I wonder how sudsy the Blue box all is in a fl. The ALL free is too sudsy for me so the blue box probably is also.

I wish I could tell you, but I'm using a TL SQ. I do battle suds on the drain pipe, but I seem to do OK with powder ALL--blue box, as long as I don't overdose.

With oxi in it a person shouldn’t use it on colored clothing tho, right?

MiMi Hi!! Ya I don't use detergent with oxygen bleach in it on darks or colors. The tiny amount in Cheer powder is there to neutralize chlorine in tap water and not enough to fade..but IMO if a powder detergent is claiming **with Oxi** and Sodium percarbonate is in the ingredients list I won't use it except whites.

Thanks Sea Sea for the kind words! I'm so happy you like the All Plus from Costco. And thank you for introducing me to All powder! It is a fantastic detergent that is very clean rinsing. I saw this new oxi formula advertised on the box as well but haven't seen it in stores yet. When I do, you will be the first to know. :)

Hi, SEA SEA, littlegreeny and all a-l-l fans! Has anyone seen this elusive all w/ stainlifters OXI powder detergent? Is it a myth, a legend, a unicorn? Does it only live on the backs of our current detergent boxes? I'd love to try it if it exists but haven't seen it myself. The all free clear powder works great w/ my water and machine (cleansing AND rinsing), so I'm thinking this could be perfect when a little extra oomph is needed.

Hi Jenny, I live in Wisconsin and haven't seen the All with oxi powder detergent..And I have kept an eye out for it. I still love the All free powder and if you have a Costco membership, be sure to try their exclusive All Plus liquid formula. It works really well and is also clean rinsing.

Hi Jenny. I have not seen the Oxi powder version in person either. I'm on the west coast-ish. I saw a box of regular ALL powder at a Raley's (Bel-Air/Nob Hill) yesterday for a reasonable price if you have those stores near year. It's hard to find either the scented or unscented powder ALL detergent...

I guess the Oxi ALL powder just might live only on the back of my box of regular ALL detergent ; )

Still loving my ALL powder and Costco liquid ALL plus.

Only ALL powder I've ever found besides the F&C is the older box that I posted a pic of above. I always look in whatever store I'm in including pharmacys. Since I can't EVEN find the regular ALL powder I doubt I'll ever find the Oxi one. Lol.

Thank you all for the responses re: our quest! ;-) I thought surely it must be out somewhere by now. No Raley’s near me; I’m Seattle area and find the unscented pretty easily at Walmart and Fred Meyer when I’m near one of them. I haven’t hunted for the regular scented version tooooo hard in stores but it even seems rare online - and double to 4x the price. A rare bird! (Does it perform the same but just with scent and blue flecks? I am in the camp of missing the old-style “fresh, clean scents.”) Meanwhile, I will stay happy with the free clear powder, and CLEARLY I am going to have to try the Costco all+ after SEA SEA and littlegreeny’s recommendations. And mamapinky, I love that box you have. It makes me think of the old commercials where the little kids point to the letters on the box and spell it out. “a-l-l!” Very cute and cheery!

The regular all powder (not with oxi) is available on amazon. It’s 7.99 box for the same size as the all free and clear powder.

Great point, Larisa. I think I even have it waiting in my cart for a future order. (Trying to keep my stash reasonably streamlined but not sure I’m succeeding!) It’s interesting how the regular is still something like $3 more than the unscented. What magic do they sprinkle in there? (Still pretty affordable, however.)

The regular scented ALL powder smells like detergent used to smell before they mega changed scents from pleasant and fresh to overwhelming and obnoxious (imo). I find it wonderful. Light. Fresh. Like the 1970's washrooms used to smell; if you are old enough to know what that used to smell like. I have a TL, so I get to smell it while the wash is running if I am near the washer. But it doesn't gas-out my entire house, including the 2nd floor like Persil liquid does. Only scent detected (for me) is near the washer while running. The scent doesn't remain after the dryer in my use. Laundry just smells clean, probably like how the unscented version smells. I have not used the unscented powder ALL myself, so it's just a guess.

The scented ALL I saw at Raley's was priced at $14.99 for the same size box I have pictured in the opening post of this thread. If I had room to store it, I would have bought it to keep my supply line going, but I don't have a garage and my house, if I ever were to put on the market would have buyers wondering where do the sellers store anything. Oh well...

ETA: I can't comment on whether the unscented vs scented perform the same, but I imagine they do. Littlegreeny has used both versions, whereas, I have not.

