I like Cheer and Arm & Hammer powders (A&H Fresh Scent is my favorite classic clean scent).

Not a fan of Persil as it makes too many suds no matter how little I use.

Tide powders are good also.

Powder ALL, Cheer (it is HE now), Tide are all effective detergents that don't cause that sour odor some front loaders can give washed laundry. I use these and am very pleased with all 3. Use hot or warm water to assist the detergents. This helps.

Adding some powder Lemishine detergent booster to a liquid detergent is helpful for us when I am having a powder detergent break. Lots of funk in this house and it does give me a challenge...the Lemishine powder detergent booster has been a godsend here. I do use it with powder detergent too some times when it's a particularly odorous laundry load. I also stop the washer and let the detergent and Lemishine soak into the laundry for 30-60 mins, then restart the washer.

Charlie's and Nellie's powder detergents are wonderful for some households. Years ago I tried Charlie's based on glowing reviews and I found it to be the same as not using detergent. I gave it a month. I threw it away (first time I had done such a thing). Nellie's and Country Save I used for a couple years when I had my old crummy front loader. They were fair/ok. They helped (not cured) with smelly washer and towels, but the clothes and towels got dingy and hub's clothing was full-o-funk. I did use OxyClean with them and still dingies for us. So much so, I was convinced brand name OxyClean was a gimmick and not a useful product. I guess a lot depends on your water conditions (mine is soft) and washer. My old FL was not a good one, so that probably had a lot to do with it. Anyhow, you could try Nellie's or Country Save and see if it works well for you. I've read some good reviews on them over the years, so they do work well for some people. I haven't used Nellie's or Country Save in some years and I don't miss them, sorry to say.

I do stock up on ALL, Cheer and Tide powders just in case the manufacturers stop making them. I get such good results it would hurt to not have them anymore.

I hope that helps!

My latest addition to the detergent shelf is Oxydol with Biz. I had to order it from Amazon. It leaves everything clean, clean, and smelling clean. Right now I can’t Find powdered Cheer, but fortunately I have one extra box. I have been using powders for years and think they clean better than liquids and don’t mess up my washer.

You can get Cheer Powder Detergent from Target as most stores have stock or order it from them with free shipping if spending over over $35.

https://www.target.com/p/ultra-cheer-174-fresh-clean-powder-120-loads/-/A-14230391

Jeff

Gosh - this was all so helpful and timely, too. It's a somewhat lazy Sunday for me, so I look forward to looking for some online deals for powders. Sea Sea, I didn't think about stocking up - a great idea. I feel like every time I fall in love with a product it gets discontinued:( I can't wait to try powdered Leminshine. I bought some "Oh Yuk" that will arrive today, so I'm weirdly excited to watch it do it's magic on a jetted tub we have that no one uses:)

Charpell - I read about the Country Save and was intrigued. Looking forward to checking out Nellie's. I'm in Tennessee, and it seems one can get about anything from Amazon. Having a Prime membership has really paid for itself for me.

Kris, George, and Jeffrey, I'm definitely going to hunt down Cheer, now. I can see that I will enjoy having and using a few different detergents!

I always use hot water, but I'm going to check my water heater's thermostat today, too. It's not scalding hot coming out of the tap so likely needs to be cranked up.

I'm not sure why laundry makes me so happy, ha ha. Glad there are others out there who really get into it. Thank you all so much! - Vas

Walmart also has Cheer powder 'he'.

I recently had to switch detergent because I ran out of the Persil Pearls that were available here in the US. I've used Country Save and Nellies in the past, but found my clothes were quite dingy. I didn't use extra oxy at the time. Some of my people have Tide allergies, so that's out. Then, I tried Cheer powder, and there was itching, but not a rash. If you want some, send me your snail mail, and I'll send you some. I've got it in a ziplock.

I tried All Free and Clear, but it's cleaning power was meh. I'm not good about treating stains. YMMV. I sourced some Persil Sensitive powder from Germany, and have been trying it out. Once I figured out that I was using too much, it's been working super well. Oh! I also tried Rosalies, but it wasn't super great in my hard water.

I recently bought a box of Cheer for my mother (who was using Arm & Hammer powder along with some liquid choices). The A&H was much too sudsy which caused her to cut back on the dosage, which in turned caused the washer to turn smutzy due to insufficient detergent to hold soils suspended. I kept some to try myself. NO suds with the Cheer at the label dosage with STPP added (we both have moderately hard water), and the scent is nice and light after rinsing.

Cheer powder also has no OBAs (optical brightening agents), unless that has changed since I last heard ... so it's suitable for darks (navy, black, etc.) to avoid the "dusty" appearance that OBAs cause to those colors.

