|
non-HE detergent for High Efficiency washer?We recently purchased a Kenmore Elite HE3 Front-Loading Automatic Washer. It's a very efficient washer that saves water and electricity. However, we didn't realize that it is designed to use High Efficiency detergent. Actually, I didn't even know that there are HE detergents until I read the washer's manual: "Use only High Efficiency detergents. The package for this type of detergent will be marked "HE" or "High Efficiency." This wash system, along with less water, will create too much sudsing with a regular non-HE detergent. Using regular detergent will likely result in washer errors, longer cycle times, reduced rinsing performance, and may result in component failures and noticeable mold or mildew. HE detergents are made to produce the right amount of suds for the best performance. Follow the manufacturer's instructions to determine the amount of detergent to use." We had plenty of regular detergent left over, so my wife asked, "Can we solute our powder detergent in water to use in this washer?" It made me wonder if HE detergents are simply the same detergent that is soluted in more or less water. Is the ingredient any different?
Chieh Cheng
We stopped by Wal-mart on the way home last night. We didn't see a single liquid or powder HE detergent on the shelf. How come these HE detergents are so elusive? Do they even exist?
Chieh Cheng
The answer is "Yes! They do!" I visited the web site for Tide and found Tide HE. From the following excerpt on that page, it sounds like my wife is right; you can use less regular detergent in your high efficiency washing machine--at the risk of less cleaning power. "Standard detergents can cause over-sudsing when less water is used, and using less detergent sacrifices cleaning power." The neat thing is that Tide provide a product locator box on the bottom of that page, so now I can actually find a store that carries Tide HE. Looks like Stater Brothers, Vons, Albertsons, K-Mart, Longs Drug Store, and Target all have them . . . just not Wal-mart.
Chieh Cheng
Here are some commonly asked questions regarding this subject:
Looking at the "Do you make an unscented Tide HE?" answer, it seems like the HE market is so small, detergent makers are only still testing the market. Tide only makes one version of the HE detergent. It's no wonder they are so hard to find. It makes me wonder, if the HE detergents don't sell well, will Tide eliminate it from its product line? And if they do eliminate it, will they simply reverse their stand and suggest that HE washer owners to use smaller amount of standard detergent in HE washers? I guess only time will tell.
Chieh Cheng
I finally found some Tide HE powdered detergent from Stater Bros. And they only had the powder version, not the liquid version. Good thing is that the box is the same size as standard detergents and cost the same - $7.99.
Chieh Cheng
Costco's Kirkland brand liquid is HE detergent its also so much cheaper than tide. Its also one of consumer reports picks
joann
I need to be able to use regular liquid detergent (dye & scent free) in my new he washer. I read above that someone did that but cut back on the amount of detergent. Any specific suggestions? Thanks for any help.
Linda
Sears has a full line of HE detergents at a great price -- sold in the hardware department. They even have a fragrance-free without dyes version in either liquid or powder. The powder is more economical and it's hard to beat the price -- even compared to Kirkland HE at Costco, which is a good price. The Sears detergent is suitable for use in toploaders as well as front loaders -- it has the HE logo on the label -- and comes with a 1/4 cup measure. That's all it takes, 1/4 cup per washload. I highly recommend Sears HE. I did buy a jug of Tide HE liquid -- fragrance free, no dyes -- on sale at Safeway. It was fine, but even on sale wasn't economical. To answer the original question, if you take regular, high sudsing detergent and use if sparingly enough in a front-loader to avoid suds, it may not get your laundry clean enough because there won't be enough detergent in the water to get the job done. Front loaders use a lot less water, so there has to be enough detergent to dissolve out the soil and keep it suspended in the water until it is drained and rinsed away. So the right detergent, non-sudsing, is a must. I did buy a 200 oz. massive jug of Wisk HE at Target for $8.94, not a bad price for the size, but, unfortunately, its lingering fragrance gives me a headache. It reminds me of a cheap men's cologne, something like Russian Leather, the $1.99 a bottle version. I hate it. With a little bleach added, I use it for cleaning the toilet because I can flush it away when I'm done brushing out the bowl. Todd Leone If I had it to do over I would have kept my OLD water guzzling washer!!! I do not like the new HE machine, I do not like it's price, it's cleaning, or the price of detergents for it. I am so disapointed in it!!!!! carol b Hi carol b-- I don't know what brand of HE machine you bought, but I find they clean every bit as well if not better than top loaders. If it's a front loader, that reversing tumbling action that lifts and drops the clothes in the water actually works quite well, while using very little water compared to a top loader. That high spin speed of 1000 to 1200 rpm (or even higher in some