Good and Bad Buys from Aldi & Lidl *Do NOT Expire Please*

Stompa

VfM4meplse wrote: »

Almat washing tablets do the job....but I am so sick of them disintegrating before I get them in the tablet net

I agree, they are rather crumbly. Out of curiousity, does putting them in a tablet net offer any advantage over simply sticking them in the soap dispenser drawer?

robin58

[QUOTE

LIDL speciality British apples 4-pack at 59p are a great buy too - and there are a few varieties to choose from. (I got Nicoter.)[/QUOTE]

No varieties in my Lidl, only Gala which I dislike.

A._Badger

Stompa wrote: »

I agree, they are rather crumbly. Out of curiousity, does putting them in a tablet net offer any advantage over simply sticking them in the soap dispenser drawer?

I actually consider the 'crumbliness' an advantage. I used to use Ariel or Persil tablets in nets and both my previous washing machine and its recent replacement tended to lodge the nets in the door surround where the tablets never dissolved fully during the wash (yes, sad person checks the wash through the porthole now and then!). I was never fully convinced that the detergent wasn't still being added during rise cycles - in fact I'm sure it was!

The fact that Aldi tablets are so crumbly means I just crumble them into the drawer instead. On the grounds that it might save money, I've recently been trying the Aldi loose powder but I'm not sure I like the residual smell - or that of their tabs, come to that.

In terms of effectiveness, the idea should be to get 100 percent of the detergent dissolved in the water as fast as possible. In which case, the drawer is the better bet, I'd have said.

Stompa

A._Badger wrote: »

The fact that Aldi tablets are so crumbly means I just crumble them into the drawer instead.

FWIW I just stick them in the drawer uncrumbled (accidental crumbling excepted of course).

A._Badger

Stompa wrote: »

FWIW I just stick them in the drawer uncrumbled (accidental crumbling excepted of course).

That's interesting. Do you find they fully dissolve, though?

The only ones that I have found that will in my machines (past and present) were some Tesco ones.

Stompa

A._Badger wrote: »

That's interesting. Do you find they fully dissolve, though?

As far as I know, yes. How would I be able to tell that they hadn't?

meer53

Why do you need to put tablets in a net ? Or in the drawer ? I just put them on top of the washing,

Stompa

meer53 wrote: »

Why do you need to put tablets in a net ? Or in the drawer ? I just put them on top of the washing,

Well I'm not sure on top of the washing is any easier than the drawer!

meer53

Stompa wrote: »

Well I'm not sure on top of the washing is any easier than the drawer!

I think theres more risk of them not fully dissolving in the drawer. Just bung them in with the washing !

A._Badger

Stompa wrote: »

As far as I know, yes. How would I be able to tell that they hadn't?

Residue left in the drawer. Unless I crumble the tablets beforehand, I sometimes found undissolved lumps in the drawer. That's one reason I like the Aldi ones, they do seem to dissolve easily.

Of course, water hardness and temperature will play a part in how well/quickly they dissolve.

As for the suggestion of just putting them direct into the machine, I'm pretty sure I've seen instructions on packets saying not to do this. Of course, they never say why but at a complete guess it may be that the ones with optical bleaches in them (ie any that aren't sold as 'colour' types) might discolour clothes with weak dyes if they get lodged in a tangle of washing for any length of time - but who knows?

Presumably the manufacturers consider it necessary or they wouldn't go to the expense of providing nets.