So what's the cost Larsi?

I think it is like $50 + shipping.

larsi-$50 doesn't sound too bad especially if it's what you really like-the scent I mean. I never do cold water washes and always do a regular cleaning with bleach. I have been using non-ultra April Fresh Downy here and there and I think it's the good stuff from years ago-the date says 2012 so not for sure. Will have to try the Snuggle Fresh Spring Flowers. Oh yeah- I got the FOCA today too!

Jean, let us know what you think of the FOCA. I'm totally against perfumed anything - air freshener, fabric softener, etc., because the chemicals I believe are dangerous to our health, mess with our cellular structure…but here I am, in love with FOCA because of the very soft, fresh scent it leaves! It reminds me of when I was a kid and my mother did laundry and hung it on a line to dry. I don't know what detergent she used, but it smells just like that.

I also suspect that fabric softener is very bad for fabric fibers. I'll never use it. I even hang my clothes to dry so long as it's above 40 degrees. Eventually they soften up! Nope, no softener for me. No way, Jose.

I loathe the smell of the entire laundry detergent aisle. Cannot get anywhere near there. The two worst fragrances for me are Downy and Bounce.

When we lived in an apartment house, people would bring their laundry into the elevator with the detergents. I had to get out.

The best smelling detergents for me are the Pewoll. I don't mind some of the Mrs. Meyers but can't take them for long. I can't stand the new Woolite for Everything which has a weird grapey smell. Vernel fabric softener is terrible. Bought it once; never again.

To me, Persil isn't the greatest but not the worst either, by far. Caldrea smell the best but are only OK in the cleaning department.

Rococogurl, everyone's different and have a different threshold of smell...funny how some people love the scent or taste of something and another hates it, just another example of how everyone was created different. Lol. My 7 yo can not stand the scent of any detergent, fabric softener, perfume, bath soap, anything that has a chemical perfume scent, it truely makes him sick to the stomach. Yet my teenage daughter loves her bedding to reek of downy. Lol.

Yes Jean let us know about the FOCA, as tibbrix says its such a clean old fashioned smell, like laundry was years ago.

Talking about fabric softener reminds me...6 years ago I inherited my mothers home, well actually my teenage daughter did..lol..anyway this washer, the Roper was my moms. I used it for the past 6 years, but several months after i moved in i noticed the clothes were comming out covered in what looked like black slimy lint. I ran my hand up under the top rim and omg the crud. I knew I had to take this boy apart and do a major clean, I knew how to do it but didn't have the strength lol so hubs followed my orders for a change haha...got the inside tub out after some rather nasty language directed to my **I think I know it all hubs** and what I saw was disgusting. Black slimy crud everywhere, a lot of it, if I would have measured I'd guess more than 2 full walmart bags. It looked like black mold and felt like congealed downy. I scraped all of it off, than I scrubbed with chlorine bleach till that bad boy shined..put it back together and wala worked great...my mother bought this machine new in I think 2000 she was a loyal Tide powder user, downy, and due to my stepfather disconnecting the hot water from the washer she had to use cold water. I believe this crud is from the downy and cold water, what do you think? Moral of my story. ..lmao...no moral, just wanted to share my story hahaha

Oh my Mamapinky! That's a labor of love for sure. I went back to town today and got some Ariel with Downy and Ariel Original-both powder from the Mexican grocery in Topeka-I am evaluating the label for phosphates but the print is so damn tiny. Will let everyone know aobut the FOCA-the scent from the bag is wonderful!