high-end front loaders) gets the clothes a lot drier than top loaders, so it saves lots of energy in the dryer. If your clothes aren't getting clean, you should make sure you're using an HE detergent in sufficient quantity (follow the detergent box or bottle directions). those with enzymes will clean better than those without (but don't use one with enzymes on woolens or items with a down fill because the enzymes will digest wool and down and ruin them over time). As to price, that shouldn't be an issue nowadays. I don't know where you're shopping, but here are some recommendations: Sears HE detergent (in several varieties of liquid and powdered types) is a great buy and, in fact, it's the only kind Sears sells. It works in top-loading agitator machines, too, and it's so well priced I think you can't beat it. It's found in the hardware department of Sears stores. It works very well and will get your clothes clean. I speak from personal experience on this one. Kirkland HE detergent can be found only at Costco (Kirkland is their house brand). It comes in powdered and liquid types and is very affordable and cleans quite nicely. My friend Carla in southern California uses this one -- she's a major Costco shopper -- and her Kenmore front loader is getting her clothes very clean and fresh. Safeway supermarkets (and their wholly owned subsidiaries such as Von's in southern California) now sell Safeway Select HE liquid "2X Ultra" detergent in the bottle. Like other "ultra" liquids, it's concentrated and each measure of detergent is way less than a regular liquid, so don't letter the small size of the bottle deter you. I got it when Safeway was selling it at a "Buy One Get One Free" price -- so the $6.99 per 32-use bottle price which isn't all that great, but better than Tide HE, became a bargain, which is why I bought it. In time, your HE washer will pay the difference between its price and a cheaper, water-guzzling washer. It will save on your water bill, your electric bill and your gas bill (if you have a gas water heater and/or gas dryer). I've heard other people complaining about the cleaning ability of their front-loaders, and I note that Consumer Reports doesn't agree with that criticism after much testing. There are a couple of models with a cycle that's too short they didn't like -- a front loader needs about an hour to clean clothes, so don't use the quickie-wash cycle some have for small, lightly soiled items. My sister Tina in Hawaii has a Frigidaire front-loader and hers cleans quite well, as does my Whirlpool. If your water is egregiously hard, you might try adding one of the following to your detergent to soften the wash water: - 20 Mule Team Borax (it's sodium borate) - Arm & Hammer Super Washing Soda (it's sodium carbonate, not baking soda which is sodium bicarbonate) - White King Water conditioner (it's sodium carbonate and sodium tripolyphosphate and way cheaper than Calgon water conditioner which is ridiculously overpriced) Use half the amount recommended on the box because your front-loader will be dissolving it in way less water than a top loader, and put it in the detergent dispense with half the amount of detergent recommended on the detergent package. The water softening effect of any of the three items listed above will improve cleaning in hard water and enable you to reduce the amount of detergent needed by half. One other thing. A lot of people, because of high prices on name-brand HE detergent at the supermarket, have tried to use regular detergent and deal with oversudsing by cutting down on the quantity of detergent. The problem with that is, then there isn't enough detergent in the wash water to get the soil out of the clothes, keep the soil suspended in the wash water so that it can be drained away. Grease stains and protein-based food stains or blood stains will remain because the detergent solution in the wash water is too dilute to be effective on them. With a low-sudsing HE detergent, you can use a sufficient amount of detergent to get the clothes clean, a concentrated-enough mixture to remove soil, dissolve grease, and break down protein-based stains. Todd Leone Our Wal-mart carries HE detergent. I got Tide "free" and haven't been thrilled with how it leaves my clothes smelling, but maybe that's just how the scent-free ones are. I feel like my laundry smells stale when it's washed - I've started using hot water every time, which helps a little. Charis M Front loaders work well and you can get detergent for All's he detergent as low as 2.99 on sale at Shop Rite. Oxydol now makes one that sells for about 5.99 a gallon too. As far as other brands, as more people switch to front loaders, more brands will become available. Ann I use only Sun and Earth products since they are environmentally friendly and safer for humans too. Their detergent is naturally low suds so it can be used in he machines with no problem. The all- natural formula is hypoallergenic, biodegradable, non-toxic and free of allergens, dyes, perfumes and petroleum-based solvents. Safe for babies and he washers and it smells great too! You can purchase at www.sunandearth.com. Orders over $45 ship free so I just load up on cleaning products and only purchase about twice a year. It also has a very nice natural orange scent due to the main cleaning agent comes from oranges. It smells much better than fragrance free