Laundry detergent tends to be something that people are either extremely picky about or don’t care at all. Some people just use whatever is the cheapest in the aisle, or whatever happens to be on sale. And others are fiercely loyal to a regular brand they’ve been using for decades. The brand that seems to inspire the most loyalty is Tide, which also has the biggest name recognition. Era also has a pretty devoted following (it’s Tide’s budget brand, manufactured by the same parent company, Proctor and Gamble.) And there are the people like me who use environmentally friendly detergents with no artificial perfumes or dyes. (Ecos, 7th Generation, Planet, etc.)
Which brand do you consider to be the best shaped bottle? All has one variety called “Small and Mighty” that comes in a very convenient and small bottle, but they only offer it in scented fragrances and not in the fragrance/dye-free version. Ecos (what I use) can also be gotten in a very small and handy 50-ounce bottle.
I make my own. None of our clothing is any worse for using it. It doesn’t take long to make, so it’s worth it to me. I save a lot of money by making it myself. I use 1 1/2 to 2 bars of Ivory Soap, 1 cup of borax, 1 cup of washing soda, and 4 gallons of water.
Uh…(goes to the washing machine to look) looks like I have the generic Meijer brand. However, it’s the concentrated stuff so you get lots of loads out of a small little bottle.
Voted “whatever’s cheapest”, but really meant to vote “whatever my laundromat sells” cause there’s no way I’m lugging a big old box of detergent up four hilly blocks. (I think they sell Cheer right now.)
Usually Arm & Hammer, but I’ve used many other brands - All Free &Hammer Clear, Purex, whatever’s on sale. Haven’t tried Tide’s unscented stuff, but I spent much of my childhood developing an irrational hatred of the brand, since no one seemed to believe I could possibly be allergic to it. (Same family members couldn’t understand how I could have the same type of reaction to Ivory soap.)
Arm &Hammer seems to meet my major requirements: cleans well, gentle enough for me and my girls (who seem to have inherited my sensitive skin,) gets rid of the stinkies (14-year-old’s gym clothes + K9 handler’s uniforms = pheeewww!), and economical.
I recently started making my own (1 bar of Fels Naptha, grated, and a cup each of borax and washing soda), and frankly I was delighted to find it works just as well if not better than store-bought stuff. Some laundry detergents give my husband a rash, some different ones give my daughter a rash; I was using Gain and everybody seemed happy but since I quit smoking and my sense of smell came back I couldn’t handle the overly-perfumed chemically stench anymore. Two tablespoons of soap per full load and throw a half cup of white vinegar into the rinse cycle, and my clothes are all soft and fresh and clean-smelling, without being all in my face “I’M CLEAN!! I’M A FRIGGIN’ SPRING MORNING!! SNIFF ME, BITCH!!”
I use two different ones. Tide febreze sport for pants and shirts (and shorts, and sweaters…), and All free clear for undies. If wearing undies washed in Tide didn’t cause an itchy rash, I’d use it for everything.
Sure, 52 loads costs me 12 dollars. But new Tide Coldwater powered by ‘acti-lift’ stain lifting formula brings out a brilliant clean! Even with lower water temperatures! And I love Tide’s fresh mountain-spring scent!
