# What's the difference between laundry detergents? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [December 27, 2012, 7:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-difference-between-laundry-detergents/645261 "2012-12-27T07:45:47Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Leaffan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leaffan/32/299_2.png) [@Leaffan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaffan)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2012, 7:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-difference-between-laundry-detergents/645261/21 "2012-12-29T19:18:57Z")
> [@flodnak](#): > > …and I use vinegar in the rinse water for towels and sheets. What kind of a douche rinses with vinegar and water? No, seriously, what the purpose? ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2012, 7:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-difference-between-laundry-detergents/645261/22 "2012-12-29T19:52:17Z")
Well, it depends- how dirty are your clothes? How important is it to have your whites whiter? ---
**Author:** ![Ferret\_Herder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e47774/32.png) [@Ferret\_Herder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ferret_Herder)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2012, 8:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-difference-between-laundry-detergents/645261/23 "2012-12-29T20:07:25Z")
> [@Leaffan](#): > > What kind of a douche rinses with vinegar and water? > > No, seriously, what the purpose? Fabric softener but without the leftover residue that can cut down on towel absorbency. ---
**Author:** ![VOW](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/vow/32/3043_2.png) [@VOW](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VOW)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2012, 8:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-difference-between-laundry-detergents/645261/24 "2012-12-29T20:28:51Z")
Vinegar will also remove any DETERGENT residue that can irritate some people’s skin. It rinses cleanly, leaving no vinegar scent. It’s cheap, and it’s usually on hand. Vinegar is also good for cleaning mineral deposits out of either the washer or the dishwasher. ~VOW ---
**Author:** ![guizot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guizot/32/3636_2.png) [@guizot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/guizot)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2012, 8:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-difference-between-laundry-detergents/645261/25 "2012-12-29T20:56:56Z")
> [@Arkcon](#): > > Ring around the collar. . . Which is the effect of perspiration. It doesn’t matter which detergent you use for that; you have to pre-treat it. I’ve found that Folex works best, which is actually an industrial carpet stain remover. ---
**Author:** ![jz78817](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jz78817/32/1028_2.png) [@jz78817](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jz78817)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2012, 8:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-difference-between-laundry-detergents/645261/26 "2012-12-29T20:59:27Z")
> [@Ferret\_Herder](#): > > Fabric softener but without the leftover residue that can cut down on towel absorbency. This. fabric softener works by leaving a “coating” on fibers, which isn’t something you’d want for towels. ---
**Author:** ![CC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f1d935/32.png) [@CC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CC)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2012, 9:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-difference-between-laundry-detergents/645261/27 "2012-12-29T21:46:46Z")
> [@jz78817](#): > > This. fabric softener works by leaving a “coating” on fibers, which isn’t something you’d want for towels. Yeah - the residue is wax, which, of course, keeps clothing from building up a static charge, because it acts as a lubricant, but it also keeps towels from being as absorbent as you’d like them to be. Vinegar is simply very weak acid, which dissolves the wax. ---
**Author:** ![Blueberry\_Buckle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/3bc359/32.png) [@Blueberry\_Buckle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Blueberry_Buckle)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2012, 1:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-difference-between-laundry-detergents/645261/28 "2012-12-30T01:31:04Z")
Using Vinegar also eliminates the smell of mildew from towels that were left in a washer too long. ---
**Author:** ![salinqmind](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/3ec8ea/32.png) [@salinqmind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/salinqmind)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2012, 1:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-difference-between-laundry-detergents/645261/29 "2012-12-30T01:59:41Z")
> [@Leaffan](#): > > What kind of a douche rinses with vinegar and water? > > No, seriously, what the purpose? Women have, in the days before Summer’s Eve, traditionally douched their lady parts with vinegar and water. ---
**Author:** ![Leaffan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leaffan/32/299_2.png) [@Leaffan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaffan)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2012, 2:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-difference-between-laundry-detergents/645261/30 "2012-12-30T02:32:44Z")
No kidding. Was my intended joke that subtle? 😕 ---
**Author:** ![am77494](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d2c977/32.png) [@am77494](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/am77494)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2012, 2:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-difference-between-laundry-detergents/645261/31 "2012-12-30T02:40:27Z")
A lot depends on the water too. If your water is hard (like supplied from ground aquifers) then the detergent has to “work more” and a good detergent will contain good water softeners. With water that is not hard (usually from surface reservoirs or rivers) the detergent does not make a lot of difference. If your clothes are coming out not soft or if you notice deposits in your shower/tub - it usually indicates hard water. A shower under hard water will also leave your hair feeling dry - you typically use less less soap while showering with soft water. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2012, 2:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-difference-between-laundry-detergents/645261/32 "2012-12-30T02:40:52Z")
> [@Leaffan](#): > > No kidding. Was my intended joke that subtle? 😕 I got it. And I’m a dude.😃 ---
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2012, 2:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-difference-between-laundry-detergents/645261/33 "2012-12-30T02:55:04Z")
Until my wife and I had a child, it really didn’t make much difference what detergent we used- typically, I think it was All Free & Clear, since she doesn’t like scented detergents and it was cheap in bulk at Big Lots. Now that we have a toddler, the performance of the detergent has become much more important, since they get food and grime in places you wouldn’t think possible. It appears to me that the majority of detergents are about equal in general detergency, but that the real differences come in the cleaning and stain removal enzymes (and quantities thereof) that are part of each particular detergent. For example, the unscented Tide and Wisk detergents are noticeably better on baby and toddler clothes than the unscented All or Purex detergents. (in particular on formula and breast milk residue). [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-difference-between-laundry-detergents/645261.md?page=1)