MTIDE - which laundry detergent is the best? TIDE?

[maverick73]

I currently use Tide Febreze Liquid version.

I've used Tide Downy April Fresh and that is good too, but the Febreze version seems to smell nicer... it is promoted as "more freshness" and the Downy is promoted as "more softness" so I guess that makes sense.

The Tide coldwater seems to just be for energy savings and I'm not really into saving a few pennies at the expense of softer or better smelling clothes.

I use the powdered tide for "laundry that doesn't matter"... stuff like coveralls, work clothes, or cleaning rags...

So... the question is... am I currently using the best detergent or should I look elsewhere?

 

[vancouverman]

and the fight starts here .....

PERSIL ... try it once, and you never change

 

[FuZzYknUckLeS]

Costco liquid, the bulk shit.
The stuff all comes out of the same plant.
With Tide's name on it, the suckers out there pay a premium for it.

 

[Maury Beniowski]

Wow, so many metrosexuals in here. You guys actually wash your clothes?

 

[Jodie]

The stuff I have been using for about a year is called "Vancouver Only" Biodegradable Laundry Detergent. It is specially formulated for use in soft water.

I used to use Tide, Cheer, etc., but I found them to be harsh on my clothes (dark colours faded quickly) and extremely irritating to my skin. Also, the scents could be very overpowering at times. I want my clothes to smell clean, but not like a Glade factory!

Back to the "Vancouver Only" detergent... it is biodegradable, no phosphates, no nitrates, safe for septic tanks, naturally scented, suitable for soft water, suitable for high efficiency washers. It's super concentrated so you get 35 loads out of a small 2 kg bag (for about $7). Unlike powdered Tide, it dissolves very easily so you don't get white residue on your dark clothes. It cleans at least as well as any commercial brand detergent I've ever used.

The only downside - it's difficult to find. I usually buy it at Save-On foods, but I suspect you can also find it at most of the high end natural food stores (i.e. Capers).

 

[LonelyGhost]

Wow, so many metrosexuals in here. You guys actually wash your clothes?

not me! I just stay naked all the time ...

 

[stryker]

Havn't used it in years,,,wear a shirt or pair of jeans for a couple days at most,,,then throw them out and buy new ones,,saves on the laundry thing

 

[vancouverman]

not me! I just stay naked all the time ...

it takes me four weeks to get to this point

 

[Maury Beniowski]

,,,then throw them out and buy new ones,,

I hope you have that in the wrong order...

 

[maverick73]

Finally ... I have a reason to respond to one of Mavericks threads ...

Maverick ... 'Tide Febreeze Liquid' is the best detergent.

Bruddha I mean Squirrel and I use the same detergent! That's hot!!!

 

[maverick73]

and the fight starts here .....

PERSIL ... try it once, and you never change

Where do I get this PERSIL? I usually shop at Save-On and London Drugs, and I've never seen it. I like to try things and see for myself, so this is on my grocery list for the next week.

 

[maverick73]

Costco liquid, the bulk shit.
The stuff all comes out of the same plant.
With Tide's name on it, the suckers out there pay a premium for it.

It comes out of the same plant, yes... is it the same stuff? Possibly... or is it?

Based on my testing of "no name" products, I do find that they are probably made in the same plant by the same companies as the name brand stuff, but I've concluded that in most cases, u generally get what you pay for.... with MAYBE a few pennies going to advertising that drive up the price of the name brand stuff...

example 1... Q-tips vs. "LD tips" which is short for London Drugs tips... Q-tips are 3.99, the LD tips were 2.99 for about the same number... length was the same, wood was the same... but the cotton on the Q-tips was more plentiful, making for a more comfortable ear cleaning experience... it was probably exactly 33% more cotton... which is the difference in price right there.

example 2... ocean spray cranberry juice vs. no name Zellers or Western Family (Save on) brand... I found the generic one to taste about the same except watered down... I like my juice watered down anyways (less sweet and less empty calories form sugar) so in this case, I usually just buy the name brand and water it down myself (just in case there is something else I'm missing besides the watered down part... gotta make sure I get the best cranberries in my cranberry drink hehehe... ). The % it's watered down almost exactly matches the % in price reduction.

So back to the detergent debate... the margins on food and household products are generally quite low... so if they are selling it for a significantly lower price, something must be different about it... of course it will get the clothes clean, but something will be different... so for now, I am going to avoid the Costco bulk detergent (no offense to Fuzzy ).

 

[maverick73]

The stuff I have been using for about a year is called "Vancouver Only" Biodegradable Laundry Detergent. It is specially formulated for use in soft water.

I used to use Tide, Cheer, etc., but I found them to be harsh on my clothes (dark colours faded quickly) and extremely irritating to my skin. Also, the scents could be very overpowering at times. I want my clothes to smell clean, but not like a Glade factory!

Back to the "Vancouver Only" detergent... it is biodegradable, no phosphates, no nitrates, safe for septic tanks, naturally scented, suitable for soft water, suitable for high efficiency washers. It's super concentrated so you get 35 loads out of a small 2 kg bag (for about $7). Unlike powdered Tide, it dissolves very easily so you don't get white residue on your dark clothes. It cleans at least as well as any commercial brand detergent I've ever used.

The only downside - it's difficult to find. I usually buy it at Save-On foods, but I suspect you can also find it at most of the high end natural food stores (i.e. Capers).

Ah... Jodie... the "Lisa Simpson" of Perb... I knew I could count on you to provide a "Lisa Simpson" alternative...

What is "soft water?"

