What is your favorite laundry detergent?

[jlw1980]

Oh, you hush.

What she said!

[gdn]

Men...............

I actually use Gain/All/Tide.

[CptCrunch]

Actually, fabric softener was included if you read my original post. Downy Simple Pleasures can't be beaten.

Fabric softener is worthy of its own thread.

[HidekiIrabu]

I usually just shower with my clothes on and then hang them out to dry

[jlw1980]

I usually just shower with my clothes on and then hang them out to dry

very economical

[destelle]

I use Method HE fresh air scent - smells yummy, cleans very well...
I like a lot of their cleaning products (available at Target and other stores).
http://www.methodhome.com/products/d...me=he32oz_fair

As for fabric softener, I really like the Downy with Febreeze in Citrus Light ... that's all I buy now.

I really used to love Fab One shots in college - I thought they smelled awesome and having the detergent and fabric softener sheet in one pouch was a great idea. Don't see them anymore, Fab either, for that matter.
-Dawn

[Pepper03]

Maybe we should expand this to a general cleaning product thread.

I found the most amazing carpet cleaner a couple of months ago at Target.

[CoyoteYankee]

Wow! I'm surprised at the huge percentage lead that Tide has. I use Tide myself but this is for the same reason I use most of the products that I use...my mother used it.

[fredgmuggs]

Removing any doubt that I have no life, I looked up laundry detergents in my back issues of Consumer Reports and I found these results in the October '05 issue.

Their top 3 rated laundry detergents are.......

(1) Tide with bleach
(2) Tide Cold Water... tested in cold water
(3) Tide HE

However, their Consumer Reports best values are......

-Kirkland Signature Ultra 38722 HE available at Costco
-Great Value Ultra Mountain available at Wal-Mart
-Ultra Plus with fabric softener HE 9860 available at Sears


I'll stick with my Tide HE at the 3 spot, thank you very much

[LDG]

I love (and voted for) Tide, but I cheated all summer with the super-cheapo Stop & Shop brand to save a few bucks. For some odd reason, I've rationalized that when the weather turns cooler and I actually need to spend time in the warmth of my clothes, it is then that it's most important to have the clean/scent you want, a la Tide.

[Coney36]

Another sign that the tomboy in me has not total left... whichever one is on sale. They're all the same to me.

[jlw1980]

Another sign that the tomboy in me has not total left... whichever one is on sale. They're all the same to me.

I thought the same thing until the past 6 or 8 months. The higher end brands really do work better than the cheapies.

I guess my mom's still a tomboy. She buys the Costco (Kirkland brand) 50,000 gallon drum of powdered (ick) detergent.

[RhodyYanksFan]

No you can't use the cheap stuff. Tide is the only one I'll use, and as a veteran of thousands, probably millions of loads, I feel confident that no other detergent can match it. It's worth the $$.

There is such a dirty joke in there...but I'm above that.

[krystl]

I had been using Tide for about 6 months (the big 300 oz bottle with the spout sits nicely on the shelf and I don't have to pour anything) but recently I washed one of the dog blankets and I noticed it still smelled doggy after I washed it. So I got Era the next time I went shopping. I love that stuff. It also is just as good, if not better at getting grass stains out of my son's light colored jeans as the Tide.

My stepson, OTOH, cannot use any of the "high end" detergents because he has sensitive skin. Purex is the only thing he uses and believe me, his clothes come out just as clean as the other brands (he's an auto mechanic, so that has to say something).

I think a lot has to do with water softness, as someone said, plus water temp. I wash almost everything in warm water with a cold rinse because cold water roses the soap out better, but the whites I do in hot water, which is etremely hot.

Oh and for fabric softener...I used to love Downy but hated the price, until I found Suavitel. That stuff smells so good and is cheaper than Downy. They also have an ultra concentrate now.

[penfold]

My stepson, OTOH, cannot use any of the "high end" detergents because he has sensitive skin. Purex is the only thing he uses and believe me, his clothes come out just as clean as the other brands (he's an auto mechanic, so that has to say something).

I can really sympathize. I have hypersensitive skin and have actually broke out in rashes from some bad laundry experiences. Generally, anything with the least amount of additives works for me. I like laundry to smell clean when it comes out of the wash but I'm paranoid of a possible allergic reaction. So I go for the scent-free versions of anything.

The hubby -- who does the laundry -- (ain't I lucky?) says that Arm & Hammer seems to work best for me.