Whirlpool, thank you for that little vid, that's a pretty awesome machine.

I have found Clorox II powder works well with colors. Look at the ingriedents and you will will find it contains an activator which allows the product to activate at a much lower temperature as opposed to Oxi. While it too contains SC, and silicates. This has become my go to for jeans, colored undergarments, and other non colorfast stuff that can not stand high temperature. Really a good product.

Rpsinfoman, I haven't used cloroxll in a long time. Do you remember Snowy Bleach? I used to like that stuff.

Yes, sure do. Clorox II contains the activator TAED. Works well in cooler water.

Oxygen bleach is color safe because it won't take out all the color like chlorine bleach will. That's the main distinction, AFAIK.

Lol, so it only fades rather than strip the color, lol, good,I suppose my chocolate brown slacks can turn not so chocolaty..

That's right Pink, Oxygen Bleach is an oxidizer and fade while bleach will strip the color. The chemical action of each is very different. Although I do use it for cotton colors, they do fade. I usually limit use to a load that is particularly soiled or stained and needs treated. In all other cases I use a standard blend of my favorite detergents.

Fading is why I don't use oxygen bleach. Get enough of that with added OBA's--that I have absolutely no control over. Dang it! On whites I use a booster, towels and sometimes sheets get LCB, to kill germs,ect.

If i am repeating myself forgive me.

Bea,Like you I also only use oxygen bleach on whites, but since my towels are white and most of my sheets they get it too.

The only time I've notice a big difference in whites is if I do long soaks and reset the wash cycle 3 or 4 times. I let it fill and run through the wash cycle and then stop the cycle and let it soak for 30-40 minutes and then I'll but it back so the wash starts again. Maybe let it soak another 30 minutes etc. I'll do this with either Oxi-clean and I've tried it with dishwasher tablets. Both a noticeable difference. Whites as in towels, cotton t-shirt and socks.

Always1 I save my whites for night, the last load of the day, if they are nasty dirty I do a quick lukewarm prewash, spin, reset to wash, hot water, and a good TOL detergent like Tide/bleach powder, let agitate 5 minutes, shut off and soak overnight, in the morning I turn dial back around to wash and let it go. Brilliant whites. I don't understand the automatic dishwasher detergent in the laundry. I know years ago it was being used after phosphates were removed from laundry detergent, and cascade was used in laundry as a booster because it still contained phosphates, but what does it contain now that laundry benefits from it? This isn't the 1'st time I've read reference to it and I'm curious.

I think now days it is the enzymes in dish detergent. YEARS ago they used Cascade (or any brand) because it contained bleach. It was the "go to" for cleaning football/baseball pants.

Why didn't they just use LCB if it was for the bleach? Isn't powder dishsoap loaded in sodium carbonate? Would think if used with powder detergent the clothes would be scratchy, just thinking here.l.

Mamapinky--I'm not sure what's in the tablets, I had just read somewhere online that you could use them for whites so I gave it a shot. Another abbreviation translation please, TOL=? Sorry, new to this forum and not used the lingo yet ;-)

I don't use LCB (liquid chlorine bleach) for whitening, but I do use it to keep the machine clean. I add about 2 TBSP (tablespoons) to the bleach dispenser when I do a load, which seems to be enough to avoid typical front-loader problems such as mold and odor. I have a whole-house water softener with a charcoal pack that removes chlorine, so adding it back into the wash seems to benefit the long term cleanliness of my machine.

Maybe Clorox was too strong on the fabric but being in the dish soap it was "milder"? Not sure.

I remember years ago using Cascade for dishwashers in with my whites that were "polyester" .... because you weren't supposed to use Liquid Chlorine bleach on Polyester. This was back in the 70's, when detergents worked so good you didn't need additives and also before spray on spot remover treatments were available.

Always-TOL means top of the line instead of a cheaper bargain detergent.(or whatever is referred to at the time)

Ok, thank you everyone lol.

MamaPinky--I have noticed in the last year of washing my kids uniforms (dark navy polos and shorts/pants) with a booster of oxygen bleach does indeed cause fading over time, hence my question yesterday about darks and boosters. Im going to experiment with this years brand new uniforms with using detergent(with no added OBA's or oxi boosters) only, washing in warm to see if it helps. Im also going to try a cold wash (well let's say "cool" our water never really gets cold down here), using cheer powder that i will dissolve 1st in hot water). That being said I will continue to use oxygen bleach on all the rest of the kiddos clothes because like Larsi said--they outgrow them really fast and theyre a done deal after about a year (or less in my 9 yr old son's case who is growing like a weed!) And I like the clean results using oxi bleach!

LCB--I have used it with good results even on colored towels(i know "gasp"!) but there is a method i follow when doing this(i dont do it every time as there is a little fading after every wash but I have to do it sometimes as our high humidity can really cause musty odors in towels esp in towels that have gone to the beach and have ocean water in them!) I start a HOT wash, dissolve detergent, add 1/2 cup of LCB and manually turn the agitator til everything is dissolved and mixed, then add the towels and run an 18 min wash. They come out super clean! I wouldnt do this witth clothing though and i suppose you cant do this method with a FL. I also occasionally use it in the white loads (towels and sheets) and do an extra rinse to get the bleachy smell out.

