightners, and oxygen bleach and stay with PH mild liquid detergents that don’t contain either, with cooler wash temps.
Just run a hot water wash with a different load, stronger detergent after to keep your machine clean.

 

[angus]

Cheer powder is still available on line at WalMart.com at least as of yesterday, so you can order it. However, it smells nothing like the original Cheer from the 50's through the late 80's.

 

[re1174]

- Great story! Not familiar with the old-style scent. Found some vintage ads for "Blue Cheer" - wow... but much fewer blue granules in the current incarnation. Was not familiar with Ariel. See it for sale everywhere online but just never noticed in-store. Wonder if P&G actively advertises/markets it in the US (saw the website is UK, and was listed as the most popular brand in Mexico).

- Good points for thought. Mildly pleasant is fine, but don't care for an overly strong scent, so probably would give similar performance a bit more weight. Will looks at those brands.

- Thanks. Nice catch. Do see it listed online again. But for "pickup" at store only. Will have to see if my next drive out there corresponds to availability.

 

[mickeyd]

Right on the bottom shelf in the detergent aisle, it cost us a couple bucks, nothing exorbitant and there are two bag sizes Of Ariel with Downey

 

[mickeyd]

Correction from iPhone dictation ~

Right on the bottom shelf in the detergent aisle at Walmart, it costs just a couple bucks, nothing exorbitant, and it comes in two sizes. The Ariel with Oxy, also available, is not as nice--AND, it's NOT blue ;'D

 

[re1174]

Thanks for the extra location info.