I use the Tide powder original and augment it with Borax 27 Mule Team. I am very pleased with the cleanliness of my laundry. Very little sudsing-yet the water clearly has cleaning properties in it, and the rinses are great. I also use Downey FS, but just enough to get some softness and a lite scent rather than an overpowering one. I tend to wait for things to go on sale to buy, as a full price for a box of Tide can be rather high in my opinion.

Cheer had been my go-to for ages, but some time back I changed to Tide Original powder purchased in bulk at Costco. I almost cannot find a powder detergent in the laundry aisle at my grocery store any more. Bottom shelf and maybe a couple of choices.

I get more than 180 loads from their 180-load box, and they run $6 off coupons for that product every several weeks - I'm stocked now, box in the laundry and another stored.

I do run the cleaning cycle with Afresh bleach tab about every 6 weeks. A loose schedule, the last was my Sept birthday and next will be approx Halloween, I tie it to a date of sorts to remember how long its been ;0)

I have been using oxydol with biz powder for lights and whites. Cheer powder for darks. Love love love the oxydol with biz. If your not in an area where oxydol powder is sold amazon carries it. If I could use it on darks I would however cheer powder works amaxing for that.

My Walmart doesn't stock Cheer powder any more, but when I go out of town I will check Target. Thanks for the heads up.

Cavium, Dadoes, and Morz8, the Cheer HE powder is going to be my first purchase. I like what you said about the OAB's, Dadoes. We do tend to wear a lot of dark clothes, and they do look a bit dusty;)

I have Tide powder on my list after I try the cheer, Armjim. I wait for coupons, too, and no longer have a Costco membership. I may have to check out Big Lots and Bargain Hunt and see if some of these powders are lurking on their shelves.

And thank you for offering to send me some, Suseyb. I think I'm just going to go for it. I've used to use all manner of "free and clear" types of detergent, and like you, wasn't impressed with the cleaning power. Our family of three does have allergies - me more recently with eczema which I've never before had. Since quitting the Bounce dryer sheets I used over the summer, it has gotten better, so hoping for the best with the Cheer!

Morz8 - good idea about the date tie-in - and a Happy Belated Birthday to you!

Larisa and Kris - now I have to have the Oxydol. Saw it on Amazon. This week will be full of laundry surprises! Thank you all.

In Tennessee you should find oydol piggly wiggly or ingles. For powdered cheer Walmart has free two day site to store shipping for free. Target carries it in a larger box for a better price online (15.99 for a 120 load box, Walmart is 11.97 for 80 load box). Cheer don’t suds up at all for me. Oxydol there isn’t any suds either. I do have hard hard water and use sttp in all my loads. Tide powders suds so much I am giving up on them once I’m finished with the current boxes. I find oxydol with biz cleans just as well if not better than tide for a fraction of the price. I can get an oxydol box in the store for 4.99-5.99. Amazons single boxes are outrageous but the four pack they have brings the price to 8.75 box which isn’t bad.

For many regulars in the laundry forum Larsi now uses oxydol with biz almost exclusively as it’s a low suds detergent that’s getting his stained white towels clean. I’m in the Facebook group with him. Oxydol has been the recent chatter in there about how good it works :)

Dorey have you tried the cheer powder lately since they reformulated it? I think that happened last year and since then it’s not as sudsy. Before that it was just like tide powder (for me) and caused suds errors.

How does the Oxydol smell on finished laundry? My DH doesn't like any perfumes.

Being older than most of you here, Oxydol brings back memories. I wasn't even sure it was still being manufactured until I started seeing it mentioned in the forums.

Oxydol with biz in the box has a wonderful fresh scent. When it’s done being washed there isn’t any lingering scents though just clean laundry. It’s what I love so much. Also love that they added biz to it so I don’t have to add it separately.

Thanks, it sounds perfect. I’ll have to try it.

Vas Welcome to the Laundry Room!!

First I want to comment on your first post. You said you add ammonia to the LFS dispenser. Maybe you ment vinegar?? Don't add ammonia to your LFS dispenser.

IMO powders clean better and are better for the washer.

I have no luck with Oxydol. Its to sudsy for me and doesn't whiten as well as Tide with Bleach powder.

Armjim...Todays Oxydol is just a name. When P&G sold it they sold the name only not the formula.

As for Charlies and Nellies. Some people have no other choice do to allergies but this isn't a well cleaning detergent.

Greeny for me Oxydol does leave behind a scent. .not to strong but for you whose not used to much scent it will probably scream.

