What laundry detergent do you use???

[Praying Colonel]

DW prefers Ecos, so 3 guesses what we use.

 

[bianca]

Gain detergent and fabric softener for us. My daughter says that I like my laundry to smell toxic! I'm okay with that assessment.

 

[bcla]

For a nice smell, Tide and Downy, same scents!

I recently switched to Tide Free and Clear since one of my nieces has Eczema. She has recently been spending a couple of overnights a week at my house due to her parents' work schedules so I have been washing some of her clothes and she has been using my towels for showering. Her Mom noticed that her eczema was acting up and asked if I would mind not washing her things. I decided to just switch to the Free and Clear for all the laundry since I didn't want to make extra work for her. I do kind of miss the nice smell though.

I suppose different skin conditions have different root causes, whether it's fragrances, dyes, or the stuff that actually cleans. Even a dye-free laundry detergent is a chemistry lab of different surfactants, enzymes, etc. Some are allergic to the optical brighteners used in all varieties of Tide. I've wondered why Dreft is supposedly the standard for a baby's sensitive skin, since it's well known for its baby wipe like fragrance, and still contains a mix of surfactants and enzymes.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11807430

BACKGROUND:
Allergic contact dermatitis (ACD) to optical brighteners and enzymes in laundry detergents was the focus of numerous reports in the early 1970s. Subsequently, there has been little published on the incidence of allergic reactions to chemicals in laundry detergents. Nonetheless, consumers and physicians continue to ascribe allergic contact reactions to laundry detergents.

There's still actual laundry soap out there. Ivory Snow used to be.

 

[dgthree]

Depending on what I'm washing, I use Tide Coldwater Fresh Scent, Tide with Bleach in Original Scent, or Tide Original Scent. No fabric softener, just white vinegar in a Downy ball. If I want some static protection during the dry cycle, I use All Free & Clear dryer sheets.

 

[cleverclovers]

ERA with Bounce dryer sheets.

 

[bcwife76]

We buy Nellie's All Natural detergent from Costco in a big *** tub (will last us about 3 years). Unscented. I don't like my clothes to smell like anything really. Same with dryer sheets. Bounce Free.

 

[bcla]

I was just at Target when I thought maybe I could get some laundry detergent. I saw one aisle that was almost completely Tide and Gain on both sides. About the only exception was Meyer Clean Day and Method, but maybe only 3 ft of shelf width. All the other brands (including P&G) were on a shelf against the wall.

I also ended up getting some some "Super Concentrated All" which claims 53 medium loads from a 40 oz bottle. So basically that tells me that the overwhelming majority of liquid laundry detergent is water. And those old powder detergents where you'd measure an entire cup per load were probably mostly filler material.

 

[PollyannaMom]

I use All Free & Clear because it doesn't make DS itch, and reusable plastic dryer balls for softening - but if you want the nice smell, I always used to buy Snuggle dryer sheets.

 

[usd2bmd]

I make my own, and I love it! This is the recipe I use: http://roseatwater.com/homemade-laundry-detergent/

It's just my daughter and me, so a batch lasts us almost 2 years. I'll never go back to buying the regular stuff!

I make my own as well. Mine is in liquid form and I make smaller batches. But I love it..and the fact that it doesn't cost a small fortune to clean my clothes.
http://thefrugalgirls.com/2010/08/how-to-make-homemade-laundry-detergent.html

 

[Tiggeroo]

I make my own, and I love it! This is the recipe I use: http://roseatwater.com/homemade-laundry-detergent/

It's just my daughter and me, so a batch lasts us almost 2 years. I'll never go back to buying the regular stuff!

I am really thinking about doing this. It is just my husband and I now. I worry that we won't like it.

 

[BadgerGirl84]

Whatever free and clear detergent is on sale at Costco. No dryer sheets for me or my daughter, I don't like my clothing costed in chemicals and fragrance. DH does his own laundry and uses the pods they sell at Costco and Costco brand dryer sheets.

 

[BadgerGirl84]

Oh and I wash my daughter's cloth diapers in regular Tide as recommended by the manufacturer.

 

[Riff Off Gal]

My family uses Tide liquid detergent.

