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Sears detergent... Not just for laundry!

14 years ago

I use this powder detergent for most of my laundry and love it. I'd like to share a couple of other uses of Sears detergent that I've found out. While our brick house got the Thompson's Water Seal treatment, our brown garage doors got splattered with the sealant and dried. They turned into a splattery white mess. Since this is an oil base applicant, I thought I'd use some Dawn Dish detergent, bucket of water and a scrubbie. I only did half of the door, waiting for it to dry to see the difference. The Dawn made things worse, it actually smeared the white splatters. I then decided to try a scoop of Sears powder (dissolved in hot water first) in the water bucket, with fresh water and a green scrubbie. I couldn't believe that every white speck was gone. The doors looked brand new again. I then decided to try cleaning the old oil spill in the driveway. It cleaned it up pretty good but because it was there for awhile, there was a very faint spot, but I was very happy with the outcome. I'm going to try the sidewalk in the front of the house where the bushes hangover and it's green from mold later on in the week. Anyone else use this great detergent for other things?

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Comments (3)

housefairy
14 years ago
When you use it on your sidewalk watch out as the detergent can be slippery. Actually the easiest thing for green concrete is a solution of water and bleach. Pump up garden sprayers are good for applying this mixture. Spray on and let it set. Your green concrete should magically disappear. Don't get it on your shoes and track it back into the house.

And for the oil spill try mixing the laundry detergent, I prefer the powder, with Oil Eaters. The powder kind of works like Comet. Spray the Oil Eaters, sprinkle with detergent and scrub. Then let it sit. I have also heard kitty litter is good for removing oil stains. However, I've never tried it.
mara_2008
14 years ago
Good points, housefairy.

I know mold is a living organism which must be killed in order to get rid of it -- same is true for mildew.

IIRC, it seems at least one other person has said Sears Ultra Plus detergent does a great job on driveway oil stains. I think Heloise recommends cat litter.

For the mold on the sidewalk, I think I'd use something like Comet w/bleach. Get it wet, pour on the Comet, let it sit and soak for awhile, then scrub.
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HappyMom, I'm glad you posted this and it wasn't just me. A couple of months ago I purchased a box of the powdered detergent with Oxy and a small bottle of the regular liquid detergent. When I opened up the box it had a very strong smell of plastic and when I checked the liquid it had the same plasticky smell and it was very thin! I don't know what happened. I've been using Sears detergent for many years and never had this smell. Always had a clean lemony smell. I had to transfer the powder to another box to get rid of the smell. The plastic lining could be the culprit.
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I use it too. my preference is the stain fighting version. I got some to restock myself last week. it was on and island in between paint and tools with a sign marked 24.99 for the 275 load bucket but it rang up 19.99. being single that will last me about 15 months or more. even at $24.99 a bucket thats less then a dime per wash load($0.090872). better yet I think it works as good as Tide and costs less per use than the bargain brands from the dollar store. Another thing I like is it has no real sent to it like some other stuff out there it just leaves your clothes smelling clean.
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I was hoping the same thing. I sent my current box with my son, so I may be buying a box that's not on sale. What I normally do is when I get down to the last fill for the inside, I start checking every Sunday to see if it's on sale. So check Black Friday and the cyber Monday sale for after Thanksgiving. However, I wouldn't fight crowds to save a few bucks on detergent.
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mara_2008
14 years ago
From the Good Housekeeping website:

Oil spots need to be taken care of ASAP. Sprinkle cheap clay-type cat litter or sand over the stain, crush a little or press down, then let it sit overnight. Sweep it up and dispose of it, and repeat if necessary. If the stain still remains, you can try liquid or powdered laundry detergent, scrubbed in with a sturdy brush. Still left with a stain? Look for a commercial cleaner either at an automotive or home-improvement store.

Â Heloise

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