I'll post more later. ..I'm tired tonight.

Waking up to laundry talk is the best way to start the day;)

Mamapinky, I do add the ammonia to the LFS dispenser. I read a great thread on here that involved you, I believe, several others, and also a person in dry cleaning. That post and the one about Lysol Laundry Sanitizer (tried once and done) are what sent me into a happy laundry tailspin:) For some reason I came away with the idea that ammonia strips out some of the oils, etc., and likely thought that meant also stripping out the gunk, for lack of a better word, that liquid detergents leave behind. This was before I leaned about powder detergent, which I've now ordered.

Also, I was thinking that using ammonia as the last product in my wash cycle is helping keep my s****y FL washer clean/mold free. I have also tried running a short cycle, adding maybe a 1/2 c. or less ammonia only (in the detergent tray) and then doing a regular or sanitary cycle with a small amount of liquid det. on certain items. Ammonia on the front end to lift any oils so the detergent may do its job a bit better.

I know the stuff to never mix together - chlorine bleach & ammonia, obviously - but have likely gone a bit wild on the ammonia b/c it's the first product that has left all of my laundry smelling truly clean. Towels stay fresh much longer instead of starting to get that "smell" after using once or twice.

I'd love to know what to change.

So, my main objectives are:

1. Truly clean laundry (not masked by scents, although I love a light fresh scent - the kind you used to be able to find - not the ones available now that remind me of what they've done to poor Oreos, if that makes sense;)

2. A FL washer that stays clean and does not contribute to bad laundry smells. I will always maintain it - wiping rubber gasket in all the nooks, taking out dispenser to dry at the end of the day, leaving door open/wiping down/cleaning filter every month, etc., but want to make sure the products I use aren't fighting that endeavor.

Our family does not mind if clothes are a little "crisp," and we prefer towels and sheets that way. I only used Bounce sheets over the summer, and it was an effort to make stuff smell a bit better. I'm now shoving the leftovers in my son's smelly cleats;) All that to say, I don't need to add LFS to my routine.

So, I was thinking I'd start a new routine with powdered detergent (this first foray will be with Cheer HE) along with the correct amount of STPP. From what I've learned, here, this will work toward keeping my FL clean, and it sounds like powder is preferable to liquid for a variety of reasons.

Keep using the ammonia, but in the correct way - I look forward to hearing what that is. I know I'm WAY too ammonia-happy right now!

Try the Oxydol mentioned in this thread (has Biz in it and some enzymes, I think) for what whites I do have and also try sodium percarbonate and ammonia with it if not overkill, or try the latter two products with the Cheer. I don't want those baseball pants too white...no one on the team likes a try-hard, ha ha. Dawn/hydro. peroxide or Fels Naptha pre-treating works great for me on grass stains and clay/dirt.

I think I'm done with chlorine bleach for whites. Again, I have few whites to speak of, and strongly discourage my son and husband from purchasing white clothing. I'm still recovering from my red-piped white baseball pants fiasco of 2016;) I will run a "clean" cycle with bleach as needed, but just don't need it otherwise at this point.

On another note, I have tried many natural methods. Essential oils, vinegar, grapefruit seed oil, and more. None worked for me the way ammonia did (which is also natural;)

I know people love white vinegar, and I keep it on hand, but I've never had the kind of success with it that others seems to have.

Thank you, Mamapinky and all on here. I look forward to being helpful to others the way you all have helped me!

-Vas

Vas ... the softener dispenser injects into the final rinse. You're OK with ammonia, whatever residual amount isn't extracted during the final spin, remaining in your clothes?

@Vasiliki Demmas, as long as you use a Powder Detergent with Oxygen Bleach built in, your machine will remain mold and odour free. It won't reverse an already dirty machine but will do the job of maintaining a clean machine.

I'd give something like Tide Powder (what's left of it anyway), Cheer, or Gain Powder a try. All Powder is also available in some areas.

You do not want to, nor should be using Ammonia in the final rinse. Instead, I'd use Ammonia + Detergent on a short prewash. The stuff is very alkaline and can cause significant fabric & fiber damage over time, especially without proper rinsing.

As for your towels. I'd recommend running them through the wash (With ZERO Detergent or additives) for three cycles in HOT Water. Followed by adding a tablespoon or two of borax with your detergent. That will keep the smell away, and get them clean.

Thank you Dadoes and Rolando. Last night, I added the ammonia into the detergent dispenser, (along with the last of my liquid detergent!) instead of the FSD. Clothes emerged perfectly clean! I have been using the "extra rinse" function when I use ammonia in the FSD. Laundry never comes out smelling like ammonia - just clean.

