letsgoblues
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- May 12, 2015
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Just curious what detergent is the worst, in your opinion. 
Worst Laundry Detergent
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abcomatic
Well-known member
Breeze/Wisk
I think the worst detergent was: Breeze. It had a wash cloth,(small size), tea towel,( medium size) or giant size (bath towel). The towels were toted as being Cannon towels, a very good brand in the 50's and 60's. The towels were packaged in a box within the box of detergent. What a come on that was! The towels were awful and lots less detergent was in the box. Mom used it a few times and said all sorts of unkind things about this; of which I cannot repeat in this forum.
When Wisk came out in the late 50's, it was in a metal can. It was not the best and again, nasty verbage was my mom's mode of operation with all of that. "This damn crap is expensive and doesn't wash worth a damn."
She liked Oxydol and American Fammily Detergent, which was in a red box. It was white with blue bits in it and cleaned well and smelled good, not flowery or like medicine.
I think the worst detergent was: Breeze. It had a wash cloth,(small size), tea towel,( medium size) or giant size (bath towel). The towels were toted as being Cannon towels, a very good brand in the 50's and 60's. The towels were packaged in a box within the box of detergent. What a come on that was! The towels were awful and lots less detergent was in the box. Mom used it a few times and said all sorts of unkind things about this; of which I cannot repeat in this forum.
When Wisk came out in the late 50's, it was in a metal can. It was not the best and again, nasty verbage was my mom's mode of operation with all of that. "This damn crap is expensive and doesn't wash worth a damn."
She liked Oxydol and American Fammily Detergent, which was in a red box. It was white with blue bits in it and cleaned well and smelled good, not flowery or like medicine.
Sun and Xtra liquids tody.
gusherb
Well-known member
Arm and Hammer & Xtra. One has a horrific musky stench and the other smells foul. They also don't clean worth a damn either.
toploader55
Well-known member
Ah Ha.
Maybe it's the Xtra.
I have one employee who is a great guy. And I know he washes in Cold Water in a Nasty Front Loader. I know he showers everyday and never wears the same clothes (which I have seen in a restaurant. YUK) and his tail wind when he walks by is Mildewy and Sour. He always is talking about bargains at the Market so maybe it's that combination.
How does one go about asking and then saying "You smell like mildew" ? And I would think it is not healthy to wear clothes next to your skin that aren't exactly clean.
Maybe it's the Xtra.
I have one employee who is a great guy. And I know he washes in Cold Water in a Nasty Front Loader. I know he showers everyday and never wears the same clothes (which I have seen in a restaurant. YUK) and his tail wind when he walks by is Mildewy and Sour. He always is talking about bargains at the Market so maybe it's that combination.
How does one go about asking and then saying "You smell like mildew" ? And I would think it is not healthy to wear clothes next to your skin that aren't exactly clean.
mark_wpduet
Well-known member
Yea
I've always wondered why some of us are so in tune to things like this while others are just oblivious..
I've always wondered why some of us are so in tune to things like this while others are just oblivious..
user 3941
Well-known member
Yeah I have to agree on the Sun and Xtra detergents....though I used Xtra for years and it was marginal...but def noticed a difference when I switched to a premium brand...especially in whites.
I'm very in tune to smells too...I'm very careful with how I wash my clothes. They always have to smell just right. I actually get a lot of compliments on how "fresh" I smell...LOL.
I'm very in tune to smells too...I'm very careful with how I wash my clothes. They always have to smell just right. I actually get a lot of compliments on how "fresh" I smell...LOL.
zanussi_lover
Well-known member
Ariel and Bold
I dunno but I've never really liked the scent of Ariel for a while, they changed the scent a while back and it smells awful, and it doesn't clean or rinse like it used to. You used to be able to soak laundry in Ariel, and it would come out spotless without scrubbing or rubbing, and it would get out tomato/pasta sauce and curry stains out and pretty much anything in one wash with the old formula from 2004 (Ariel Quickwash action). The new formula doesn't get out everything and I want impeccable cleaning, I want 100% stain free laundry thats spotless. Ariel in the 80s and 90s was amazing!!
Bold - I find Bold Powder to be too smelly, and too soapy nowadays, it makes me itch like anything and I find it doesn't clean that well. My Mum used to use Bold when she couldn't afford Ariel and Lenor together, so she would alternate between Ariel and Bold. I remember Bold Spring and Summer Fresh from the 90s, they smelt lovely, I loved Bold up until they brought out the Ocean Clear formula which the powder smelt extremely strong.