 

[bcla]

Whatever free and clear detergent is on sale at Costco. No dryer sheets for me or my daughter, I don't like my clothing costed in chemicals and fragrance. DH does his own laundry and uses the pods they sell at Costco and Costco brand dryer sheets.

I get the deal with fragrances, since they are designed to stay on the clothing even after being rinsed. However, pretty much all commercial detergents are chemical cocktails that will leave some residue. Even the supposedly "environmentally friendly" detergents like Seventh Generation or Meyer Clean Day are chemical concoctions. This is the ingredient list for Tide Free liquid HE:

http://www.pgproductsafety.com/prod...dary_fabric_care/Tide/Tide_Liquid_HE_Free.pdf

water
alcoholethoxy sulfate
diethylene glycol
monoethanolamine citrate
sodium formate
propylene glycol
linear alkylbenzene sulfonates ethanolamine
ethanol
polyethyleneimine ethoxylate
amylase
benzisothiazolin
borax
calcium formate
citric acid
diethylenetriamine pentaacetate, sodium dimethicone
diquaternium ethoxysulfate
disodium diaminostilbene disulfonate Laureth-9
mannanase
protease
sodium cumene sulfonate
sodium fatty acids

 

[BadgerGirl84]

I get the deal with fragrances, since they are designed to stay on the clothing even after being rinsed. However, pretty much all commercial detergents are chemical cocktails that will leave some residue. Even the supposedly "environmentally friendly" detergents like Seventh Generation or Meyer Clean Day are chemical concoctions. This is the ingredient list for Tide Free liquid HE:

http://www.pgproductsafety.com/prod...dary_fabric_care/Tide/Tide_Liquid_HE_Free.pdf

water
alcoholethoxy sulfate
diethylene glycol
monoethanolamine citrate
sodium formate
propylene glycol
linear alkylbenzene sulfonates ethanolamine
ethanol
polyethyleneimine ethoxylate
amylase
benzisothiazolin
borax
calcium formate
citric acid
diethylenetriamine pentaacetate, sodium dimethicone
diquaternium ethoxysulfate
disodium diaminostilbene disulfonate Laureth-9
mannanase
protease
sodium cumene sulfonate
sodium fatty acids

I understand that but I prefer not to add more with dryer sheets. At least the detergent is rinsed from the clothes.

 

[Terapin]

This stuff is AWSOME! I have been using this same bucket for for 2 years and still have about a year or more left. It does 1100 loads and only cost me $85. It works great, better then any name brand stuff and it's environmental friendly. Now it doesn't leave you with any great smelling clothes, they are clean and neutral smelling. You can buy scented laundry sticks for the dryer though but the smell is very subtle. I will never use another laundry detergent again. You can order it through Costco and they will deliver it to your door for free (at least here in Canada, not sure about the U.S.)

I use Nellie's too. It's a great detergent, with a great environmental profile. No scent but you can add scent in other ways, as you said. It works really well and is way cheaper than regular detergent. I get it at Costco online too.

 

[jennasmommyinMS]

I make my own as well. Mine is in liquid form and I make smaller batches. But I love it..and the fact that it doesn't cost a small fortune to clean my clothes.
http://thefrugalgirls.com/2010/08/how-to-make-homemade-laundry-detergent.html

I made the liquid version for a while, but once I tried the powder version, I liked it better--quick to put together and not as messy scooping out of my bucket.

I am really thinking about doing this. It is just my husband and I now. I worry that we won't like it.

You could just make a small batch to test it out--it's what I did in the beginning.

 

[usd2bmd]

I made the liquid version for a while, but once I tried the powder version, I liked it better--quick to put together and not as messy scooping out of my bucket.

When we make it it is enough to fill one of the larger laundry detergent containers. we just pour it into that. You have to shake it before dispensing it, but it really isn't a problem. I would like to try the powder version as well, just to see if I like it better. My only concern would be that we have a top loading HE washer and sometimes the oxy clean doesn't totally rinse out and I have to put the laundry through another cycle to get it out. I would hate for that to happen with a powder detergent.



You could just make a small batch to test it out--it's what I did in the beginning.