Bonus it's available at Save-On... it's on my to buy list... worst case if I don't like it, I can delegate it to "clothes that don't matter" duty.

 

[LonelyGhost]

it takes me four weeks to get to this point

it takes me a lot less to get to this point ... no wonder i never get any laundry done!

 

[hitrack]

What ever it is it's gotta be liquid. Powder clogs up the machine and leaves residue.

What I buy is what ever name brand is on sale. No loyalty to laundry soap.

 

[Jodie]

Ah... Jodie... the "Lisa Simpson" of Perb... I knew I could count on you to provide a "Lisa Simpson" alternative...

LMAO - so true!

What is "soft water?"

Soft water is water that does not contain a high quantity of dissolved minerals. People who have lived in Vancouver all their lives probably don't notice it, but if you have lived in or travelled to other major cities, you'd notice it when you shower, wash dishes, etc. (notice how it takes a lot longer to rinse soap off your hands in Vancouver versus Calgary?). For you, Mav, I have attached a little article about the chemistry of hard and soft water.

Bonus it's available at Save-On... it's on my to buy list... worst case if I don't like it, I can delegate it to "clothes that don't matter" duty.

Exactly. But in my experience it cleans just as well as any brand name stuff I've ever used (and I'm a chick so I pay attention to stuff like that). I always use a bit more than the recommended 1/4 cup, though, since I like to make sure my sweaty gym/cycling/running clothes smell extra fresh


Chemistry of Hard and Soft Water
From Anne Marie Helmenstine, Ph.D.,
Your Guide to Chemistry.


I'm sure you've heard the terms 'hard water' and 'soft water', but do you know what they mean? Is one type of water somehow better than the other? What type of water do you have? Let's take a look at the definitions of these terms and how they relate to water in everyday life.
Hard water is any water containing an appreciable quantity of dissolved minerals. Soft water is treated water in which the only cation (positively charged ion) is sodium. The minerals in water give it a characteristic taste. Some natural mineral waters are highly sought for their flavor and the health benefits they may confer. Soft water, on the other hand, may taste salty and may not be suitable for drinking.

If soft water tastes bad, then why might you use a water softener? The answer is that extremely hard water may shorten the life of plumbing and lessen the effectiveness of certain cleaning agents. When hard water is heated, the carbonates precipitate out of solution, forming scale in pipes and tea kettles. In addition to narrowing and potentially clogging the pipes, scale prevents efficient heat transfer, so a water heater with scale will have to use a lot of energy to give you hot water. Soap is less effective in hard water because its reacts to form the calcium or magnesium salt of the organic acid of the soap. These salts are insoluble and form grayish soap scum, but no cleansing lather. Detergents, on the other hand, lather in both hard and soft water. Calcium and magnesium salts of the detergent's organic acids form, but these salts are soluble in water.

Hard water can be softened (have its minerals removed) by treating it with lime or by passing it over an ion exchange resin. The ion exchange resins are complex sodium salts. Water flows over the resin surface, dissolving the sodium. The calcium, magnesium, and other cations precipitate onto the resin surface. Sodium goes into the water, but the other cations stay with the resin. Very hard water will end up tasting saltier than water that had fewer dissolved minerals.

Most of the ions have been removed in soft water, but sodium and various anions (negatively charged ions) still remain. Water can be deionized by using a resin that replaces cations with hydrogen and anions with hydroxide. With this type of resin, the cations stick to the resin and the hydrogen and hydroxide that are released combine to form pure water.

 

[maverick73]

Soft water is water that does not contain a high quantity of dissolved minerals. People who have lived in Vancouver all their lives probably don't notice it, but if you have lived in or travelled to other major cities, you'd notice it when you shower, wash dishes, etc. (notice how it takes a lot longer to rinse soap off your hands in Vancouver versus Calgary?). For you, Mav, I have attached a little article about the chemistry of hard and soft water.
[/I]

"Hard water soft water, what's the diff.... water schmater..."

"But junior skeptic magazine says its a proven fact that it takes longer to rinse soap off your hands than in Calgary... "

"Is that a fact Lisa? Everybody knows you can prove anything remotely true with facts... facks schmacks..."

 

[maverick73]

Exactly. But in my experience it cleans just as well as any brand name stuff I've ever used (and I'm a chick so I pay attention to stuff like that). I always use a bit more than the recommended 1/4 cup, though, since I like to make sure my sweaty gym/cycling/running clothes smell extra fresh

I pay attention to stuff like that and I'm not even a chick! I notice everything... maybe my next post will be about the best toothpaste and toilet paper... I'm told Charmin leaves little "white lint" pieces in your ass... I've got a mav magazine consumer reports comparo in the works. I've also noticed some toothpastes seem to cause "sore throats." More on that to come...

I've also been investigating the use of Vagisil to make male ass suitable for rimming... but you probably didn't need to know that... lol.

PS thanks for the article... I think I understand it all... thanks to all those chemistry classes in Uni...

 

[vancouverman]

it takes me a lot less to get to this point ... no wonder i never get any laundry done!

Laundry Day can be fun

 

[vancouverman]

Where do I get this PERSIL? I usually shop at Save-On and London Drugs, and I've never seen it. I like to try things and see for myself, so this is on my grocery list for the next week.

There was a short time, I saw PERSIL in ...... Future Shop, but I buy it at the small shop selling/repairing vacuums, etc.
Persil is not cheap ... $40 for a small box, but is very efficient .... you just need a small amount of it to get the job done.
There are two different boxes, one for white stuff, and one for colour.
You will see that Germans do know how to do other stuff beside cars and beer.