Tesco washing powder

fishlizzie

I have been using Tesco's basic washing powder for years now [I am a pensioner and funds are very short!] and been very satisfied with results.
The old pack has now been removed from the shelves and in its place is one that has "blue bits" in it and the scent is awful and makes me sneeze/cough/itch.
Last week I tried another of theirs which declared itself to have a wonderful lavender fragrance.......ugh! This is even worse! Even after several rinses the smell remains.
Has Tesco never heard the saying "if it ain't broke, don't fix it"?

Can anyone tell me of a washing powder that is good for sensitive skin and doesn't have a strong, awful scent to it?

Thanks.

quintwins

it's worth keeping an eye on amazon at the moment i'm using green daz liquid it worked out at £1.60 a bottle and is lovely (when washed anyway it smells awful in the bottle), they often have washing liquids on offer, i'm alergic to value and the daz powder(think it must be whatever they put in to make your whites whiter) so i tend to try stick to branded ones, i alos buy mine bogof in makro but you need a card and one near you for that to work

Best_price

Is it worth making your own?


There are a few different recipes for making your own washing powder. Some contain borax, which when used in large volumes can be damaging for aquatic life. Therefore for the purposes of this article, an alternative washing detergent recipe has been provided. The ingredients used in homemade wa sh detergent include:
Environmentally-friendly vegetable oil based unscented soap
Washing Soda Crystals
Essential Oil
This recipe is really best for use straight in the washing machine drum. You will need a plastic storage tub with a capacity for around 4 litres (just over 7 pints) to contain the washing detergent.

Method:
Using a large pan or stock pot, empty in around 1 pint of water and bring to the boil. Whilst the water is being brought to the boil, completely grate the bar of soap. This can then be added to be dissolved once the water has boiled. You must make sure that all the soap has been completely dissolved before taking off the heat.

It is at this point that you can then add 250 mls (around 1 pint) of the washing soda crystals and around 20 drops of your chosen essential oil. Bear in mind that lavender essential oil has been linked to hormone disruption in young boys and possibly pregnant women.

This recipe not only cuts out many of the unnecessary chemicals in commercial detergents, but when used in conjunction with an energy efficient appliance, makes for a more ecologically sound alternative.

moonrakerz

http://www.lidl.co.uk/cps/rde/xchg/SID-382E5841-E009DC8D/lidl_uk/hs.xsl/4179_20797.htm

ss3n08

I use Tesco basic with a decent fabric conditioner and it's great. We originally got it for my partners work uniform because it is constantly being washed now we use it for everything. At 5p a wash I am not complaining.

adsk

If you don't like strongly scented detergents don't use the Lidl liquid posted above - the smell is overpowering. It's getting harder to find washing powder/liquid that isn't over-perfumed. I find Aldi's powder bearable in this respect.

fishlizzie

Thank you everyone! Might try the homemade one!

abwsco

Having excema I use Ecover non bio concentrated powder and that has no discernable smell. I can't understand why people like heavily scented powders or liquids. Have also had some Method unscented when HB had it in really cheap.

rej-c

Aside from Ecover and Method [both of which I like], it would be worth looking out for stuff made by the company McBride - they make Surcare [which I recommend, and is quite often on offer; it's available in most supermarkets] and a brand called Planet Clean [also very good; I've mostly seen it in smaller convenience stores like Londis, although still at a decent price]. McBride also produces quite a few store/own-label brands...

I'm similarly aggravated by harsh detergents, and have found Method, Surcare and Planet Clean very effective without 'setting me off' - light fragrance barely noticeable on the finished laundry. They just smell like clean clothes, not like the 'CLEAN CLOTHES!' of the ads

http://www.mcbride.co.uk/what-we-do/our-brands

BitterAndTwisted

fishlizzie wrote: »

Thank you everyone! Might try the homemade one!

It's definitely worth a go. I made about ten litres of home-made laundry "gloop" last year using a bar of Fairy household soap for a total cost of less than £2. I did use borax which is a great stain-remover. You only need to use 100ml per wash and the washed laundry smelled of very little once things came out of the machine. I'm not fond of scented laundry so I use vinegar in the final rinse as well.

kippers

I stopped using tesco's own wash powder a few months ago as it seemed to stop disolving when they changed it and put blue bits in...i'm sure there was a thread on this at the time somewhere.

I now use 1 tablespoon of a mixture of soda crystals and substitute of borax and then add a 1/4 cap of liquid soap flakes. It seems to work fine and my skin is ok with it (i suffer badly with excema). If my washing is really dirty i do add more liquid soap flakes.

I'm happy with my washing powder now and so it's cheap as it lasts ages and ages