Thank you for the extra details and description, SEA SEA! And do 1980's laundry rooms count? I will give it a try in addition to the Costco liquid when it's time to restock. At ~1 tablespoon per load it takes me eons.

It certainly makes sense these two powders perform the same, although it's funny, when I got Tide Free&G last summer to replace my Tide [not] Original it seemed their Free actually sudsed a bit more. Maybe it was just operator error in that comparison but a moot point b/c I find those two powders too difficult to rinse (despite cleaning well.) But I digress...............

You win w/ that $14.99!

Yes, 1980's laundry rooms count : )

I should go back to the store and get that box of ALL powder while it's still around. (but I won't) We had an ALL powder being discontinued scare last year here on the laundry forum. I still don't know the actual status of this. Can we relax and buy as supplies need replenishing or do we need to rent storage space to hoard as we see fit? I did find regular ALL powder at Smart & Final for a while last year, now, it's not there anymore and neither is Cheer powder, but Raley's has powder ALL now, where they used to not carry anything other ALL liquid. It's all so confusing.

I do ok with Tide powder, but I do have under dose a bit due to suds. Nothing like Tide Purclean though. That one is worse. I can't understand how people can use it honestly.

I found no difference in performance of the regular scented All vs. the scent free version. And Sea Sea is correct, the scented version smells fabulous but it’s residual scent is a little too strong for my sensitive household.

Funny story Mama! Hahaha! Thank you for sharing.

Love you, Mama. Keep on keepin' on!

With the weekend I finally have a moment for a proper response. =)

Thank you guys for the down-low on the regular powder's scent. If it's fabulous, I gotta try it!

As for the Tide PurClean, totally. Definitely too sudsy for my normal loads but it's worked great for hand washing in the sink. I also used it for some Gore-Tex outerwear in my front-loader on a warm (105 F), higher-water setting. My theory was extra bubbles would create a nice cushioning effect for that fabric, and I just made sure to use generous rinses. Anyway, success! (BTW, mine is unscented...)

Now, regarding the Great ALL Powder Panic. At first, I thought, "Nah, can't be possible." Then this last week, an out-of-my-ordinary commute took me past said Walmart, so I popped in. Cruising down the aisle, I was surprised to find a large, empty clearance section next to the powdered detergents with only ONE box of my ALL stranded on a random top shelf. Alone, no price tag, no dedicated spot nearby.... You know how this story ends.

I rescued it.

Oh good to hear Jenny! I'm glad you got that lonely box of powdered ALL for yourself.

I hope you like it and it works well for you. Yea, I just don't know whether it's here to stay or it's a goner and what you see on a random shelf here and there is all that's left.

I've made other plans just in case...like learning how to dose Tide powder properly (it's only taken around two years to get it mostly right). It's such a challenge to get it right between soil levels, size of load, water hardness/softness on any given day, etc...It can suds more than seems necessary even though the box says HE Turbo. It doesn't rinse as well as powder ALL for me either. Tide powder does clean laundry well for us, but ALL is so much easier on all points that matter. But, I have to move on and adapt in case powder ALL is finished.

Let us know how you like your rescue powder :)

Thanks, Sea Sea! The rescue will be great. I should have clarified - it’s the unscented I already know, so however this mystery unfolds I at least have one more box. I will keep dialing the Tide dosage as I work through my current stash; at 6 months in it’ll take at least 1.5 years to perfect it based on your timeline - and that’s probably how long it’ll take me to get through it. Ha! Who knows what’ll be around by then! ;-)

I had bought a box of All Free & Clear Powder after going through a bottle of Presil Sensitive liquid and found that clothes had a tacky feel even after several rinses. But the All powder did much better. After I finished off the box, I got the Tide Free Gentle Powder. I found that not only did it suds more, but when I washed my bed sheets, they felt itchy even with liquid fabric softener. I rewashed with All powder, and they sheets were back to feeling soft and smooth.

I was in Walmart a few days ago, and they had about 8-10 boxes of All Free & Clear Powder at $4.68 (or 4.86) but I only bought one box. But if it is being discontinued, then I may want to go back and buy more. The only thing is, I don't have a lot of storage room (townhouse) so no garage or basement, just a small closet under the stairs that's already packed.

