Hi group: I was wondering if anyone out there remembers this product? Lever Brothers (before it became Unilever) marketed it. It was first a pink-colored product, then became "Warm Water Swan" with an aqua color, designed to be used in warm water for washing dishes. I saw some of this on Ebay and someone else won it! (DARN!!!!!!!) What does anyone remember or know about this stuff? Would anyone happen to have some so they can tell us about it?
Who remembers Swan dishwashing detergent?
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laundromat
Well-known member
Swan
I sure do!Our Aunt Natalie worked at Lever Brothers in Baltimor's plant and gave us Swan,Wisk,Final Touch,Sweetheart Soap,and All powdered detergent in cases!!Sometimes,when we were out of bubble bath,our grandmother,Mado, would pour a little squirt of it in under the faucet.My brother and I would pour it down the sewer during a rain storm to see the suds go under the bridge on the main road.We also poured it in the fountains.During huricane Alice,he and I got into some serious trouble when we took two huge bottles of Wisk from the case and,Mick went up the top of our street as I went to the backyard of a neighbor's,the Marx's,and watched the sewer pipe gush out tons of soap suds into the overflooded creek and proceded down its banks to cross Rt 7 and Rt 40East.As the suds billowed out into the wind and onto the streets,the police saw the cars going into the suds and wanted to know why we were out in the torential rain instead of at home.They found our bottles and,knowing our Uncle Mel worked at a different precinct,called him and he came and took us home. My Dad beat us like there was no tomorrow.But the local news had grabbed a bit of it and showed the cars and trucks going through for a "free car wash".
Swan had a distinct aroma and Dove replaced Swan.When we were using it,it was pink and you had to snip the cap off to be able to pour it into the sink.I prefered Joy because the suds lasted longer and it rinsed off easier.We had a Dishmaster faucet and would keep its trough full all the time.
We liked Final Touch but I do remember our other grandmother using King Fluff which was a local company(King) and made a great liquid starch that had a distinct aroma of sassafrass.They also made King syrup which was a bit similar to Log Caban syrup.I haven't seen King products for decades now.
I sure do!Our Aunt Natalie worked at Lever Brothers in Baltimor's plant and gave us Swan,Wisk,Final Touch,Sweetheart Soap,and All powdered detergent in cases!!Sometimes,when we were out of bubble bath,our grandmother,Mado, would pour a little squirt of it in under the faucet.My brother and I would pour it down the sewer during a rain storm to see the suds go under the bridge on the main road.We also poured it in the fountains.During huricane Alice,he and I got into some serious trouble when we took two huge bottles of Wisk from the case and,Mick went up the top of our street as I went to the backyard of a neighbor's,the Marx's,and watched the sewer pipe gush out tons of soap suds into the overflooded creek and proceded down its banks to cross Rt 7 and Rt 40East.As the suds billowed out into the wind and onto the streets,the police saw the cars going into the suds and wanted to know why we were out in the torential rain instead of at home.They found our bottles and,knowing our Uncle Mel worked at a different precinct,called him and he came and took us home. My Dad beat us like there was no tomorrow.But the local news had grabbed a bit of it and showed the cars and trucks going through for a "free car wash".
Swan had a distinct aroma and Dove replaced Swan.When we were using it,it was pink and you had to snip the cap off to be able to pour it into the sink.I prefered Joy because the suds lasted longer and it rinsed off easier.We had a Dishmaster faucet and would keep its trough full all the time.
We liked Final Touch but I do remember our other grandmother using King Fluff which was a local company(King) and made a great liquid starch that had a distinct aroma of sassafrass.They also made King syrup which was a bit similar to Log Caban syrup.I haven't seen King products for decades now.
dirtybuck
Well-known member
Wasn't Swan somewhat of a "spin-off" from Lux in a generic lower price version?
danemodsandy
Well-known member
I Remember It...
...As a bargain brand, but I don't remember being particularly impressed. It was something my mom bought when I was a kid and she was on one of her periodic economy kicks. I usually did the dishes, and I was very critical when it came to dishwashing liquids, because at that time, Mom was a high-octane Southern cook, leaving tons of greasy pots and pans to be cleaned. I never could stand grease film left on anything, so any dishwashing liquid that didn't cut it effortlessly was no fun for me. My favourite then was Texize; today it's Ajax. You can wash a piece of Tupperware that has held spaghetti sauce with Ajax and it will come completely grease-free quite easily.