I dunno but I've never really liked the scent of Ariel for a while, they changed the scent a while back and it smells awful, and it doesn't clean or rinse like it used to. You used to be able to soak laundry in Ariel, and it would come out spotless without scrubbing or rubbing, and it would get out tomato/pasta sauce and curry stains out and pretty much anything in one wash with the old formula from 2004 (Ariel Quickwash action). The new formula doesn't get out everything and I want impeccable cleaning, I want 100% stain free laundry thats spotless. Ariel in the 80s and 90s was amazing!!
Bold - I find Bold Powder to be too smelly, and too soapy nowadays, it makes me itch like anything and I find it doesn't clean that well. My Mum used to use Bold when she couldn't afford Ariel and Lenor together, so she would alternate between Ariel and Bold. I remember Bold Spring and Summer Fresh from the 90s, they smelt lovely, I loved Bold up until they brought out the Ocean Clear formula which the powder smelt extremely strong.
My husband used to share a house with a friend and they were very thrifty when doing laundry...Purex liquid and cold water... when we moved in together it was a long process to get everything washed properly. Every so often I come upon something which was stored or put away (linens) and they're pretty pungent. It's a bit of a paradox because he is very aware of BO and uses a lot of Speed Stick deodorant, not antiperspirant.
Agreed:
Sun and Extra are the worst. An old neighbor did a lot of cold washes and used Xtra, it was obvious. I finally got him to switch to Tide and he's never looked back.
WK78
Sun and Extra are the worst. An old neighbor did a lot of cold washes and used Xtra, it was obvious. I finally got him to switch to Tide and he's never looked back.
WK78
I Agree With The Majority
Sun & Xtra are barely detergents. When I moved in with my significant other, he was using Sun. I changed that quickly. Now it's Kirkland Signature pods for the major wash, and All Free & Clear Ultra for other loads. Couldn't be happier.
Sun & Xtra are barely detergents. When I moved in with my significant other, he was using Sun. I changed that quickly. Now it's Kirkland Signature pods for the major wash, and All Free & Clear Ultra for other loads. Couldn't be happier.
sudsmaster
Well-known member
Back around 2000 I got my first front loader, a Neptune 4500 set. HE detergents were few and far between back then, and all I could find in the local stores initially was Wisk liquid HE. It didn't clean worth a damn, over sudsed, and left a horrid aroma on everything. I still have a couple of jugs of the damn stuff in storage. I suppose I should donate them to the local laundromat or take them to a hazardous waste dump.
whirlcool
Well-known member
I've always wondered why some of us are so in tune to things like this while others are just oblivious..
Because some people just don't care. Or they think other things in their life are more important than smelling clean. For a lot of people "if it went through the washer, it has to be clean" mentality. I have found people who are engineers or technical geeks are sometimes like this.
"
Because some people just don't care. Or they think other things in their life are more important than smelling clean. For a lot of people "if it went through the washer, it has to be clean" mentality. I have found people who are engineers or technical geeks are sometimes like this.
"
Martha Stewarts laundry detergent is right up there...slightly better than washing with water alone.
And All, and Wisk...
Nellies and Charlies need to be added to the list!
dirtybuck
Well-known member
Does anyone remember VISTA detergent? On the box it said "cleans better than Tide". Uh...no, it didn't.
brib68
Well-known member
Back in the day...
The laundry detergent (Salvo, I think) that came in a disc that you threw into the washer--kind of the precursor to today's pods. I don't know how it cleaned, but Mom said the disc never dissolved completely, so there were specs on clothes and chunks in the bottom of the tub.
As for the discussion of the folks with the mildew-scented clothes...yes, very familiar. I think it's usually one of two culprits: hang-drying in a musty basement, or leaving a load of clean clothes in the washer for too long and then throwing them in the dryer without doing a sniff test. I myself have gone to put a load of wash in, only to encounter clean/formerly clean wet clothes. "Huh. When did I do this load?" For me, that's an automatic re-wash, but not for everyone, I guess.
The laundry detergent (Salvo, I think) that came in a disc that you threw into the washer--kind of the precursor to today's pods. I don't know how it cleaned, but Mom said the disc never dissolved completely, so there were specs on clothes and chunks in the bottom of the tub.
