Sears detergent update

6 years ago

So I went into one of the smaller town Sears stores that doesn't sell much other than appliances. I'd bought detergent there before and thought I'd see if they still had it since I haven't found any in my major metro area. I scored a giant bucket. The guy at this store said they are not discontinuing it. He said the supplier went out of business and they're working on identifying a new supplier. Not sure if this is true but the guy sounded like he knew what he was talking about.

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Comments (6)

steve_o
6 years ago
Well, Sears detergent used to be made by Huish, which morphed into Sun Products, which was bought by Henkel; that sale closed in September of last year. That's not quite "out of business" but if he meant that Huish/Sun is no longer a separate company, he is correct.

I don't know if Henkel wants to be in the private-label laundry business. That does not seem to be the way they've built their business over the years. They certainly have the know-how. Buying Sun gave them the contract and the capacity.

But it could be that Henkel doesn't want to commit to Sears given Sears' financial condition. Or maybe Sears didn't offer Henkel the $$ they want to make on a private-label product. Or Henkel believes that powder detergent is a dying market and they just don't want to perpetuate it.

I would not expect a new supplier to provide the same formula detergent that Huish did. I'd stockpile the Huish product if you really like it.
mamapinky0
6 years ago
last modified: 6 years ago
Desoto Chemical Co. has manufactured Sears detergent for years.

I know there was a rumor that Huish made Sears detergent, but it wasn't accurate.
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I have 4 different varieties of the Sears...someone stop by with a truck and you can tak99% of it. I can't use all of this. I have never had a problem with this stuff disolving in my TL'ers. But I generally use hot water. I've heard complaints of it not disolving in cold and dubbed down warm. I've only used it 4 times in my Duet (I love saying my duet) all with hot water and again no disolving issues. I would just pre disolve it before adding it to the machine if its giving you problems, seems like a pain but it will only take a minute. Jody I think you need to stop by and grab a few hundred pounds of mine to add to your stash. LOL. I do plan to sell the vast majoriy of mine But will keep maybe 5 pounds of each. I really like it used with Wisk, STPP & Pure sodium percarbonate, Sins recipe..it does a fantastic job on whites and bedding. Have you tried that yet? Ajaynes2...I must have missed it..what machine do you have?
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I know there have been various opinions in the forum on whether shaking detergent in a jar to check suds, etc. actually proves anything. But I decided to try it with the Sears HE free I have and also reg. Ariel. When I used tap hot water, shook and then observed and let sit, the Sears had very little suds--probably 1/4-1/2 inch. The rest of the water was very cloudy and there was residue (white specks) in the bottom that didn't dissolve. The water never did clear up after sitting some time. I then did the same with the Ariel. It suds quickly to the top of the jar, but more like loose suds. After about 1/2 hr when I checked again, the suds had dissipated quite a bit and the water was clear although blue! There were also some undissolved specks on the bottom of the jar. When I rinsed out the jar after the Sears experiment, the specks actually stuck to the bottom and wouldn't rinse out, I had to scrub them with a rag. Am trying it again tonight with the Sears and will leave it sit overnight. (I did try that once with cold water and there was a gelatin type substance in the bottom the next morning with the specks but the water was more clear.) So does anyone think there is anything to the fact that the Sears HE stays cloudy and leaves undisolved specks? Would that hinder cleaning or rinsing well? I ask because since I have been using it I have noticed that the wash water (which I can see as it is programed higher) seems more cloudy than the other detergents I used but thought maybe it was suspended soil. I gave away a couple other boxes of non-HE detergents, but think I may try to pick up a small box or two of other free versions and see if they all act the same.
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I read about the discontinuation in the Automatic Washer.org forum; however, someone else stated that they were just getting rid of old stock and starting a new "design?" or something like that. When I looked at Sears website for my area yesterday, there was a different looking box that did 180 loads, it was orange and green and looked similar to the "Advanced" box but just a little different. This was not there Friday and just appeared yesterday, so I don't know what the true deal is. I'm only stating what I read in the other forum and what others were talking about. I do hope that it is just a change of design and they will keep selling it. ...and don't ya know it's so hard to find out who actually makes it and what's actually in it. Last I read, someone said it was made by DeSoto but I definitely have never found an MSDS for it. I thought all chemical products like detergents had to have an MSDS.
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3katz4me
Original Author
6 years ago
Ya I was thinking if there was any truth to the story that Sears may never get it worked out before they are defunct themselves. Hmmmm....maybe I should stop and buy the other big bucket on my way home today. Does detergent have a shelf life? Combined with what I have and the small amount we use for two people with FL and soft water it could cover me for the rest of my life.
mamapinky0
6 years ago
Yes it does have a shelf life. however there are things you can do to prolong it. Store it in a temperature controlled enviornment away from water and humidity. Store it in an air tight container. I keep mine in a closet in the center of the house away from all moisture. Some of my detergents are old yet they are free flowing and continue to work just fine. I Have heard Sears is not going to produce this detergent much longer, on the other hand Sears is a dying breed and will be closing its doors in the not to distant future, IMO, so if you like this detergent I see no reason why you can't stock up providing you have a storage area outside of the laundry room to store it.
steve_o
6 years ago
Huh. Pretty sure I heard about Huish here, years ago. Guess not everything I've seen on GW has been true... :-s
sparky823
6 years ago
The one in the Orange box is the only one I have ever heard that was made by DeSoto Chemical.

Sears detergent update

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Sears detergent update

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