...As a bargain brand, but I don't remember being particularly impressed. It was something my mom bought when I was a kid and she was on one of her periodic economy kicks. I usually did the dishes, and I was very critical when it came to dishwashing liquids, because at that time, Mom was a high-octane Southern cook, leaving tons of greasy pots and pans to be cleaned. I never could stand grease film left on anything, so any dishwashing liquid that didn't cut it effortlessly was no fun for me. My favourite then was Texize; today it's Ajax. You can wash a piece of Tupperware that has held spaghetti sauce with Ajax and it will come completely grease-free quite easily.
whirlcool
Well-known member
Sweetheart Soap... I remember that brand from hotels and motels I stayed in when I was a kid traveling with my parents. It seemed all the rooms usually had Sweetheart soap in the bathrooms. I thought it was a brand made for motels.
laundromat
Well-known member
Sweetheart soap
Was Lever Brother's competitive brand to compete with Ivory and Camay.LB also made Dove and wound up selling the Sweetheart brand name to Purex which is Armor-Dial.My grandmother,Mado,would make these cute little crochet soap holders and sell them at bingo for $3 including the bar of Sweetheart.My favorite bar soap as a kid was Lifeboy mint.Anybody here old enough to remember Lifeboy mint soap???
Was Lever Brother's competitive brand to compete with Ivory and Camay.LB also made Dove and wound up selling the Sweetheart brand name to Purex which is Armor-Dial.My grandmother,Mado,would make these cute little crochet soap holders and sell them at bingo for $3 including the bar of Sweetheart.My favorite bar soap as a kid was Lifeboy mint.Anybody here old enough to remember Lifeboy mint soap???
The Grease-Cuttingest Suds!
I have several kinescopes of "The Lucy Show" from 1962-63 (co-sponsored by General Foods and Lever Brothers/Unilever) with commercials for Swan and its "long lasting suds". One of them featured co-star Vivian Vance and two of the show's children plugging the dishwashing liquid, with the jingle "Swan keeps sudsing and sudsing and sudsing and sudsing/The grease-cuttingest/Grease-cuttingest suds")
By the way, Lucille Ball did not do the commercials for her sponsors on "The Lucy Show" (although she pitched for Phillip Morris, General Foods and Proctor & Gamble during her "I Love Lucy" days). Vance and the three actors who played their children did the spots for Swan, Jell-O pudding and Dream Whip (among other products) on the set, earning some extra money!
I have several kinescopes of "The Lucy Show" from 1962-63 (co-sponsored by General Foods and Lever Brothers/Unilever) with commercials for Swan and its "long lasting suds". One of them featured co-star Vivian Vance and two of the show's children plugging the dishwashing liquid, with the jingle "Swan keeps sudsing and sudsing and sudsing and sudsing/The grease-cuttingest/Grease-cuttingest suds")
By the way, Lucille Ball did not do the commercials for her sponsors on "The Lucy Show" (although she pitched for Phillip Morris, General Foods and Proctor & Gamble during her "I Love Lucy" days). Vance and the three actors who played their children did the spots for Swan, Jell-O pudding and Dream Whip (among other products) on the set, earning some extra money!
danemodsandy
Well-known member
Extra Money:
Those kid actors on the Lucy Show might or might not have earned extra income from the commercials. In those days, an actor under contract often had to do such work as part of their obligation, with no extra pay. All the ads you see in old magazines, where movie stars pitch Lux Soap and Pond's Cold Cream, etc., were just part of the job. The stars didn't necessarily use the product or, in some instances, even know what they were posing for when the photography was being done. Some stars, like Joan Crawford, saw the practise as good exposure. Others, like Bette Davis, hated it, and complained every chance they got. This system held up through the 1960s, though really big stars could sometimes get out of it by that time. But that wasn't always true - Kim Novak was worked very hard for ads, doing a major campaign for the Edsel's introduction, as well as for a mattress company.
Motion-picture contracts during that time were pretty close to legalised slavery, although the actors were well remunerated, at least those who were stars.
Those kid actors on the Lucy Show might or might not have earned extra income from the commercials. In those days, an actor under contract often had to do such work as part of their obligation, with no extra pay. All the ads you see in old magazines, where movie stars pitch Lux Soap and Pond's Cold Cream, etc., were just part of the job. The stars didn't necessarily use the product or, in some instances, even know what they were posing for when the photography was being done. Some stars, like Joan Crawford, saw the practise as good exposure. Others, like Bette Davis, hated it, and complained every chance they got. This system held up through the 1960s, though really big stars could sometimes get out of it by that time. But that wasn't always true - Kim Novak was worked very hard for ads, doing a major campaign for the Edsel's introduction, as well as for a mattress company.
Motion-picture contracts during that time were pretty close to legalised slavery, although the actors were well remunerated, at least those who were stars.
laundromat
Well-known member
Thrill
Another pink dishwashing liquid.I forget who made it but they advertised on TV a lot.
Another pink dishwashing liquid.I forget who made it but they advertised on TV a lot.
gmmcnair
Well-known member
P&G Made Thrill....
....I remember it in the 70's. It had gone to a peach color and scent by then IIRC. My great grandmother used it.
