[This Appliances FAQ article was moved to the Laundry Room FAQ on 28 December 2004.]

[This Appliances FAQ article was moved to the Laundry Room FAQ on 28 December 2004.]

[Information first posted in the Appliances Forum by Alice (Alice_61) on 23 July 2002 in the "Technical Suds" thread - thanks, Alice!]: ------------------------------ Here is an update of the list of detergents and their properties that I have measured. All the detergents are either HE, unscented, or European (where front loaders are the norm). Listed are several parameters for a solution of 1/4 teaspoon of detergent in 16 oz of tap water. This concentration is approximately that used in a front loader. For the powdered detergents, this volume is adjusted for density, to give a weight equal to 1/4 teaspoon of Ultra Plus Free powder. Parameters (1) Suds height in inches. I added detergent to a quart yogurt container containing 16 oz of cold (~70F) tap water and stirred slowly until dissolved. Then I covered the container and shook vigorously for 10 seconds. Next, I let it stand for 15 seconds. Then I measured the height of the suds with a ruler. (2) pH (This is off because our tap water has a pH=8.0-8.3, but a lot of U.S. water is alkaline, so this may be fairly typical.) (3) TDS (total dissolved solids) less the TDS our tap water (~113 ppm). The scale is off, giving measurements that are about 50% too low, but it is useful for comparing relative TDS values. (4) Weight/60 ml (1/4 cup) for powdered detergents only. ...............................suds..........pH.......TDS.......weight/60 ml ...............................height(1).....(2)......(3).......(4) Liquid detergents Tide HE (l)........................0".........7.7.....64ppm Wisk HE (l)......................3/4".........9.4.....83ppm Ecos (l).......................1 1/4".........8.2.....33ppm Tide Free (l)..................1 1/4".........8.2.....77ppm Cheer Free (l).................1 1/2".........8.1.....58ppm Arm & Hammer Free (l)..........1 3/4".........9.1.....34ppm Ultra Plus Free (l)............1 3/4".........8.9.....57ppm Wisk Free (l)..................2".............8.4.....63ppm All Free and Clear (l).........2 1/2".........9.7.....79ppm Purex Free Clear Classic (l)...2 1/2".........9.8....129ppm Powdered detergents Tide HE (p)......................1/4"........10.9....900ppm...1 1/4 oz Dalli (p)......................1"............10.8...1372ppm...1 3/8 oz Ultra Plus Free (p)............1"............10.6...1347ppm...1 7/8 oz Persil (p).....................1 1/4"........10.4....622ppm...1 oz Megaperls (p)..................1 1/2".........8.9....200ppm...1 5/8 oz Sensitiv (p)...................1 1/2"........10.3....497ppm...1 5/8 oz Perwoll (p)....................1 1/2".........8.3....958ppm.....3/4 oz A & H FabriCare Free (p).......1 1/2"........10.7...1467ppm...1 3/8 oz Tide Free (p)..................2 1/4"........10.6....723ppm...1 1/4 oz for comparison A & H Washing Soda (p)............ 0"........10.8...1829ppm...2 1/8 oz Electrosol Dual Action DW det(p)...0"........10.6...1306ppm...1 3/4 oz With our hard water, 85F water temperature, 10 pound wash load, and 18 minute wash time in the FriGEmore, I could use 3 fluid ounces of any of the liquids or 2 oz (by weight) of the powders without excessive sudsing if the load I was washing had been very well rinsed previously. For loads that had some detergent residue, sudsing was a problem for those detergents with a suds height of 1 3/4 to 2" or more. It will be interesting to see which of these will work in the Miele with its longer wash time and hotter cycles. Another note of interest is the Tide HE powder and liquid. Both were unique in having a very rapid reduction in suds height after shaking. These suds heights were after 10 seconds of shaking and 15 seconds of rest. The Tide HE liquid suds fell slightly faster than the powder. Both had no suds after about 30 seconds. The Wisk HE liquid had a little bit of this property. I didn't notice much of this effect with the other detergents. Alice ------------------------------ [first added to Appliances FAQ: 5 October 2002] [added to Laundry FAQ: 21 May 2003]

"HE" stands for "High Efficiency". This is a formulation designed specifically for "High Efficiency" clothes washers, such as frontloaders and the Calypso. The tumbling/showering actions of these machines tend to generate a lot of suds, and excessive amounts of suds in the drum can hamper the wash action (by cushioning the clothes). In extreme cases, the suds can build up to such a degree that they overflow the drum, and wind up oozing out the dispenser drawer or top or back of the machine (not unlike the situation resulting from putting hand dishwashing detergent in an automatic dishwasher)! Thus, the most important characteristic of an HE laundry detergent is a low level of sudsing. High-quality HE detergents may also have additional properties beneficial to HE washers, such as dye-transfer inhibitors. Although use of HE detergents is highly recommended in frontloaders, it's not strictly necessary to use brands that carry the HE label. A low-sudsing "conventional" formula can also give good results, depending on the hardness of the local water supply and the level of soiling in the washload. The chief advantage of very low-sudsing detergents is that one can add greater amounts for improved cleaning of tough loads, without fear of oversudsing. While it is of course possible to use reduced amounts of ANY detergent in a frontloader (to limit the amount of suds buildup), the resultant cleaning performance may be less than optimal. --Tom. [first added to Appliances FAQ: 4 October 2002] [moved to Laundry Room FAQ: 28 December 2004] [last edited: 28 December 2004]