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View Full Version : HE laundry detergent ?s, what do you use, and why?



AnnieW625
08-24-2010, 02:12 PM
Since powdered detergents are going the way of the dodo as far as HE machines go I have settled with Tide Free & Gentle HE liquid, but I still prefer powder. I find the liquid more messy but so far it's the only thing that seems to get our clothes super clean and not irritates our skin. I've tried Country Save powder, and 7th Generation; thought about Charlie's Soap too, but DD2 now has exczema and most complaints about Charlies has been with babies w/sensitive skin. The 7th Gen. was better than Country Save, but I can't find it anymore, only the liquid which is horribly overpriced.

Has anyone had any skin issues with Gain HE Orginal Fresh powder? Consumers Reports rated it as the best overall detergent for HE machines. All of the other top detergents were regular Tide which both DD1 and I am allergic too.

ETA: I have also used Kirkland Environmentally friendly liquid free & clear, and Bio Kleen Citrus and both were just okay.

groundhog74
08-24-2010, 02:13 PM
We use Kirkland brand liquid from Costco.

bekahjean
08-24-2010, 02:25 PM
We use All small & mighty free & clear HE. I haven't purchased any since they switched to the formula that can be used in regular and HE machines, but we like it!

SpaceGal
08-24-2010, 02:28 PM
I use Purex Naturals...the one in the clear green container.

army_mom
08-24-2010, 03:07 PM
I just started to use Gain HE powder. I prefer powder as well (and Target only had Gain and Tide in powder) and I love the smell of gain. So far no issues but I don't think DD is supersensitive to most detergents. When DD was newborn we used Charlie's but DH didn't care for it. If DH buys, we use Tide. If I buy we use Gain. No allergies so far so we don't have to be ultra picky with detergent.

Indianamom2
08-24-2010, 03:47 PM
We use All free and clear and haven't had any issues. Then again, I don't think either of my kids have particularly sensitive skin.

BelleoftheBallFlagstaff
08-24-2010, 04:04 PM
Biokleen, love it. Eco friendly and works, I prefer the liquid, as the powder is a mess for me. I am a laundry clutz, and end up with detergent all over the washing machine...

WolfpackMom
08-24-2010, 04:19 PM
All Free and Clear or Tide Free and Clear, whichever I can get cheaper. DS has eczema and I have sensitive skin, these have worked for us. We used Arm and Hammer for awhile but I recently had some trouble finding it for HE washers and havent needed to buy new stuff lately so I havent been looking for it.

AnnieW625
08-24-2010, 05:22 PM
Biokleen, love it. Eco friendly and works, I prefer the liquid, as the powder is a mess for me. I am a laundry clutz, and end up with detergent all over the washing machine...

I soo wanted to like this because you recommended it and while it worked okay for diaper covers I just got so so results on the clothes. Maybe it's our hard water too that I find the powder works better. I prefer the powder because I can sweep it up with a push broom vs. the liquid (esp. at the end of the bottle) that gets all over the top of the bottle and then drips.

I was hoping that our Costco kept the HE Gain because worst case scenario I knew that if it caused issues I could take it back. Plus it's on special this month.

I love either Tide Free & Clear, or Cheer Free & Clear powder but neither of those come in HE formulas. I also grew up on Arm & Hammer, but it's not HE formula either; their scents never bothered me much.

daisymommy
08-24-2010, 10:13 PM
FWI...I have bought Tide Free and Clear HE at Target recently.

twowhat?
08-24-2010, 10:43 PM
Country Save. You use such a small amount (so per-use it is cheap). Ecologically friendly. Cloth diaper friends (we don't CD anymore but started using Country Save because of CDs).

BabyMine
08-24-2010, 11:17 PM
I have tried a lot but I also liked the BioKleen. We have hard water and don't have a problem. I bought a couple bottles of Method laundry detergent before trying Biokleen. I reused the Method pump bottles for the BioKleen liquid. Do you use vinegar? I also use BioKleen Oxygen with every wash.

