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What laundry detergent do you use?

As moms, we use laundry detergent nearly every day. I'm conducting an informal survey to find out what laundry detergents moms like best and why. Join the discussion. I'll weigh in too, in a couple of days, and provide some interesting information I've learned over the past few months.

Tags: detergents, laundry

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Permalink Reply by Corinne O'Sullivan on November 28, 2011 at 11:20pm

I use Tide for everything and add in oxyclean when the load has dried food, poop etc on it, which, lets face it, is almost every day now. So far, just about everything has been washed out.

I'm thinking though of making my own detergent and seeing how that fares, as Tide is pretty expensive.

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Permalink Reply by sophieandmomma on November 29, 2011 at 7:56pm

I am using BioKleen, and I love using it. I am cloth diapering and have found that I can use BioKleen for all our laundry as well as using something that is environmentally safe and green.

One really does not need to use a lot, and I like that it works great on my Husband's work clothes.

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Permalink Reply by Karen Tucker on December 2, 2011 at 11:25pm

Thanks for your inputs! I also used Tide for years and washed everything with it. I was never happy when I tried cheaper options. Then a few months ago I attended a presentation and it has changed my whole perspective. I learned that most popular grocery store brands, including Tide, contain VOC's - Volatile Organic Compounds. I didn't have the slightest idea what VOC's were, so I did some research and found that they are a group of carbon based chemicals that are very harmful to our health. Among other things, they contribute to asthma and chronic respiratory problems. If you want details, you can read my blog post Chemical Detergent Dependency: Kicking The Habit. I've switched to Melapower. It's the first chemical-free detergent I tried and it works great and is cheaper than Tide, so I haven't tried any others. I haven't heard of BioKleen, but it sounds like it is another great option. I did put a recipe on my blog for making your own. I've never tried it - as I said on my post, I can barely get a batch of cookies made once in a while...if I had to make my own detergent the laundry would never get done!

Hope this was helpful! Happy Laundering!

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Permalink Reply by Petra Mofas on December 3, 2011 at 9:57pm

I use Tide Detergents and Downy for Fabric Conditioners..And I have been using the two for years now..Anyways,I just like to share this cool app for fellow online shoppers that allows you to get instant feedback from your Facebook friends on whether you should buy something or not (either for yourself or as a gift).

Here's the link--->Should I buy it? ......Enjoy and happy shopping!

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Permalink Reply by Connie on December 5, 2011 at 2:11pm

I use Shaklee's Get Clean laundry detergent. It's all natural and non-toxic so I know it's safe to wash all my family's clothes with it. It works GREAT to get out stains and is super affordable as it's concentrated and you don't need to use as much as most detergents. Im also very sensitive to fragrance/scents and Get Clean detergent is available in fragrance free. I LOVE this natural detergent along with all the Get Clean cleaning products and will never use anything else again :) Feel free to msg me if you would like more details.

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Permalink Reply by Diane Reiter on December 8, 2011 at 9:29am

Excellent question, Karen.

I had used All for years but recently tried Wisk when I found a coupon in the paper. Shortly after the switch, my teenage son began experiencing asthma-like symptoms and bronchial pain. I didn't associate the Wisk with this at first but later realized that when I double-rinsed laundry washed with it, his symptoms vanished. The times forgot to do this, the symptoms returned just like clockwork. It took me about a week to figure out the link.

After doing a bit of reading on laundry detergent, particularly certain brands, I was kind of freaked out a bit. Now I'm using Tide Free and just acquired a sample of Norwex so I'll be giving that a shot, too.

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Permalink Reply by Karen Tucker on December 8, 2011 at 4:54pm

Thanks for your input, Diane. I'm glad you were able to figure out what was affecting your son. I'm guessing a lot of people would never figure out it's their detergent. And it's not just laundry detergent that has these effects, it's dishwasher detergent, bleach, bathroom cleaners, etc. I've done some research and reported my findings on a blog, if you are interested. I've completely switched out the products in my household to Melaleuca products, which typically cost less than grocery store brands, and they don't cause the the health problems that so many of the profit driven brands do. In fact, I like them so much I've decided to build a home business with Melaleuca. Let me know if you want to try their products. They have a 100% money back guarantee.

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Permalink Reply by Diane Reiter on December 8, 2011 at 6:04pm

Oh thanks, Karen. When all of this came about with my son I found out one of the neighbors the next street also sells Melaleuca. I understand that there are SO MANY chemicals that are very bad for us and we use them daily. I love the fact that there are companies out there that cater to those who want/need something that isn't harmful. Keep up the good work!