do you notice a difference in cheap and pricey detergents?

**Maisiedotes** · 04-13-2009, 06:55 AM

I have been buying the cheap detergent- I have made my own in the past and felt like it didn't get our clothes very clean. We are both chefs and our clothes get lots of food stains, grease, etc. I like my laundry to smell like something (lavender, etc) but the scented detergents make my skin itch.

Is there a cheapo detergent out there that does a good job? Thanks in advance!

**Momto2Boyz** · 04-13-2009, 08:06 AM

I have used Xtra for years and have always liked it. It's on the cheaper side, but does seem to still do a great job. I've tried the "uber" generic from Aldi's and felt that it didn't really do a good job. So I found something middle of the road, price wise that works well.

I've found that with dish soap, more than anything else. I buy generic and it doesn't work nearly as well as the regular!

**hotprincesscm** · 04-13-2009, 08:31 AM

I make my own detergent now, and I have used everything from tide to the cheapy Aldi's versions. I actually like the Aldi's version of Tide...But I would buy anything that was cheap. I do a ton of laundry with two boys....and I found that most cleaned the clothes pretty well...As for chef, food stained clothes, I have no experience with that...the only thing I would recommend is maybe washing in hot water along with whatever detergent you use, to help get some of the grease out! Good luck on your quest for new detergents!

**thefrug** · 04-13-2009, 08:57 AM

I spot clean food stains with fels naptha and an old tooth brush, then launder as usual.

**Landscape25** · 04-13-2009, 09:22 AM

I would try bleach and Oxyclean and soaking them. I don't think you are supposed to use bleach on jackets but if needed you kind of have to.

**cab54** · 04-13-2009, 09:29 AM

Originally Posted by thefrug

I spot clean food stains with fels naptha and an old tooth brush, then launder as usual.

This is what I do, (and my grandma did) and it works well, even on greasy stains. It doesn't take any longer than spraying something on.

**KatieInLa2** · 04-13-2009, 09:31 AM

Try adding a degreaser product to your wash. Wal-mart has it in the automotive section. Castrol makes a good product in a purple container.

**thefrug** · 04-13-2009, 09:45 AM

LOL ahhh yes! the purple stuff! LMAO! really degreases stuff.

**tervsforme** · 04-13-2009, 09:52 AM

I used to use Tide all the time, my mom used it! LOL Now I use Arm & Hammer and I love it. It's soo much less expensive than Tide. Sometimes if I have a really dirty load, I'll add Borax to that load to give it a boost. I've used Oxiclean in the laundry as a booster as well.

**MommyTrap** · 04-13-2009, 09:52 AM

You could also try adding a squirt of Dawn dish washing soap to your washer along with your regular detergent. Or mix Dawn and water in a spray bottle to make a pretreater for greasy food stains. I have done both and Dawn does a great job at removing greasy food stains.
As far as detergents go I find using even a quarter of the recommended amount of Tide is better than the full amount of a cheepo detergent.

**Maisiedotes** · 04-18-2009, 02:08 PM

Thank you all! I forgot about Fels Naptha. I am going to try it on some of DD's laundry because she has some adorable stuff I wanted to consign.

**Starlight9803** · 04-18-2009, 05:34 PM

I've had mixed results with detergents, but just can't fit some of the most expensive ones in my budget. I used Xtra (liquid) with decent results and Fab (powder) with great results. I make HM detertgent now, and it works as well as the Fab did, if not better. I spot clean really tough stains with Awesome or Mean Green, or dish detergent for something greasy. Works well for us.

**Michelle** · 04-18-2009, 07:48 PM

Originally Posted by tervsforme

I used to use Tide all the time, my mom used it! LOL Now I use Arm & Hammer and I love it. It's soo much less expensive than Tide. Sometimes if I have a really dirty load, I'll add Borax to that load to give it a boost. I've used Oxiclean in the laundry as a booster as well.

I love A & H too.

Originally Posted by MommyTrap

You could also try adding a squirt of Dawn dish washing soap to your washer along with your regular detergent. Or mix Dawn and water in a spray bottle to make a pretreater for greasy food stains. I have done both and Dawn does a great job at removing greasy food stains.
As far as detergents go I find using even a quarter of the recommended amount of Tide is better than the full amount of a cheepo detergent.

:agree:

For stubborn stains--especially grease stains--I use Dawn as a pretreater. :yes:

**mamamia** · 04-19-2009, 03:44 AM

When dealing with whites, I think the powdered detergents work alot harder to whiten than liquids. I'll also add baking soda to strengthen liquids. There's also powdered bleaches that work really good too. Are you doing a hot water pre-soak? That can help alot too, especially along with a pretreatment for stains.

Theresa

**mauimagic** · 04-19-2009, 04:49 AM

Originally Posted by cab54

This is what I do, (and my grandma did) and it works well, even on greasy stains. It doesn't take any longer than spraying something on.

When DD ws in preschool, she would get red Maui dirt in everything and it wouldn't come out of her socks. So I used fels naptha soap and scrubbed it with a floor scrubbing brush - worked like a charm!! I was glad to see it still existed to make my own laundry detergent.

I would ask nurses what they used to keep their uniforms clean.