Cheap Washing Detergent: Recommendations or False economy? General weekly shop saving tips.

CliveOfIndia

Adamc said:

My wife is stubbornly hooked on brand names when it comes to detergents, washing up liquids, dishwasher tabs etc. For me it's not something I eat

I tend not to eat branded detergents either, they taste horrible

But I'm a big fan of Aldi & Lidl in general - all of their stuff works perfectly well for me, I'm sure with a lot of the branded stuff you're just paying for the name.

freyasmum

I have been following a laundry routine from a book called "Love your Laundry" for the past few weeks. 

The author says that clothes only need a 28 minute cycle on warm with half amount of the detergent and a scoop of washing soda. He also says absolutely, under no circumstances, should you use fabric conditioner. I do use vinegar as a rinse, and vodka on any teenage gym gear.

My clothes still come out smelling lovely (and not of chip shops). 

Perhaps the reduced amount of detergent, lack of fabric conditioner and shorter cycle means that you could both get what you want? Save money bit use nicer detergent?

With washing up liquid, I was quite happy with aldi. Then I used Asda and Sainsburys (because I liked the smell) but the sainsburys one was like water! I went through a bottle so quickly, vs about 2 months for a bottle of fairy. 

Finally, if you are buying brands, look for the best offers and buy a few packs at a time to tide you over till the next offer.

Verulamium_Vixen

On the whole, because of the type of work we do and our lifestyles, the majority of clothes don't really get that dirty. We generally just wash them to freshen them up and get rid of any smells.
There are occasional stains and I soak these in Vanish and then wash clothes with a scoop of Aldi non bio powder on a 30C wash.
I do use fabric conditioner but only lavender as this leaves a nice residual smell.
I suggest buying a small box of powder from Aldi (similar cheapish brands are available) and giving it a go.
With any branded items you are just paying for the advertising,  there is little discernible difference in quality. 

Laurasiamos

I had a 45 wash box of Asda Smart Price non bio detergent delivered to me as a substitute with my shopping back in Feb. I tally mark the box to count how many washes I get out of it. I got 86 washes (using two spoonfuls for each load). For dirtier jobs I would occasionally add a spoonful of soda crystals too. 

I have three very young and messy children. Never had a problem getting their clothes clean. And I wash most things on a 20 degree eco wash. 

I also use Asda own fabric softener (when inclined). Lovely smell. 

I've got Smart Price washing up liquid at the moment too. The cheapest you can get. Again this has lasted over a month. Haven't found an issue with it (use dishwasher for most dishes anyway). 

For me the expensive branded products are just not worth it at all. 

Scrimps

For the people that use low washing machine temps, do grease stains come out ok? Both my boys love mayonnaise and often get it on their clothes, I've started using a vanish stain stick but not sure it would still get oil stains out at a lower temp.

Also not sure lower temps gets things hygienically clean...sometimes they don't wipe very well! so I figured pants need a higher temp and stronger wash?? 

But I do notice our clothes get a bit tatty and don't look or feel as nice compared to people who use branded products, fabric softener, and tumble driers...none of which I do. (I get hand me downs for the kids, they come to us nice and soft with in tact elastic but within a couple of washes in my house they're quite scratchy and often yet a bit tatty and faded looking)

Laurasiamos

Scrimps said:

For the people that use low washing machine temps, do grease stains come out ok? Both my boys love mayonnaise and often get it on their clothes, I've started using a vanish stain stick but not sure it would still get oil stains out at a lower temp.

Also not sure lower temps gets things hygienically clean...sometimes they don't wipe very well! so I figured pants need a higher temp and stronger wash?? 

But I do notice our clothes get a bit tatty and don't look or feel as nice compared to people who use branded products, fabric softener, and tumble driers...none of which I do. (I get hand me downs for the kids, they come to us nice and soft with in tact elastic but within a couple of washes in my house they're quite scratchy and often yet a bit tatty and faded looking)

I have 3 young very messy children and only very occasionally wash at a temp of 40degrees or higher. Almost all washes are done at 20degrees. I am honestly just not that bothered about germs. Everything comes out clean and I line dry when possible (UV light kills germs). 

If something is really greasy I will sometimes spray with some elbow grease before washing. Or rub in some washing up liquid. 

Like you I get almost all my own and my children's clothes second hand. Tumble drying is your worst enemy if you want them to keep in a good condition. When forced to use the tumble dryer because of bad weather the clothes end up looking tatty quickly. They definitely last longer when I line dry them. Fabric conditioner also breaks down the fabric of clothes so I wouldn't use that if you can avoid it. 

kboss2010

This super-concentrated Tesco own brand is brilliant! It smells really nice so you don’t need fabric softener (which is a scam anyway, it just coats your clothes with a layer of softener which can damage them & is also a fire hazard!), it’s £3.42 & I use about 1/2 a cap in a normal wash and a bottle lasts me ages (I average about 1 wash a day over the week and I just finished the bottle I bought back in February).

newlywed

For oil stains, rub some cornflour into it before washing. It sucks out most of the oil. 

happydenial

I buy the own brand non bio of whatever supermarket I happen to be in and I find them all to be fine. I’m near the end of an essential Waitrose liquid, so bought some Almat from Aldi today. I wash everything on a 20 degree eco cycle which works well (I do use a Dr Beckmann stain stick on any tomato-based stains) and have two boys who play rugby so are hard on their clothes.

Re washing up liquid, I find the M&S own
brand one to be excellent, and it’s only £1 iirc. I do like to buy branded dishwasher tablets tho, we’re in a really hard water area and own brand ones just don’t seem to work as well for some reason. 

theoretica

Adamc said:

My wife is stubbornly hooked on brand names when it comes to detergents, washing up liquids, dishwasher tabs etc. For me it's not something I eat so a small reduction in quality (or perceived quality) isn't really worth paying more for. I personally want to try the cheaper alternatives. Does anyone have any good recommendations? Are these as good as branded? Need to win her over or top up the Ariel bottle secretly with the cheap stuff!

Where else can I make savings on my weekly shop? Have you got any go tos. Some items I buy regularly have gone up by 25% or more. 

You'll use it eventually, so probably not a problem owning two bottles even if one is only used when you do the washing.

If large bottles are cheaper to buy but less nice to use, then it might be worth decanting into a use bottle.  I like putting washing up liquid in a pump top bottle as mostly I put it on a sponge.