Laundry soaps... liquid regular, 2x, 4x - versus powder detergent

Welcome to the great liquid vs. powdered detergents debate…

Back in the day the only choice offered to the consumer was powdered detergents.

I can remember my grandmother going to Sears to buy the 25 lb. pail of detergent,

and as she said: the real bonus was “A nice mop bucket with a snap on lid free.” (After, the soap was gone.)

Also she swore by the Sears detergent for cleaning.

Well sadly like everything else, those days are gone.

In today’s world with front loader washers and cold water wash cycles

the debate between the forms of detergents are very important.

The liquid detergent will mix with cold water readily, where as

the powered will not dissolve as easily in cold water.

In a front loader washer verses a top loader washer, the main huge difference is the volume of water used in the wash & rinse cycles:

An average top loader can use 30 gallons of water per cycle (wash, then rinse)

each maybe 60 gallons for the complete cycle.

Therefore most powdered soaps will dissolve and rinse away, with no residue.

plus the agitating action helps to dissolve it.

In a typical front loader washer, the washer may use only 6 gallons of water per cycle   

  (wash, then rinse) each maybe, 12 gallons for the complete cycle.

This is defiantly not enough water to fully dissolve the powered soaps, and rinse well.

Also powered detergents will tend to clog up the detergent dispenser

in the front loader washers.

if you insist on using the old powder soap, pre dissolve it in a cup of HOT, HOT water first.

Then use only 2 Tablespoons or 1/4 cup, or so. Don’t add the undissolved residue into the washer.

I see in many laundry rooms customers complain about soap residue left over from powdered

detergents. Some customers have allergies to some brands of powered soaps.

The incomplete dissolving and rinsing of the powder soap is the main cause of this, also over-soaping.

The liquid detergents are much better for this reason, but again, don’t over soap, as it will not rinse well

and soapy water will be retained in the clothes after the spin cycle.

A good rule of thumb is a 1/4 cup or less of liquid detergent or less for an average load.

Now for the explanation of the new 2x, 4x liquid detergents:

As the numbers indicate 2x is twice as concentrated as the regular liquid detergent.

The newest 4x is four times as concentrated as the older liquid detergents.

So here is a guide to how much to use:

Regular (no x) 1/4 cup or slightly less (2 Tablespoons)

2x   1/8 cup or slightly less (1 Tablespoons)

4x  1/16 cup or slightly less ( ½ Tablespoons)

Start by using less, then if needed increase gradually.

Your wash will get cleaner, rinse much better, and spin dryer.

A hopefully useful laundry tip from Mark