Have you tried Method?
http://www.drugstore.com/products/prod.asp?pid=241321&catid=33271&fromsrch=method

indigo99
08-25-2010, 12:03 AM
All Free & Clear. It's cheaper than many of the alternatives and works for us. DH breaks out in hives if I use a normal detergent with fragrance and dye.

swissair81
08-25-2010, 12:07 AM
Tide Free

hellokitty
08-25-2010, 12:45 PM
Charlie's Soap. I just love it. A little goes a long way, it has NO scent (just neutral smelling, which I like and I know it's not trying to cover anything up), it works well and it is more eco-friendly. I also use it with my cloth diapers. I've tried some other stuff like biokleen laundry det and was just not happy with it. I tend to like the powders much more than liquids.

AnnieW625
08-26-2010, 12:50 PM
Thank you all for the input, but I think that the Tide Free and Gentle HE liquid is here to stay at least for the baby clothes. DD2 spits up all of the time on every thing and with a combo of the Tide Free & Gentle, Oxi Clean Baby, and good old basic Spray & Wash almost ALL of the spit up stains came out of her clothes and some of her clothes were pretty well nasty. I didn't have that good of luck with the Biokleen, I had to air dry some stuff and then rewash it again.

I still might try the Gain HE powder for our stuff though.

codex57
08-26-2010, 02:07 PM
I buy that Eco stuff from Costco. It's a liquid, but I've never had a problem with messes. The bottle design seems to prevent that.

Now fabric softener... those bottles are messy. The big ones from Costco anyways.

lmwbasye
08-26-2010, 02:13 PM
I buy that Eco stuff from Costco. It's a liquid, but I've never had a problem with messes. The bottle design seems to prevent that.

Now fabric softener... those bottles are messy. The big ones from Costco anyways.

We use fabric softener in the huge jugs from Costco. I have an old Ecover bottle (small size) that I just refill from the big jug. Saves on messes big time! Just thought I'd share.

bostonsmama
08-26-2010, 03:04 PM
I buy a medley of detergents. At one time I had 17+ bottles...and it took me almost 5 years to use them all. Sigh. Now, I have Tide Free & Gentle HE (it does exist...check Target and higher end grocery stores--amazon has it, too), and Tide w/ Bleach 2 HE. I think if you're allergic to Tide, Gain won't be much better. They're all pretty perfumey. I just go for results...and Tide kicks booty.

I don't have a problem using non-HE detergent in my HE washer. I just use less to avoid oversudsing. It used to be that HE detergents just put in a bit more water, a bit less surfactant, but now it looks (and the volume is) identical. It's hard to say.

AshleyAnn
08-26-2010, 04:20 PM
All free and clear 2x or 3x (depending on sales/coupons) I'm so allergic to regular tide I won't even buy thier free and clear on principle.

AnnieW625
08-26-2010, 05:57 PM
I buy that Eco stuff from Costco. It's a liquid, but I've never had a problem with messes. The bottle design seems to prevent that.

Now fabric softener... those bottles are messy. The big ones from Costco anyways.

Maybe it's the operator, but I had the worst messes from the Costco detergents that came in this style bottle, http://www.toysrus.com/product/index.jsp?productId=3374092&CAWELAID=299438291. Messy as all get out when I used the white spigot. I usually just put it in another regular bottle.

codex57
08-26-2010, 06:53 PM
Maybe it's the operator, but I had the worst messes from the Costco detergents that came in this style bottle, http://www.toysrus.com/product/index.jsp?productId=3374092&CAWELAID=299438291. Messy as all get out when I used the white spigot. I usually just put it in another regular bottle.

No. I refuse to believe it's user operated. Must be the bottle.



Cuz the fabric softener I'm talking about comes in that bottle and I make messes galore. :p The Ecos comes in the jug that has the spout, but also a lip so and liquid dribbling down falls into the lip and drains back into the jug.

lovebebes
09-12-2010, 05:22 PM
We use Ecover but recently I also bought Method to try- a free and clear one and also one called Sweet Water that has a very light scent. So far I like the Method just fine and I think it was a bit cheaper than Ecover.

daniele_ut
09-12-2010, 06:35 PM
Since powdered detergents are going the way of the dodo as far as HE machines go I have settled with Tide Free & Gentle HE liquid, but I still prefer powder.