Rolando - I took apart the filter on my FL and drained/cleaned it. Pretty much cleaned every nook and cranny on the machine and ran a couple of "clean" cycles with bleach. I'm using tiny amounts of LD until my powder arrives. My 10-year-old Duet Sport feels like new!

I'm remembering a thread, and will look for it, later, where there was a discussion about how detergents and ammonia work together. It was my understanding that ammonia should go first, as it lifts oils/biological matter from laundry allowing the detergent to be more effective. Not sure if that's correct, but made sense. I was just unsure with mixing them - if they would work well together, so I resorted to the final rinse and double rinse option. Also, I don't think I have the ability to pour different things in the detergent dispenser at different times in my FL. The machine locks up and drains out if paused past the first minute of a cycle, as I recall. I guess adding ammonia to the bleach tray would be the same thing as adding it to the DD. But as Rolando suggested, mixing the two seemed to render the same great smelling clean clothes. Can't wait for my powdered Cheer and STPP to arrive!

All this makes me want to buy a chemistry book related to such matters:)

Also, if someone has not done so, it would be fun to create a "laundry troubleshooter" guide of sorts. Think of how many moldy FL's would be saved! No more stinky towels! And a huge boost for the powdered detergent industry!

Thank you all,

Vas

Vas, most "intelligent" machines will always flush the softener dispenser into the last rinse. An extra rinse is added at the front of the rinse sequence so the softener dispenser still releases into the last one.

Bleach typically dispenses into the 1st rinse, or in some cases during the last few mins of the wash period. Chlorine bleach deactivates detergent enzymes so it's purposely released later to allow the enzymes time to work first.

You should be able to open the dispenser drawer while the machine is running (without pausing it). Pour additions into the main detergent dispenser cup when doing that, it typically is designed to empty immediately into the tub. Remove the liquid detergent insert first (if using it), and follow with a measured cup or two of water to insure the addition is flushed fully out of the dispenser hose into the tub.

I'm surprised your clothing isn't dry and scratchy from the ammonia in the rinse.

Use ammonia in y the main wash along with detergent. ..when needed. I wouldn't use it for every load. Alkalinity is needed to clean clothing but to high and to often will cause textile damage.

For example if you have a load of dingy whites or white bed sheets that have a bit of built up body oils use a good whites detergent (I use Tide with Bleach powder or Persil Pearls) add ammonia...it will help remove the body oils and the ammonia helps the oxygen bleach to whiten even better. (Use hottest water fabric can handle).

On the other hand if you have a load of say kids play clothes you shouldn't need ammonia.

Dadoes,

That was so helpful. I'm not so sure my FL is too intelligent, ha ha, but I'm starting to like her now that she's clean and all;) I'm inspired to go find my manual and get a good understanding of how the dispensers work/how long rinse cycles are, etc.

I'm also going to check my water heater's temp. I'm not one who will switch higher or lower for laundry, and while my kid will catch on that the water's hotter and to be careful, I worry about any buddies getting scalded.

The first time I came across this laundry chat, folks were examining that Lysol laundry sanitizer, and it all seemed to come down to 16 minutes;) I remember thinking I wasn't advanced enough to figure out how to achieve that exposure time on my old Duet FL. I no longer feel the need for pricey sanitizers and love all I've learned here and will continue to learn

So messing with the dispensers and water heater will bring great joy tonight, and I have a load of kid sports clothes to practice on:)

MamaPinky,

Our clothes may be a little dry - honestly, I can't tell, but up until it started to cool off here (TN) "crisp" clothes - esp. sheets - feel great on hot and humid days. I kind of like crispy "thirsty" towels, too. Absorbs the water fast! I don't want to ruin stuff though.

I'm going to change my ammonia ways, for sure. My day-to-day clothes have holes from working with metals and chemicals splatter every now and then and leave little holes in my shirts. My other clothes are less stained versions of my work clothes. My 12-year old outgrows stuff before it gets too worn out and luckily gets lots of hand-me-downs. He wears a lot of dri-fit tops which are really easy to clean. So the two of us just want clean clothes. My husband wears more jeans/cords and some nicer sweaters that I plan to be more careful with. I don't iron (choose not to) so send nicer shirts to the dry cleaner. It's a pretty easy laundry situation, really.

Because we've stuck to "tan tones" in cotton sheets and towels and eschew white clothes due to our laundry ineptitude and lifestyle with dogs and kids, I'm starting off with the Cheer HE powder since it has no optical brighteners. But with all that I'm learning, I may treat myself to some wonderful crisp white percale sheets before long!

Thank you all. - Vas