Jean, most likely the ariel will not list the phosphates, and since its a made in Mexico detergent for use in Mexico they don't have to list them. All it will probably say is water softener. Last year trying to get to the bottom of this I harassed P&G the makers of Ariel, of course I kept getting the P&G in mexico we in the USA have no knowlage of the ingredients in P&G mexican based detergents....but one time I happened to get a lady on the phone that listened to me and became interested, said she would try to find info out and call me back...I figured y a sure she would lol..but several weeks later she did call and had answers. P&G made a decision to stop using phosphates in all of their detergents everywhere by the end of 2015, this ddecision was made several years ago, in the meantime they decided to stop listing phosphates on their Mexican detergents ingredients lists, so that people would be acclamated to not seeing it there, but it will continue to be there until the beginning of the new year...this only applys to Mexican Ariel, not Ariel USA....unless there is a print on the bag that says phosphate free ( a actual print in the bag not a sticker) than there is phosphates in that Ariel...now Jean try the Ariel with Downy...feel how slippery the water is, way more slippery than with another detergent. ..and try it without using added liquid downy..tell me how super soft your clothes are. Lol. Tide with downy does not do this. Is this your 1st Mexican Ariel? Smell that bittersweet scent..when the clothes are washed they will smell wonderful.

Jean unless I see something in writing I have a problem,that's why I always question myself about this stuff...but soon as you feel that water you will understand .

Another thought...Jean you must be in heaven, several new detergents to try, all with excellent reputations...lol

Mamapinky-thank you so much for all of your info. I have purchased Ariel before from this same store and this is the first time I have gotten THIS version if that makes any sense. Compared to what I got before this is just what you got. CANNOT wait to try this and the FOCA. Heaven is the perfect word for this! I have opened the bag of Ariel Original and got my husband to smell it-what a wonderful scent. He thinks I am crazy anyway but does get a kick out of how tickled I get! I told him it could be worse-an affair which I am too tired for anyway!!

Yes that Ariel USA is a totally different animal!

Gain. Every scent. Liquid and powder. Awful.

Going to hunt down FOCA this week! Thanks a lot.

My vote goes to Persil.Did one load with the liquid and back to Walmat it went. The pearls smell much better in the bottle but my clothes reeked and gave me a stuffy nose. I smelled some Seventh Generation eucalyptus and lavender at target and gagged so that was a no no. Don't really like the smell of WIsk HE but it does clean and rinse well and a little Downy Sweet Dreams takes care of that.

Went to Wal-Mart (ugh) yesterday to get a bag of FOCA for my sister, but it was sold out. More coming in today, apparently. When I bought my first bag (still on it), I went back two days later to return something, and the FOCA was sold out. It has been fully stocked when I bought mine two days earlier. I'm kinda nervous about peeps finding out about FOCA! Don't want it to get so popular the price goes up to typical American laundry detergent levels!

anyway, skip the phosphates, folks. They're illegal in laundry detergent in the US for a reason. Bad, bad, bad for the environment. Caring is good!

Tibbrix, you know how it goes, find a detergent you like and its either eventually changed to that * new and improved* or its discontinued. I notice at my local walmart the FOCA sells fast. If you are able maybe you should grab a few of the large bags and store them in a closet away from damp areas. I usually try to stock up on my favorites when I can.

Jean you do know Ariel USA is just plain tide? it does a good job, but if you overdose the scent will be strong on the clothes, just like all tide products.lol.

Costco's Kirkland brand. After 6-12 washes, I can still smell the residue.

Okay, I am going to get Foca at Walmart tomorrow! I have had good luck with products from the Mexican stores. They still sell Camay! And a while back, a South American friend turned me on to Suavitel fabric softener which is popular in the Mexican community, she said. Now they sell it at BJ's. It smells like Downy from twenty years ago -- before it got too strong. And while I rarely clean with much beyond vinegar, I do keep a bottle of purple Fabuloso on hand instead of Mr. Clean. That stuff is awesome. Tibbrix, you are right. They will jack the price on Foca. :-(

MizLizzie-I saw the Camay at my store yesterday too! I forgot they even made that. I worked all weekend so have not tried the FOCA yet. Did do a small load with Ariel Original powder and dosed a bit too much, but both summer tops are spotless and smell fantastic. Will cut down on the amount next time...

Jean I can't wait till you try the Ariel with Downy...its soooo good. Tomorrow my washer comes, today I damn near killed myself, had hubs and my adult boys move my washer to my shed, than I pulled the dryer out and shop vac'd it all out, washed all my vintage doo dads, scrubbed walls, shelves, windows and last scrubbed my Pinky linoleum lol...but I'm having withdrawl, I couldn't wash any laundry today lol. I'll make up for it tomorrow, 1'st load will be white towels. Let me know Jean after you try all the detergents. Take care girl.