LCB, is best added last 5 minutes of the wash cycle, all of its cleaning benefits are in that 5 minutes, after 5 minutes it starts eating at the fibers. Also anytime the stuff is used there should be a extra rinse.

It also causes your detergent to be useless when added the way you are adding--all together. It kills the enzymes so they don't get to do their job.

REally???? sparky?and mama? Well--i feel like a dum-dum now. -___-

We aren't rocket scientist LOL (at least I'm not). It tells you this on the bottle in so many words. Also only the Clorox with the BLUE cap kills germs/disinfects, the "flavored" ones do not.

Mami, don't feel that way, of course your not dum..none of us know everything, we all learn new things everyday, that's one of the things that makes life so interesting.

Miami--Hope you didnt think what I said meant you were a dummy. LOL I didnt mean it that way. Nobody is dumber than me! I have just read that on the bottle before, but I will say I have a friend that his mother would put her bleach/detergent in together everytime and you couldn't tell her any different. She said she had always done it that way(she was older). It was really funny if you could have heard her. LOL As my Mama used to say "Live and Learn, Die and forget it all".

LCB means liquid clorine bleach? and if so, would that be like Clorox?

Yep...good old Clorox (original) bleach is LCB.

oh dont worry guys im not taking it personal! I had NO idea that lcb kills enzymes! My poor tide pods--doomed to an early death. LOL

All Oxygen Bleach's *will* cause some color fading/loss, with every wash. Now, how noticeable these changes are, depends on basic things like (Water Temp, Water Hardness, Cycle Times, Etc) but... don't ever let anyone tell you, there completely color safe, they all remove at-least *some* amount of color with every cycle.

With that said... most dyes in fabrics, are pretty strong and can handle multiple washes, without considerable fading. In Fact, up until the mid 2000's... Tide Powder used to be one of the biggest detergent's sold here, and most people didn't seem to notice any side-effects, from the large amount of oxygen bleach in the formula.

Liquid Chlorine Bleach is a different story. However, I've noticed the dyes in Kitchen Towels, even as bright as they are, aren't touched so badly by the LCB. Clothes however would probably be a different story.

Now as for my own opinion. I think it's quite fine, to use Oxygen Bleach, occasionally (not all the time) on colors, when your dealing with a heavily soiled load.

With that said, if your using a Powder Detergent... it probably doesn't help really adding a Oxygen Bleach, since it's probably already in the detergent already. Liquid on the other hand, never has any oxygen in it, and it TREMENDOUSLY helps adding a tablespoon or two :)

The keyword to everything is moderation. A Dabble of Oxygen, is not going to hurt, but Oxy all the time, and your going to have some ruined brights.

I hope this helps :)

Another thing to consider is that a lot of people replace their clothing every two to three years. They do it for fashion, or maybe the garment looks worn out due to cheap fabric & mfr practices, or has become .... faded. Our clothing lasts us often ten years or more because we buy decent quality and don't abuse it in the laundry with detergents that will fade the garments.

I have not read this book yet, but have seen a plethora of positive reviews:

Amazon link ---> Overdressed: The Shockingly High Cost of Cheap Fashion

Mich, your statement above about oxy, is dead on how I feel.that is why I only use detergent with oxi added or a more pure sodium percarbonate on whites and lights. I read about a lot of folks that turn darks inside out, wash in cooler water, doing all they can to preserve color, but than they use a detergent with added oxy..just doesn't make sense to me. That is though how oxy is presented in the US, as Color Safe.

Pink: The way I took what he was saying was that powder detergent already has the Oxy in it even though it doesn't say that on the box--like Original Tide--his example, has it already in it. Not just Tide with Bleach or Arm/Hammer with Oxy so if people are using "plain" original Tide they are still getting Oxy also without adding extra. So if you are adding more to the powder that doesn't mention Oxy you may be using too much.?

Am I right Mitch or did I misunderstand the whole thing?

Your right Sparky. That was sorta the point, most Powders contain at-least 10-15% sodium percarbonate, even the cheapie ones like Trend or Xtra. Adding extra sodium percarbonate, unless the load is heavily soiled is sorta useless. I mean, the chemical is already there, why add more? ;)

Not only that...

But I do believe, that pre-treaters like Shout, or my Favorite (LA's Totally Awesome Laundry Pretreater Spray, $1 Dollar Tree) will generally give you better results.

With that said. Oxy Bleach, can come in handy, in so many scenarios. And... I think, *if* used sparingly on colors, you can get by without any problems. I just don't want to see people tossing it in, every single load. That's a recipe for disaster.

I struggle with this all the time. If I wanted to use a product with Oxy, I would buy it! Market is such there all competing and trying to offer the super duper does it all product. That's why I stick with sears ultra plus 8 out 10 times. I then can mix and add to it what I want. I really don't like the manufactures shaping how I do laundry.