Hi, fauguy. I remember reading your thread and meant to comment there, too. Your experiment is so good because you’ve been able to test out these different products with such discipline - putting the products through their paces one box or bottle at a time. I don’t think I’ve been itchy from the Tide but there is a noticeable softness in my sheets, towels and other cotton things when I use the ALL powder instead and a big reason for my preference. So, hopefully they’re listening/reading and have no plans to discontinue, and you won’t have to squeeze boxes under the stairs. =)

I think I should clarify my above post.

Had been using Tide Pods (scented) for years, but after drying the scent was gone, so no real issue.

Last fall I tried the regular blue Persil, and after 1 wash, the scent was way too strong, so had to return it and get the white Sensitive.

I used two bottles of the Persil sensitive, but after a while found that the wash still had a tacky feel to it after two rinse cycles. Also started to notice a smell from my top loader, which never happened before.

Next I went onto the All Free Clear Powder and had good results with it. After I finished that box, I tried the Tide Free powder, and thought it may clean better than that All, but it had a stronger scent and made my bed sheets itchy and scratchy.

So I went back to using All Free Powder, but this 2nd box I also got Borax to try along with it. I noticed that using the Borax powder along with the All powder was a good combination and the items came out soft after the regular two rinses. So that's why I've been using now for the past 6 weeks, and just recently went back and got anothef box of All and Borax.

I would use the Persil sensitive as it cleaned well, but just left too much residue. Tide I think was too strong, or had an ingredient that made my sheets itchy.

Also, I'm not sure what happened, but along the way when trying these different products, I've noticed that my colored bathroom towels are looking more faded. They are many years old, but here still in good shape. But I'm noticing the color is faded. I'm not sure which product was most likely to cause it to happen. Could it be the Borax that I've been using with the All th past few weeks?

Borax has always faded my stuff faster than anything else I’ve used. Could absolutely be the borax.

It could be the Borax as it does have a mild bleaching effect over time. Borax is good to use when you need what it does, which is aid detergent performance by 'softening' the water somewhat, remove mildewy type of odors or body odors/oils. I've read on this forum that Borax is also a mild anti-microbial, which is likely why it helps with moldy smelling towel syndrome. I think it should be used on a 'as needed' basis if fading is a concern. If one does not have the above laundry issues, or detergent alone solves those issues, it's probably best to use it 'as needed' only.

Borax is a godsend in our laundry room, but we have tricky water and my family has a lot of body oils which lead to the dreaded funk odor on otherwise clean clothing.

Thanks Fauguy for taking the time to share your detailed experiences with us. I think it's helpful for people who come across this thread for whatever their reason.

Borax does have very minor bleach abilities as Sea Sea says. No where near oxygen bleach but enough to help tackle minor stains. Borax is also pretty darn good at removing odors...I don't expecially like using it with a powdered detergent as there's already enough sodium carbonate in powders and we know SC and Borax are both stubborn in the rinsing department. I do use Borax with liquid detergents though to boost the cleaning if I'm not using STPP. . I think liquid detergent has a PH of around 7 or 8 and Borax runs around 11...it's the boosting of the PH that helps remove soils.

Pat...I love you back my friend.

Wow, I had been adding some Borax to every wash load for the past month with the All powder, and last week bought another box of each which I started using over the weekend.

If it's most likely the Borax causing the color fading, then I'll stop using it. Or only use it when I think it's needed. I had been using it in every load, and thought it helped with cleaning, not aware that it can fade colors.

Tonight I tried something. Since I still had some Persil Sensitive white liquid left in the bottle, I split a load of clothes. I did half a load just with the Persil, and the next half with Persil and some Borax. Right after adding the borax to the 2nd wash, the water had a completely different feel to it than when just using the Persil liquid.

But when I had been using the All powder, and then add borax, the feel of the water changes slightly, but not much.

Fauguy, it's really going to depend on how colorfast a garment is as to fading from Borax.

Borax along with Sodium Carbonate and STPP are all water softeners, but the Borax and SC are precipitating and the STPP in non precipitating.

Have you tried STPP?

No, I haven't tried STPP. I've heard about it in other threads, but not really sure where to find it.

Two months ago I sent an email to the company that makes All Free Clear Powder and asked what the ingredients are. All they wrote back was detergent, water, enzymes, softener. Like that is a list of the chemicals.

Does anyone know what the ingredients are in All Free Clear Powder?

A few weeks ago I had purchased some 100% cotton cloths in a 5 pack with different colors. As an experiment I washed them each time I did a load of clothes. Now looking at the cotton cloths that have been washed 6-8 times with All Free Clear AND Borax next to the unopened never washed cloths, I can clearly see color fading. The black cotton that's been washed in All and Borax is many shades less black, and the two blue cloths are shades faded.

