I was buying laundry detergent yesterday, and among the myriad of choices (do I want my clothes mountain fresh or should they smell like springtime rain?), I saw Tide for “front loaders”.
Why should the configuration of my washing machine matter to my laundry detergent? Is this just another marketing scheme, or is there something different about how laundry is run through a front loading washing machine that calls for a different formula?
(I’ll add that my ignorance may stem from a misunderstanding of what front loader actually means. I assume this refers to whether your washing machine opens from the top or from the front. Is that possibly a mistake?)
Front loaders use less water per load, so the formulation has to be altered so that it can make suds properly. Regular detergent in a front loader tends to get extra foamy, IME.
Have you had it for very long? We managed to mess up the pump on ours in about 6 months because my wife scoffed at the idea of using special detergent.
You can mitigate a lot of the risk by using substantially less detergent per load. And you’ll have to put fewer clothes in to compensate for less detergent.
Wouldn’t this tend to negate the water savings associated with using a front loader? If you have to do more loads to do the same amount of clothes you’ll wind up using the same, if not more, water.
If someone is using a front-loader to save floor space rather than conserve water, it might make sense. Or, if they want to finish off their old detergent supply before switching to front-loader detergent. In the long run, it’s best to use a detergent designed for your washer.
On the site that crowmanyclouds linked in regards to suds-lock, it also mentions that front-loaders average 4 gallons per load while a top-loader can hold up to 35 gallons. So it’s possible that water consumption is still being reduced.
When I got my front-loader I actually called Proctor & Gamble and asked them about the HE detergent. The service rep explained that a) regular detergent gets too sudsy and b) I should cut the standard detergent by half and c) expect correspondingly less cleaning power using regular detergent.
In other words, what everyone else said upthread. However, P&G also said HE detergent would work just fine in a top-loader, which makes me wonder why they even bother to make both types, since they’re priced the same.
I’ve got a front loader and have been trying to use less detergent. The last time I was at Wal-Mart I ran across Tide “front loading” formula and bought it. Haven’t used it yet, still using up the old stuff.
I wonder which is more economical, buying the “front loading” stuff or just using half the recommended amount of the regular stuff?
The kicker being that half as much detergent as you normally use is more than you actually need. The “Recommended” detergent per load is absolute horseshit; they just want you using more detergent so you’ll buy more. No matter what kind of washing machine you have you should use a fraction of the amount of detergent the detergent container suggests.
Think about it, would most folks use a shampoo/dish detergent/etc that never foamed up, even if it got their stuff just as clean?
Soap is supposed to make bubbles, soap that doesn’t bubble doesn’t work (those cute little scrubbing bubbles is what gets stuff clean, I seen it on the TV :rolleyes: )!
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