....I remember it in the 70's. It had gone to a peach color and scent by then IIRC. My great grandmother used it.
kqkenmore
Well-known member
I do not remember pink Thrill but I do remember peach Thrill I hate that it is gone I liked it.I remember Swan I do not think that we ever used it my mother bought Pink Ahoy from A&P it sucked I liked Palmolive because of Madge."You are Soaking in it" I also remember Pink Lotion Texize it was very good and was very low priced.
The only dish detergent I recall from when I was growing up was Chiffon. I don't recall my mother using anything else. In later years I recall Lemon Joy, and then and now Dawn.
Chiffon...
Found this, but don't recall it coming in a can like this, I recall a blue plastic bottle...
Found this, but don't recall it coming in a can like this, I recall a blue plastic bottle...
Believe Chiffon was Armour-Dial's entry into the market.
High-density polyethylene didn't become common until after 1960. Remember all those pictures of Wisk in cans and Clorox in brown glass bottles...then, you had opaque bottles until Palmolive did the clear plastic (definitely not HDPE) thing in the later 60s.
Does anyone know why pink is the default color for cheap dishwashing liquid? Cheap fabric softener seems to come in either pink or yellow, but cheap dish liquid...pink.
High-density polyethylene didn't become common until after 1960. Remember all those pictures of Wisk in cans and Clorox in brown glass bottles...then, you had opaque bottles until Palmolive did the clear plastic (definitely not HDPE) thing in the later 60s.
Does anyone know why pink is the default color for cheap dishwashing liquid? Cheap fabric softener seems to come in either pink or yellow, but cheap dish liquid...pink.
danemodsandy
Well-known member
MattL:
I remember those cans well. You started seeing them in '57; Trend came in them too. I was only about five, but I still remember that my mom and other women were very excited about these new liquid detergents. Prior to their introduction, there had been powdered stuff, and it wasn't all that great. A lot of women used laundry products like Tide or Ivory Flakes for their dishwashing.
I was fascinated because Trend and Chiffon made TONS of suds that did not go away. You guessed it - I dumped some in the bathtub one day. Just a little - about half a bottle, I think.
Some mess. Some spanking!
I remember those cans well. You started seeing them in '57; Trend came in them too. I was only about five, but I still remember that my mom and other women were very excited about these new liquid detergents. Prior to their introduction, there had been powdered stuff, and it wasn't all that great. A lot of women used laundry products like Tide or Ivory Flakes for their dishwashing.
I was fascinated because Trend and Chiffon made TONS of suds that did not go away. You guessed it - I dumped some in the bathtub one day. Just a little - about half a bottle, I think.
Some mess. Some spanking!
gmmcnair
Well-known member
"Does anyone know why pink is the default color for cheap dishwashing liquid? Cheap fabric softener seems to come in either pink or yellow, but cheap dish liquid...pink"
I think it's a holdover from the days when Thrill and Lux pink were THE brands....really premium stuff. Lux was that way until the very early 80's when they watered it down.
I think it's a holdover from the days when Thrill and Lux pink were THE brands....really premium stuff. Lux was that way until the very early 80's when they watered it down.
angus
Well-known member
I remember Lifebuoy mint - loved it. In fact i still have some of my stash of Lifebuoy from the late 1990's before it was discontinued. Have to ration it carefully.. I wish i had thought of literally buying as many cases as i could since i pretty much can't stand the strong scent of today's bath soaps.
I also recall Sweetheart Lime Deodorant soap from the early 70's. Also great stuff, but alas wasn't around that long..
I also recall Sweetheart Lime Deodorant soap from the early 70's. Also great stuff, but alas wasn't around that long..
Pink & White
Are colours associated with softness, mildness and in the case of pink "feminine", all the traits one would wish when marketing a product to women (the prime persons doing all that washing up).
Even today dishwashing liquids for hand washing are advertised as skin lotions, this is decades after Madge and Palmolive dishwashing liquid.
Are colours associated with softness, mildness and in the case of pink "feminine", all the traits one would wish when marketing a product to women (the prime persons doing all that washing up).
Even today dishwashing liquids for hand washing are advertised as skin lotions, this is decades after Madge and Palmolive dishwashing liquid.
djmjlcst
Well-known member
Swan Dishwashing Detergent
I've got "The Lucy Show" Season 1 on DVD and it has the original Swan dishwashing detergent commercials with Vivian Vance and the kids. It also has the JELL-O and Dream Whip commercials in the set as well. One cool feature is that you can program the DVD's to play as they originally aired - with the sponsors commercials intact. Really cool! - Mike L.
I've got "The Lucy Show" Season 1 on DVD and it has the original Swan dishwashing detergent commercials with Vivian Vance and the kids. It also has the JELL-O and Dream Whip commercials in the set as well. One cool feature is that you can program the DVD's to play as they originally aired - with the sponsors commercials intact. Really cool! - Mike L.
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