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Sorry if this has been covered before but what are the general views on the pros and cons of the different forms of detergents available in terms of their:
Relative cost
Wash results
Effects on machines?We use liquid and I believe this is worse for gunge build up but what other pros and cons are there?
Re: Powder vs Liquid vs Tablets?
Powder has always been my personal favourite. Total control of the dose, bleach incorporated and you’re not paying for any gimmicks.
Tablets are a fixed dose regardless of water hardness and soil level. Most don’t dissolve in the drawer leading to water back up problems (dribbles down the front, puddles on the floor). So, no control.
Liquids contain no bleach, so your whites long term won’t be bright white. However, you do have control of the dose.
Best for the machine? A bio powder regularly, a good boil wash empty once a month will keep the machine fresh and prevent excessive build-up of the bacterialogical sludge.
Always remeber that the manufacturers want you to buy soap, so a little discretion on dosage may save you a few bob.
HTH,
Regards,
Penguin45.Re: Powder vs Liquid vs Tablets?
Hi Stew,
Those are very wide questions with many differing answers.
In the main I would recommend powder, like Chris, as it gives the best performance and flexability. I would also suggesy a “Colour” detergent for coloured garments as that will stop them fading, you really need two detergents to get the best out the washer and the clothing.
When you ask about the effect on machines, what do you mean? Are there specifics that you’re after?
If you are using liquid then, as Chris points out, there is no bleach and so no real anti-bacterial element, so a build up of gunk is quite possible. That being the case, switch to bleach containing powder or tablets for whites and the problem should pretty much go away.
K.
Re: Powder vs Liquid vs Tablets?
I was thinking about the gunge problem – the answer to which now seems clear.
Also I wondered about how many washes to the £ and whether the different forms of soap differed in this respect – I suppose I could work this out for myself if I studied the boxes! The advantage of powder and liquid here is the ability to vary the dose as pointed out.
I guess I’m just a cynical consumer and wonder what is the need for powder, liquids, liquitabs and tablets and therefore suspect a scam!
Re: Powder vs Liquid vs Tablets?
I’m trying to clean up my Bosch wfl 2260 after years of cool washes using liquid, and no maintenance washes. It is not a pleasant job. I was almost sick when I emptied the drain.
I’ve run a hot wash with Soda Crystals, followed by a hot wash with Ariel (bleach agent containing) powder. Even now I am still getting lumps of scaly gungy stuff floating in the drum, so I’ve just repeated the second wash.
My wife won’t use Biological powders (insists that they irritate her more than I do), and I can’t find a non-bio containing bleaching agents – do they exist?
Many thanks to the pro’s on this site for your help. Reading past threads has got my machine running sweetly. A few years ago I would have binned it and sent a few more Euros into Germany. The WFL has done 6 years with just brush changes, so can’t complain – having 3 kids means it gets used about twice a day.Re: Powder vs Liquid vs Tablets?
Used correctly with proper dosage the biological enzymes should be rinsed away leaving only the perfume on the clothes. Avoid over dosing if you are in a soft water area and if the machine has an extra rinse or super rinse feature that will help.
Very little if any non bio detergent is sold in Europe as a whole.
Jim.
Re: Powder vs Liquid vs Tablets?
When my clothes dry, either outside or over a chair, they sometimes seemed a little “crispy”. Is that a sign that the power/soap isn’t being rinsed very well? There’s not a white residue, just slightly starchy.
I was in a hard water area, but used the anti-calcium tablets once or twice a week. Now I’m back on normal water, but haven’t managed that much washing due to pesky washer (another thread).
Re: Powder vs Liquid vs Tablets?
There are indeed powders that are “Non-Bio” yet still contain oxygen-based bleach.
They are: PERSIL Non-Bio (blue box), ARIEL Non-Bio (blue box), and FAIRY (pale blue box).
Fairy has softeners added, yet some people cannot tolerate anything other than Persil. “WHICH?” recently gave Persil Non-bio a good rating for cleaning ability; better than the other non-bios.
It is more likely that people are allergic to the perfume ingredients, as fragrances tends linger in laundry these days.
Re: Powder vs Liquid vs Tablets?
Oh, and as for the ‘colour’ detergents: they can be as useless as liquids when it comes to removing under-arm sweat stains and B.O. The oxygen bleach of the standard detergents is required to neutralise the bacteria.
Re: Powder vs Liquid vs Tablets?
Thanks for that.
Will these powders leach colour from clothes over time or is the oxygen based bleach ok in that respect?Re: Powder vs Liquid vs Tablets?
My step mum told me that LIDL or ALDI washing power came out top in a magazine about getting whites white. She put’s my dads sport socks in a hot wash and they used to come out with grey soles.
She used the discount store powder, and now they are back to their original white!! Sorry can’t remember which store’s powder it is, but is cheap so buy both!
I don’t have any of these stores near me, but might make a trip to see.
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