The laundry obsessed folks over in the Laundry Room on the Garden Web forums seem to say that liquid detergent in an HE machine is a big no-no, so I'm surprised to see how many people are using liquid. I grew up with my mom always using Wisk liquid and I used Kirkland liquid until we got an HE machine a couple of years ago when I switched to Tide HE powder and Kirkland HE powder. I find the Tide HE powder at Target, and the Kirkland I obviously get at Costco. I think the Tide works better, but the Kirkland is SO much cheaper.

AnnieW625
09-14-2010, 01:22 PM
The laundry obsessed folks over in the Laundry Room on the Garden Web forums seem to say that liquid detergent in an HE machine is a big no-no, so I'm surprised to see how many people are using liquid. I grew up with my mom always using Wisk liquid and I used Kirkland liquid until we got an HE machine a couple of years ago when I switched to Tide HE powder and Kirkland HE powder. I find the Tide HE powder at Target, and the Kirkland I obviously get at Costco. I think the Tide works better, but the Kirkland is SO much cheaper.

Liquid is king in the HE detergent world; it's all I ever see, and Consumers Reports said the same thing about powder, it just works better. I really wish Tide made a Free HE powder because like I said prior neither DD1 or I can use original Tide. We can use cheapo Sun, or Arm & Hammer (what my parents use as they don't have HE machines) and we don't have issues, but Tide gives us itchies to no end. I'll have to look for Kirkland HE free in powder (I know they used to make it before I had an HE machine) or just try the regular Kirkland HE or Gain HE powders.

legaleagle
09-15-2010, 08:43 PM
I would be so happy if they made a Tide Free powder. I much prefer powder - we have hard-ish water and the washing soda (sodium carbonate) in powder detergents really helps with that.

I've tried a lot over the 5 years I've had an HE machine and this is what I've ended up with
1. tide HE powder for the cloth diapers (then I rinse a ton)
2. Biokleen Premium powder for our clothes- the regular kind works well too but the enzymes give a better kick
3. liquid biokleen for the delicates

I also throw in borax, washing soda, and biokleen's version of oxyclean on occasion, depending on what I'm washing.

I will say Tide really does work the best - if I have something esp gross or stinky I will wash in Tide then rewash in biokleen to get the perfume smell out.

BayGirl2
09-16-2010, 12:51 AM
I have a HE FL and use Country Save powder for CD's and Method liquid for clothes. I prefer liquid, but the Country Save is better for the diapers.

I can no longer stand any kind of scent, additive, or smell - apparently ever since I was pregnant. I mean if someone comes in the house and smells of a detergent I can smell it on the sofa days later. I debated getting rid of a baby sitter for that reason, it bugged me that much. I've been pulling out some pre-pregnancy clothes and they smell like my old detergents. Never bothered me before.

AnnieW625
09-16-2010, 06:23 PM
I have a HE FL and use Country Save powder for CD's and Method liquid for clothes. I prefer liquid, but the Country Save is better for the diapers.


It's strange because I tried Country Save and used it for months and it didn't help with the Fuzzi Bunz stink issue, the Bio Kleen liquid was better at that. Our Sprouts market didn't keep Bio Kleen powder.

robinsmommy
09-17-2010, 10:44 AM
Another vote for country save. I never found a laundry detergent that I loved with pocket dipes (but then again, I found that I preferred a prefold/cover system). I do like my detergent, though - no fragrance, not too spendy/load for a green detergent. We have Miele machines, and Miele's own detergent is a powder - and most of Europe, where they are from, has hard water.

I am looking into getting a 50 lb bag, which should keep me for close to a couple years (we do a lot of laundry). I really hate running out of laundry soap. Always seems to happen right when we're getting ready to go out of town, and I'm short on time and need to do laundry to take...

mommytotwo
09-18-2010, 03:42 PM
We use Tide HE poweder. I hope they come out with a Tide Free HE powder sometime.

We have the frontloading Whirlpool duets and found that the clothes and washing machine would start to smell bad if we used the Tide HE liquid detergents. Online there were suggestions to switch to a HE powder -- that worked, we have never had the bad odor since.

sewarsh
09-19-2010, 08:37 AM
did you see this? great reviews. powder, HE, great for cloth diapers and environmentally friendly.

http://windsorpeak.com/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=371720