So it's clear that when I thought my towels color was fading, I was right.

I'm going to stop using the Borax and just stick with the All Free Clear Powder for now and see if I still get color fading. I hope not.

SEA SEA, I know this is an old post, but I can't thank you enough for starting it. The ALL powder sure suits me more than anything else. I'm using it on hubs' undershirts and I think he likes it (doesn't know it, but likes it). Thank you for everything you post.

I also want to send another big THANK YOU to Sea Sea for introducing ALL powder to me. I use it regularly and in fact just washed a load of towels with it tonight. It makes everything so soft and smell amazing--(like nothing but just CLEAN.

And it really is a workhorse when you need it for those tough loads too...It gets my hubs gross and smelly athletic wear amazingly clean and fresh. It hasn't let me down yet. (((Hugs)))

Hi Pat and Littlegreeny. I'm glad powdered ALL is doing so well for you! I still like it very much myself and I depend on it for many laundry loads when I need something that is going to work. For such a basic detergent, it does do a very good job. I'll surely miss it if it disappears from the market.

Speaking of disappearing...I was in a local grocery store (Raley's/Nob Hill/ BellAir) last week and stopped in the detergent aisle to take a look. They had ALL powder in the large box on clearance for $9.99. I bought one box and was happy with my discounted price, but quite sad to see it on clearance. I suppose this means it likely is going away. One of the longest, yet unannounced exits from the market in a while. I suppose loose stock shows up and it gets put in an empty space on the bottom shelf where you really can't see it unless you are using your search for it eyes. This was the scented, regular version. As best I can tell, the unscented version seems safe for now, but only comes in the small use boxes which is not the best size for me with the amount of laundry I do each week.

Both my local Walmarts have discontinued carrying both ALL powders. I will have to order on Amazon or Walmart.com. Bummer. Did my towels in hot wa and ALL F/C powder and they are PERFECT. Thank you SEA SEA and greeny-my-love.

After using the All Free Clear Powder (with some Borax) over the past 4 months, I have noticed some things....

First off, I do like the way it cleans and the lack of scent. I also don't have any left-over detergent feeling left on the clothes.

But there are things that I don't like:

-I am noticing color fading on clothes that I've had for a few year, and even new items, especially with dark colors. I stopped using the Borax, as I heard it could cause fading/whiting, but it still is present.

-Cottons (shirts, underwear, towels) are looking more "worn" than from before. I am noticing that Cotton Shirts (T Shirts) and are looking "fuzzy".

Cotton Underwear (regular or Pima cotton) are getting "nubs" on them (most noticeable with White Pima Cotton), and blacks are looking faded and worn.

-Nylon items are catching a lot of lint, and is impossible to remove, even after multiple wash/rinse/dry. I had washed a few nylon items of multiple colors, and for the first time they had picked up lint fibers while in the washer.

I'm not 100% sure all of this is from using the All Powder, but from a many-year user of Tide Pods, I never had these issues before. I'm thinking of returning back to the Tide Pods (the white unscented) or back to the Persil white that I used for a few months last year.

It could be that because some regular powders (a whitening powder, will have a fair bit more than a regular powder such as ALL powder) tend to have some sodium percarbonate in them, and this is what is causing the extra wearing down of fabrics and lint you are noticing. I'm not the best at putting the chemistry of all this into a post, but I'll try...

Powders tend to have a higher ph than liquids, which can be good for removing odors/built-up funk/stains, etc., vs a liquid. That higher ph can be more harsh on fabrics than a liquid though. I look at like this, if you need the extra cleansing that comes with a powder detergent over a liquid, it's a very good tool to have in your laundry room. But if you really don't need that extra help, or don't wish to have the extra wear on your fabrics, liquids (or pods such as Tide pods) are probably better for that use. Perhaps save the powders for when you need to the heavier duty cleaning action and go back to Tide F&G liquid or pods, or Persil Sensitive liquid for those items that don't need the harsher washing environment.

On the other hand, for me at least, powders tend to rinse out better than liquids, so it's really a matter of choice and what you prefer. I have soft water, which makes it even harder to rinse out liquid detergent residue. Those with harder water will have an easier time than I do.

fauguy - I have a box of the All Free Clear 'he' powder I found at WalMart several months ago. It has optical brighteners, so that might be the "fading" effect you are seeing? I do not use it on dark colors, so cannot say.