Mitch: I like Cheer Powder for colors. Best thing I have ever used for whites is Tide with Bleach Powder. I have tried the "Pearls" from W/M(Persil) but for me the scent like to have got me. I had sinus problems during that time then realized it was from that detergent. I also use All Free Powder. I have a f/l washer and try to stick with powder because I believe liquids(and have read several things on this) help to cause mold/mildew and smells. I have used the Awesome also. Does great. I even sprayed an air conditioner return with it to wash it down and it took about half the paint off. LOL I ended up having the return grill replaced. I also like the Dawn and Peroxide mixed together and spray it on stains. It works well for me, plus the Dawn(blue) and white vinegar in equal parts mixed in a spray bottle(heat vinegar in micro before adding) to clean the shower works great. Sorry to get off subject--habit of rambling.

Thanks for the tips and advise.

Sparky how does cheer powder do on your whites? Or any other detergent with small amounts of sodium percarbonate compared to Tide/Bleach?

There is small amounts of sodium percarbonate in many powder detergents but unless it is labeled (with Bleach)theres not enough in it to make a difference on whitening your whites. That is why Tide /Bleach works so good on your whites.

I disagree with Mich about it being useless to add more sodium percarbonate, there simply is not enough of the stuff in non labeled bleach detergent to get and keep whites white.

Sin, sears ultra plus is great stuff, add some STPP and/or sodium percarbonate if needed and its darn near perfection

I don't want anyone to misunderstand me, there's not enough sodium percarbonate in lets say Tide original powder to cause any difference to your darks,but there's also not enough to keep your whites brilliantly white, as a detergent labeled With Bleach or the addition of sodium percarbonate.

That being said I may have misunderstood, mich may be referring to added sodium percarbonate in darks not whites.

@mamapinky, you could probably be fine with one or two washes in Original Tide Powder, alone for your whites. But your exactly right, there's not enough Oxygen Bleach to remove all of the soil.

This is why you'd want to use a booster like Sodium Percarbonate (OxyClean Anyone?) or even better, Liquid Chlorine Bleach to take care of the left-behind soil, regular detergent can't handle.

Whites are a different field entirely, compared to colors though. That's the point :)

On another note...

(Confession Time)

I don't own very many dark's... and openly overlook OB's. *GASP* I know... Honestly. I've had such a problem locating Cheer Powder where I am, I just gave up (Woolite is too sudsy for me) and... the difference hasn't been dramatic enough for me to care. I just use a basic, All Small & Mighty Liquid (One & 1/2 Tablespoons) and walk away, without a care. ;)

Even Tide TotalCare (Remember Tim Gunn?) Contained OB's... and that same forumla is now, sold as "Color Guard" and is loaded with the stuff.

I don't know. Deep Down, I know it's wrong, but I have a tendency to ignore it, because, I haven't noticed greatly first hand. Maybe I should start wearing more darks.

Mitch: Did you read the report they did when Totalcare and Tim Gunn was at a high and they tested against Tide Coldwater and the Coldwater Liquid beat out the Totalcare against fading.(and was cheaper)

Pink:I have used the Cheer in whites and couldn't tell a difference, they didnt instantly go grey. LOL But then I do add Clorox now and then if I am washing nasty socks or kitchen towels, something that really gets dirty or stained or if someone has been sick.

Sparky, you don't know yet when I'm joking..lol..of course they won't go grey over night, but over time they will. I don't allow mine too.lol.

Mich, I buy the more pure Sodium percarbonate online, I hate paying for oxi and getting mostly Sodium Carbonate, (I do Oxi) haha.

I have a ton of whites in my house also, expecially in the summer. Mich do you add oxi to your whites along with the All Small and Mighty?

@mamapinky, I've never used All Small & Mighty for a load of whites. It's actually a very strong, non-enzyme detergent (it's nothing like Yellow Bottle Tide, or Sun)... that, I just happen to love the scent of. (Not the Rain Fresh or Lavender... but the blue bottle)

It has a wonderful clean-detergenty smell to it, and it cleans very well. I only use it on dark clothes though, no whites :)

Mich, I've seen that in the stores and wondered about it. Some detergents don't have enzymes, I stear clear most of the time, however not every load is tragic, so not every load needs enzymes. If there's not a bunch of stains and the clothes just have the normal dust and body oils, that bottle of All probably does a nice job on darks and colors. I'm a powder fan but lately I've been enjoying some liquids, lol. Actually I have found liquids without enzymes make my sheets feel very smooth, I've been using a new boutique one I've run across, I'm not sure yet though if its the lack of enzymes or because its a liquid, but they do feel better I'll send a pic of it in a sec.

But on the other hand this makes sheets feel devine yet there's 5 enzymes in it lol

Mama...Where do you buy the Le Bon Maison Cotton Blossom? It has 5 enzymes, or are you talking about the Ecover?

Le Bon sounds and looks fun!!!

I found some Le Bon Maison at Marshalls and loved it but where can I buy more??? I can't seem to find anything online.

I found mine at TJ Maxx but that was a long while ago.

Larsi..I never seen that question you ask above, I'm sorry.

Its the Ecover with the five enzymes. .I can't say I like the scent of LeBon..too perfumy for me.