As for the discussion of the folks with the mildew-scented clothes...yes, very familiar. I think it's usually one of two culprits: hang-drying in a musty basement, or leaving a load of clean clothes in the washer for too long and then throwing them in the dryer without doing a sniff test. I myself have gone to put a load of wash in, only to encounter clean/formerly clean wet clothes. "Huh. When did I do this load?" For me, that's an automatic re-wash, but not for everyone, I guess.
aquacycle
Well-known member
@zanussi_lover I agree! When I first left home in 2008, I bought a big box of Ariel (pre-Actilift) and it was brilliant! It seemed to go downhill after the introduction of Ariel's stain remover range. I suspect they dumbed down the formula to entice people to buy the extra stain removers, which were completely unnnecessary with the old formula.
I think the worst detergent award in the UK has to go to Bold. It's always been a bit crap. And P&G totally know that - whilst ad campaigns for Persil, Ariel, Surf and Daz would boast about their stain removal and washing results, Bold's entire promotional angle was based on it being a 2 in 1, so it saved buying a detergent and a softener. No mention of actual washing. It doesn't wash well at all - the last time my Mum used it, despite being a bio, she had to stop as all her whites were going grey. And it stinks to high heaven, so instead of actually washing properly, it just masks the dirt with high scents and chemical perfumes that you can smell from the end of the street.
I think the worst detergent award in the UK has to go to Bold. It's always been a bit crap. And P&G totally know that - whilst ad campaigns for Persil, Ariel, Surf and Daz would boast about their stain removal and washing results, Bold's entire promotional angle was based on it being a 2 in 1, so it saved buying a detergent and a softener. No mention of actual washing. It doesn't wash well at all - the last time my Mum used it, despite being a bio, she had to stop as all her whites were going grey. And it stinks to high heaven, so instead of actually washing properly, it just masks the dirt with high scents and chemical perfumes that you can smell from the end of the street.
hoovermatic
Well-known member
@aquacycle - as far as Bold is concerned I totally agree. There are a number of detergents I use rarely and Bold is one. Having bought a large box of it some months ago when it was half price at my local Waitrose I can confirm that it is virtually impossible to rinse out and despite initially being a little impressed with it's stain removing ability, my opinion has gone down as low as it can go. Personally I don't mind the fragrance but as it is not coupled with cleaning then I can live without it.
I would like to add Fairy to the list of worst detergents. In my experience the stain removal ability was close to zero and worse than the powder is the gel. May as well wash in clear water as far as I can see.
I would like to add Fairy to the list of worst detergents. In my experience the stain removal ability was close to zero and worse than the powder is the gel. May as well wash in clear water as far as I can see.
aquacycle
Well-known member
May as well wash in clear water as far as I can see.
To be honest, I feel that way about most liquid detergents lol
To be honest, I feel that way about most liquid detergents lol
aegokocarat
Well-known member
I'm going to stick up for Fairy, for me, its been fine, Bold is horrific, smells to high heaven, doesnt clean to a remotely acceptable standard and leaves a fine residue in the machine.
aegokocarat
Well-known member
Oh and I also think that Ariel powder has a rather odd smell too, not sure if I've noticed any cleaning issues with the Actilift formula because I've never really bought ariel because of the smell, but it wouldnt surprise me if it was dumbed down.
My powders that become bricks--I pass them onto Dad who has never let anything go to waste--he eats, makes good use of or uses ANY $#%@! that you give him...
-- Dave
-- Dave
toploader1984
Well-known member
- Joined
- Feb 14, 2009
- Messages
- 551
Dave you live very close to me, i'm in roseville
DaveAMKrayoGuy and the East Side!
That's right--and when there was that record store there on Gratiot, (Record time) I was there, but there's still Blast From The Past and Eastpointe's Memories & Melodies that I frequent... Haven't been to Hot Hits in a while, it closed briefly, so I wonder if it's back...
So, yes, I am sometimes where you are, T-L, '84...
-- Dave
That's right--and when there was that record store there on Gratiot, (Record time) I was there, but there's still Blast From The Past and Eastpointe's Memories & Melodies that I frequent... Haven't been to Hot Hits in a while, it closed briefly, so I wonder if it's back...
So, yes, I am sometimes where you are, T-L, '84...
-- Dave
Eastside Pride
St. Clair Shores in the house!
Sorry. Just had to mention.
I have no vote for worst detergent. My wife doesn't let me wash clothes.
I asked her for the name of a crappy detergent, she could only offer that "Snuggle" fabric softener gives her a rash.
St. Clair Shores in the house!
Sorry. Just had to mention.
I have no vote for worst detergent. My wife doesn't let me wash clothes.
I asked her for the name of a crappy detergent, she could only offer that "Snuggle" fabric softener gives her a rash.
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