brands. I tend to have allergies to detergents with fragrance and always purchased fragrance free. I have found Sun and Earth products to be the best cleaners even better than commercial detergents. Patty Do NOT use regular detergent at lower levels if you want or washing machine to last. The non-HE detergents will eventually gunk-up the washer with a nasty gray soap-scum slime that starts to smell funky (and transfers to your clothes). I got a used Maytag Neptune set and refurbished them myself yesterday, and would not have believed the quantity of black and gray gunk in the door gasket drain tube due to the previous owner's use of regular detergent. You can try to be stubborn in using regular detergent, but it's a false economy, and you risk washing every load with mildewy water. If you have been using regular detergent in your HE front-loader, you should probably put it through a refresh cycle. (Good to do periodically regardless.) This involves putting 1 cup of chlorine bleach and about 1/2 to 1 cup of Automated DishWASHER detergent (like Cascade) in the detergent dispenser under a heavy-duty HOT wash setting for cottons. Let it run through the full cycle using hot water (with NO clothes in the wash). Then run it again through a hot cycle, empty, with no detergent or additives, to flush out any remaining bleach. (You can advance to the rinse cycle after 5 minutes of wash if you like.) You should occasionally do a load of whites with hot water and bleach (or repeat this cleaning cycle every so often) to keep the machine sparkling. I understand there is a product called GLISTEN , $3-4 available on Amazon or do a Google search for Glisten dishwasher cleaner, which is another occasional option for maintenance. Additionally, powdered HE detergents are better for the washer than the liquid HE detergents, they are less likely to leave a residue. Karl I just bought my machine and have't used it yet. Have anyone ever used powder Dreft or Ivory Snow. From my experience they seem to be low sudsing. Marian Dorsey I would recommend taht you do NOT try to use any non-HE detergents in the machines that tell you to use HE detergent. Two days ago, I had to get my GE front loader repaired after owning if for only two years. I had used less detergent that was non-HE for those two years. The repairman who came out to fix it said that non-HE detergents are too sudsy and will eventually breakdown the seal around the tub and cause water to leak into the outer tub. When this happens, it compromises the parts and eventually wears them down. The main bearing that holds the tub in place was weakend by the water over time and caused it to break. Fortunately I had the extended warranty because the parts for these machines are ridiculous! If I had had to pay for the repairs myself, it would have cost over $1800!!! ($1700 of it was just parts.) He said that he has been repairing machines for 31 years and over the past few years, this problem has been the most frequent repair he has had to make. Kathy I just got my HE (LG) washer and dryer today and I am thrilled!! My hubby and I actually stood there and watched it wash, our son came to see....I joked that we need to put chairs there, so we can watch the washer and dryer! I have a big jug of Purex Natural Elements and Arm & Hammer Essentials. I like the fragrance of both, and that they are made from plant materials. I'm going to try the above ideas until I can pick up some HE detergent at Costco, but I have another question. I love OxyClean and use it to whiten clothes, clean the tubs, floors, carpet, sinks, etc. Linda Rockhold yes you can use oxyclean in your fl washer i did 2 loads w/it an it seems to work fine melissa Can I Use Ivory snow in my he front loader Whirl pool washing machine.If not Maureen I have a Whirlpool Duet. I use ALL SMALL & MIGHTY FREE & CLEARH HE. You have to be careful because they also have regular Small and Mighty Free and Clear. It can be somewhat difficult to find. I can usually only find it in my local Albertson. Jana For what it's worth, my apartment building recently replaced their old washers with new HE washers, conveniently just after I had purchased a 6-month supply of regular detergent. They recommend that if you don't have HE detergent then use regular detergent at half the recommended quantity. So that's what I've been doing. That machines have not been over-sudsing and the clothes have been coming out great, so I'm going to continue to use up my regular detergent. Darren I always used our regular detergent on my children's clothes. My youngest had extremely sensitive skin, so I switched to a fragrance and dye-free detergent (Arm & Hammer). That worked fine. Also, try second-rinsing the clothes, to make sure any detergent residue is washed out. I advise against the use of any perfumed substances when washing baby clothes. Dry 'em out in the sun if you want them to smell really good. I don't know about the chemicals in HE detergents. I just purchased a machine requiring HE detergent, so need to find a dye and fragrance-free product to which to switch. After 12 years, I can't stand the smell of laundry perfume. Catherine
TrackBack
Title: HE detergents that don't develop rashes Related Links
Add Comment
Messages, files, and images copyright by respective owners. |
Articles
|
Wiki
35 Users Online
|
|
Copyright © 2004 - 2010. All Rights Reserved. |
|