Mizlizzie, there's a pharmacy in my town thay still sells Camay, I bought 6 bars a few weeks ago for my bath bar basket ( yes I collect bath bars too) lol. I have one bar from the Mexican store its larger and smells a tiny bit different than the original Camay, IMO. I like the orange Fabuloso, which Suavitel smells like the old Downy to you? My walmart sells Suavitel, different colored bottles, they must not have the one that smells like old Downy, ( just my luck) all of these other ones stink to high heaven. Do you have a traditional or FL'er? I'm asking because FOCA tends to suds up, but I do know some people have had luck with it in a FL.

I remember Camay from my childhood--it was my mother's favorite soap but I am not sure I remember what it smelled like! My South American friend swears by it. The Suavitel -- wow, I have a gallon jug from the wholesale club and it is just baby blue. I did not know there were other fragrances! I cut it with warm water to dispense it because it seems strong out of the jug, but end result seems good.

Maybe Foca is not for me? I get almost no suds with Gain HE because I do have an FL -- the Speed Queen stack. I don't like it as well as my old Kenmore TLs but my laundry room is minuscule and tucked under the dormered ceiling, so a stack enabled me to gut it. I did get a sink and lots of cabinets & counterspace out of the compromise. Still, I don't feel anything washes like a big, steaming tub of water with an old fashioned agitator.

Someone posted here a few weeks back that they missed having laundry that ""smelled good" instead of no smell at all. I do, too! But I tell myself that maybe if your laundry smells, then there is SOMETHING left in it, and that scent-less clothes are clean clothes. But is that right?? I mean, maybe my SQ is washing better than my old Kennies, and I just don't realize it?

i think a lot of folks must feel this way, because the laundry aisle is clogged with these newfangled "scent boosters." How can adding something like that be good for you?

Oops. Bordering on a hijack here . . .

If they made a detergent that smelled like good clean laundry from the line dried in the sun, I would buy that.

maylingsmom…FOCA.

mamapinky, in a FL, I'd use no more than 1 tablespoon of FOCA. Even in top loaders, 1/2 capful is enough.

I just bought some FOCA and tried it. smells okay . . . but it says to use 1 cup of the powdered detergent!

violet, use 1/2 - 3/4 capful for a top loader; 1 tablespoon for a front loader.

Foca powder..use 1/4 to 1/3 cup in traditional full fill top loader. ..violet..would you be offended if I ask your age??

Do you guys really believe ONE tablespoon of Foca powder will clean a full sized load, in a front loader? One Tblsp. is a very small amount. I know Foca suds like crazy, but that seems like a crazy small amount, even in a front load machine!

I Agree with Larsi on this and remember just because a detergent suds up does not mean there's enough in the load to clean, sometimes enough was used in a load to cause massive suds, yet not enough to shift the dirt. There can be a fine line sometimes. Could have tons of suds but cleaning is no better than plain water.

@ mamapinky. Late 50s -- is that relative to the measurement issue? or perhaps to the "old fashioned smell" issue?

I haven't used powdered detergent for ages, so was a bit taken a back at the instruction to use a whole cup. When I use the Mrs. Myers on my linen sheets, it's literally one tablespoon.

The Mrs. Myers lemon verbena does not smell like lemon. But I used to love the "basil" fragrance she had -- can't really find it now.

Violet, lol, sorry sometimes I've run across young people, just a few years younger than you and I,that an older more vintage detergent scent is **just ok** I didn't mean to offend you, I'm sorry. Have you ever noticed young people seem to like the heavy clinging detergent scents more than people that are older and remember detergent from the past? As far as the measurment, when you made the 1 cup statement with an exclamation mark, I knew you knew it was too much lol. I've never tried Mrs myers, but I never could grasp the concept that 1 tablespoon of detergent can do the job, but there are others that say it works. Again I didn't mean to offend you, my apologies. ..and since you told, I'll tell, I'm 59.