What dumbfounded me was the box has absolutely no dosing instructions at all, anywhere. Our water is moderate hard.

I agree with Sea Sea. Not sure what kind of washer you’re using but maybe try a lower dosage? If you have a front loader, maybe try using about 2 tablespoons.

I reserve this for heavily soiled loads like athletic wear, microfiber cleaning cloths, towels, etc.

I recently washed a load of modal fabric underwear with the All powder and noticed an unusual amount of lint in the dryers lint filter, so you could very well be correct that this is a little harsher than a pod.

I have a GE Profile Top Load (2006) with very good agitation.

This is an update. Over the past 3 weeks I have stopped using the All Free Powder & Borax. I bought the bottle of the Persil Sensitive White (that I had used before), the Tide Free & Gentle HE Liquid (small bottle), and Tide Free & Gentle Pods (31 ct).

Since using these three products over the past few weeks I have noticed a few things. First off, all of the clean about the same. I have a blue T-Shirt (that I wear often) and the All Powder never could get grease/food stains out when eating-out. Two weeks ago it got some spots on it, so when I got home I did all the cloths wash with a Tide F/G Pods, and the spots came out. I was actually amazed since this doesn't happen when using the All Powder.

I have washed two loads of towels, once with the Persil liquid and once with the Tide F/G Pods, and both times noticed they came out of the dryer feeling "softer" and not as rough/scratchy as when using the All Powder.

The Tide F/G Liquid cleans well too, but is very runny (watery), and I think the Pods may do a better job. The Persil Sensitive is thicker (like white glue) so I'm always wondering how well it dissolves in the wash and if it will leave any residue, but it also cleans good, though there is a bit more scent from it.

I looked at all of the ingredients and the All Free Powder doesn't really list what's all in there or the types of enzymes.

The Persil Sensitive has 20 ingredients with 4 enzymes (protease, amylase, cellulase, mannanase).

Tide Free Gentle HE Liquid has 26 ingredients with 3 enzymes (subtilisin, amylase, mannanase).

Tide Free Gentle Pods as 23 ingredients and with the same 3 enzymes (subtilisin, amylase, mannanase).

Lastly, I have noticed over the past few weeks, that the Walmart Super Store that I go to has been out of the All Free Powder. There's just an empty space, but the shelf tag is still there.

Sounds like the liquids and pods are working well for you. Stick with those and you'll be happy with the results. If any funk should build up over time in your washer or in your laundry, use a good dose of the ALL powder in a hot wash load and it should help with that.

Littlegreeny is the enzyme expert here knowing which ones do what. I do know that protease works on protein stains. Powder ALL is a rather basic detergent and I wouldn't be surprised if it only contains protease.

Glad you've found the system that is working for you.

I remember when tide free and gentle pods had 5 enzymes. Cellulose enzyme is to help

prevent pilling.

Henkel removed most of the ALL ingredient sheets from their website but I recall that ALL powder only contains protease.

fauxguy, that update is really helpful. thank you. And thank you, SEA SEA and littlegreeny. And any one else who shares their laundry findings with us.

Saturday night stopped for dinner on the way home and had a fish sandwich (grouper) with fries. Once home I saw a place on my shirt, not sure if it was oil, grease. But I washed the shirt with a full load of laundry and used the Tide Free Liquid. After drying, I saw the place on the shirt didn't come out. I washed it again by itself, and used a Tide Free Pod, with a medium water fill. I always use hot water. This time after drying, the spot was gone.

So looks to me that maybe there is better cleaning results with the Tide Free Pod vs the Liquid on stains.

Bless you.

While in Walmart buying another 31ct of the Tide Pods Free, I did notice they got in a shipment of All Free Powder (12 were on the shelf). I still have 3 at home, so didn't buy any, but the self had been empty the past few weeks.

As far as cleaning goes, I'm still getting better results with either the Tide Pods Free or the Persil Sensitive. I washed my Macy's Hotel Collection Pima Cal King bed sheets with 2 Tide Pods Free last weekend with good results (feels nice and smooth). I've also washed them with the Persil Sensitive liquid and All Free Powder before, both with good results, but the Tide Free Powder didn't do so well a few months ago, and they felts itchy and like I was having a reaction, so has to rewash with the All Powder.

I heard the new All F&C odor relief pacs are worth trying. I haven’t tried them myself to see how well they do.