When it comes to laundry detergent, less is more. Too much, it stays on the fabric, mold forms, bad smells, etc. If your laundry has stains, treat them with stain removers. don't expect the detergent to get them. I don't quite get the whole laundry obsession thing, esp. among mothers. Why do children need to have perfectly soft, perfumed clothing? they can't wear a shirt or shorts or pants more than once in a row? Ridiculous. We, esp. Americans, are so wasteful and often downright silly, IMO.

Tibbrix, lol. My grandsons are 6&7 sometimes they can't wear the same outfit all day without changing, they play hard, and collect all sorts of outdoor muck, along with drips from drinks, food splatterings it all ends up on their clothes. They get a bath every evening and a change of clothes, but if we have dinner plans or some other plans they will get an earlier bath and change of clothes. This is just how it is in my house. The only stains I pretreat are grease or oil that hubs picked up doing man stuff like changing the vans oil. Its very rare for me to treat the kids stains, most detergents that have enzymes usually remove the stains expecially since I usually soak. I better not tell you I wash sheets and pillowcases every 4 to 5 days lol.

I couldn't tell you what the "detergent of the past" smelled like -- I have no memory of that. Other than when I lived in Mexico, the cleaning products there always seemed way too strong smelling.

I do like a nice scent, but regular Tide smells fine to me. I am using up a bottle of non-scented Tide, and I'm always disappointed. Wisk doesn't smell good to me--that bottle gets used last.

I have a front loader and soft water. I never use more than 2 tb of anything and only in the largest loads or I get way too much suds. Usually I use 1 Tb or less of detergent and, with a cold prewash followed by a hot wash everything gets clean.

Must admit to being mystified at all the chemical additives and strong products discussed here. For me, less is more.

Can't stand synthetic fragrances in most detergents. Thinking of switching over to old-fashioned soap from Cal Ben, which DD uses because her little one is allergic. It works, it's cheap and it's soap not a concoction of chemicals none of us can pronounce. My 2 cents.

Rococogurl, you do know using soap instead of detergent has a whole different set of rules ? Soap requires very soft water which you have, but it also requires a lot of multiple hot to very warm rinses. Soap gets into the fibers and nothing short of soft and lots of hot water is going to shift it...over time clothes show this soap build up by becomming dingy and having odors. This probably won't happen for several months after using it. Wish I could get ahold of a box of Ivory Flakes, it was soap flakes not detergent, or a box of Lux soap flakes but those days are long long gone lol.

Forgot to mention soap is highly unrecommended in a FL'er since it will adhear to all parts of the washer that come in contact with water and chemicals.

Are you talking about Cal Ben Seafoam? Last I seen that stuff it was *soap based* but had surfactants and silicates, and something else, but can't remember what it is.

Yes, Cal Ben Seafoam, that's what she uses. I believe it contains some optical brighteners. Her littlest one is allergic to everything else. She can worry about the state of her monster front loader. I don't want my Miele gunked up so I am very careful. But mine also has a 2 hour maintenance cycle run on an empty washer with 165F water. The glass door is too hot to touch. Usually, the rinse water is completely clear at the end of the maintenance cycle. If not, I run it again.

I haven't switched as I think my Persil perls does a better job than anything else I've tried. When I washed lingerie at her house some turned gray. I wasn't so impressed but she insists that the soap is best, with fewest "bad" ingredients.

I have the German Persil because a box lasts more than a year for me given the soft water and small amounts. I know Germany is very strict about home products and Germans are most demanding of quality. The more of those I try, the more I like them. I also use their floor wax and I'm switching to Pril for my dishes as it works better than anything else I've tried. It's used all over the world except for the US.

I know my laundry practices are OK because I saw the tech take the previous washer apart when the heater failed. I asked him specifically if there was any gunk after 2 years of use. He said no, it was pristine. I do use fabric softener for towel loads but I dilute it. Vernel does not get gunky but doesn't smell very good. Mrs. Meyers gets a bit gunky so I dilute by half and give it a vinegar chaser. They both seem to soften towels a bit -- one doesn't seem any better than the other. Towels seems to stay softer washed on warm vs the 140F hot I was using.

Oh, I remember Ivory and Lux flakes. Didn't they call that Ivory Snow? They were so slippery and soapy. No idea why they are not still made.

I use Foca sometimes in my agitator toploader*. There seems to be a fine line on dosage of not enough/minimal sudsing vs. enough to do the job/reasonable sudsing vs. wayyyy too much sudsing.

*The toploader is a Fisher & Paykel with a pretreatment function that initially runs in a minimal amount of water to dissolve the detergent and saturate the load. The concentrated solution is showered over the load for several minutes, then it fills rest of the way for a traditional agitated wash period. If I use a full dose of Foca (as required for the deep-wash) at the start for the pretreatment phase ... bam! Suds city. So I have to use a minimal amount of Foca at the start, then add more later.

Rococogurl, Ivory first started as *soap* flakes, than as synthetic detergent came into play it was a powdered detergent, I guess it was discontinued several years ago due to low demand, although there is still liquid Ivory detergent. I would love to have a box of the soap flakes and the detergent lol.

Yes some people like using soap to wash laundry, actually if the right conditions are used, chemically softened water (stpp) lots and lots of hot wash and rinse water a wringer or older top loader you will have very clean and oh so soft clothes. I read about people making homemade laundry detergent, but its made with soap, and in the end many people find it ruined clothes and machines, maybe you could convince your daughter to do a detergent load once in awhile or use STPP that will help. I've washed a few times in my old roper with just shaved laundry soap, stpp and hot water..I did 3 hot rinses the first 2 with stpp and lordy those towels were heavenly soft and fluffy...its just a huge job and I only did it playing around, lol I found out there was a very good reason grandma was happy when detergents were created. Hehe.

I make my own laundry detergent from Fels Naptha soap (which btw gets stains out better than Shout on ANY kind of stain) and Baking Soda, Borax, Super Washing Soda. My clothes smell clean and fresh. My washer and dryer are fine and my clothes last at least, if not longer, than they did when I used standard laundry detergent. If I want a scent in my towels, I will use essential oils. There is no more offending smell to me than LOUD smelling dryer sheets and they are asthmagenic because they are oil based synthetic scents. They also stay in your clothes even after washing. Nothing makes me more nauseated than being near someone with clothes that reek of dryer sheets.

So is that the trick? Use German persil, not the stuff for the US market ( which smells terrible)?

To my knowledge, nobody has complained about the scent of the US Persil in quite some time. If memory serves, MamaPinky and Roc compared photos of "good" versus "bad" Persil perls and there was obviously a batch that looked different (blueish, smaller perls). The stuff I have smells great both before and after.

I will say, however, that the German Persil *liquid* I bought is bad. Sticky, smelly, and hard to rinse out. It's not the same as the Universal liquid sold years ago.

I know this is old but the Fab sold in single dose packs on Amazon is the Rainforest Fresh scent, not our beloved.

I have a box of Fab Powder (sold in dollar stores) that I got at a rummage sale. It's The Worst detergent that I have ever had. Doesn't want to dissolve. I used it on one load and the dryer screen was loaded with detergent residue. It's on the back of the shelf; I'll try using it on a load of throw rugs and give them a long soak and see if the residue persists.

I don't really care for the Tide pods. I just think the smell is too overwhelming.

I also used to like the scent of Surf Sparkling Ocean, but the more I smelled it the more it smelled like beer to me.

Gain by far is the worst. When someone walks into a room wearing clothes washed in Gain you can smell them 20' away... Like someone wearing a whole bottle of cheap perfume. My nose start to burn as they get closer, then I can start to taste it... Yuck! To me the smell is like a motel 6 room that someone smoked two packs of cigarettes in then the room was doused in air freshener to cover it up. Bounce is the next worst. When I have to use a laundromat i hate the fact that bounce smell stays in the dryer.

I've found two excellent detergents

7th Generation Unscented or their Lavender scent is nice for towels. Available at target and a good value. Also Nellie's washing soda from Amazon. Clothes smell just clean and super cheap to use. Sometimes I'll add a few drops of lavender essential oil to give towels and sheets a light scent.