I guess I should say you don't want to see suds in any machine. Back in the day, suds helped clean clothes, but not anymore. I grew up with my mom doing laundry in a wonderful Kenmore belt-driven washer with a dual-action agitator. She used Sears powder and that had zero suds. Our laundry was the cleanest, freshest and brightest laundry on the block. I learned from the best.

The thing is while the Cheer is okay, I prefer the older detergents I used to use and can't buy anymore. Even the Tide Liquid was a compromise from what I grew up using., and they messed it up.

The clothes were clean, soft, and smelled better than anything lately.

What did you used to use, before Tide?

The box Tide they made in the 60's, 70's, and 80's I changed to the liquid sometime in the 90's and used Original Tide liquid (not HE) until this spring. That is when Tide Original still said Tide Original, but they messed with the scent, and probably the cleaning formula, without changing the label. That was the purpose of this entire post. I did not like it( the Original bottle Tide) as well as the older boxed cleaners, but it was acceptable.

The least they could have done was to put "new and improved" on the label (it was not improved), but they didn't. They just slipped it in. I'm sure they thought they were saving a dime, but they lost a long time customer.

I just bought two more boxes of Tough Guy laundry detergent. The stuff works really good and is so cheap. You can't beat $14 for 50 lb of concentrated laundry detergent. It doesn't fade darks, there is no scent coming out of the washer and dryer...I am very pleased. I get mine from GoVets.com.

I heard Mountain Spring scent is now the old original scent. Maybe worth trying? Or you could try experimenting by mixing half the original with half unscented to get the level of perfume you desire on finished laundry.

I’ve been using Puracy and really like it.

Welcome, Jenny Island.

Thank you, Pat!

@littlegreeny - looking for a replacement for Tide, too. Like an old-school scent. How would you describe All with Stainlifters and Kirkland's liquid scents? TIA!

@Starflower scents are good for those two. They are a little old-fashioned-y but on the sweeter side. Arm and Hammer with OxiClean smells somewhat old fashioned and has comparable cleaning to Tide as well.

@littlegreeny - thank you!!

I am late to the party here, but if you like powder detergent I think the Tide with AF Downy smells amazing and it’s very subtle when washed and dried IMHO.

@Starflower I agree on the Tide powder with Downy... it's become my favorite. The scent is just barely there and it cleans really well. It even removed blueberry stains that I forgot to treat. I hope they don't change the scent!

@Sherry8aNorthAL - sorry if this has already been mentioned somewhere, but Tide says (and I can vouch - I purchased a bottle last week) that their beloved old "original" scent is now under the Mountain Spring name in the liquid. What concerns me, though, is that I am not seeing the Mountain Spring version on their website right now...ugh. Anyway, worth a sniff when you head to the store next.

I don't think Tide Mountain Spring is available in he turbo liquid. It's only available in powder or regular liquid.

BTW-I really the way Clean Breeze smells in the bottle but never personally tried it (I can't use any scented detergents in my house).

I found the HE formula in Oregon. From what I am reading, it sounds like maybe the Mountain Spring powder is the old "original" scent too - going to check on that next!

I use different detergents depending on what I am washing. Persil powder (German version) for whites, Persil liquid or Pods for jeans, towels, t-shirts; Ariel (Mexican version) when I really want something clean and smelling good. LeBlanc for bed and table linens.

Have you tried Tide Purclean unscented? It cleans well, has enzymes, but no optical brighteners. I use that and persil sensitive powder (for whites) and the Miele Twindos sensitive.

The Tide PurClean did not remove my stains. So disappointed.

I can honestly say, my towels smell fresh since I switched back to powder detergent and my top load washer does not smell anymore either. I find the powder lasts longer, too.

Pat have you tried All Free and Clear powder. I forget what I have seen you post before.

@elbits - me too! When they messed up the scent of Tide with AF Downy liquid this spring, I switched back to the powder version of that detergent - I LOVE it. My whites are whiter, my clothes smell great...PG just better not screw that version up too!!

@elbits, great news! What powder did you switch to?

I often use All F&C with some STPP added for extra cleaning power and I get great results, no fragrance at all. Recommended to me by MamaPinky

Haven’t posted in a very long time, maybe I’ll stay, maybe not.

I’ve been having tremendous results with current Tide Mountain Spring Powder, HE Turbo in the huge box from Target. I have two containers of it, one mixed 1/3 with STPP. The other, untouched.

Washing & Rinsing is suburb, and I find that I really don’t need any additives. Even for whites, with the STPP mix. The only stains it struggles with is Oil/Grease stains, but than again, I’ve never had a detergent with much luck on that.

On rare occasions, I’ll add in a little Liquid Clorox 2 or European Vanish.

I haven’t bought a box of Tide with Bleach Alternative in well over three years now, even though it was once my biggest favorites. I just can’t stand the scents that P&G is selling.

I still LOVE & use Mexican Ariel from time to time, and I have a entirely new collection of cool things. For a while, I was just using 2006 Vintage Tide Original Powder, which was not HE and could be dosed in small quantities safely. I also have a strong liking for a lot of the current Persil offerings, but can’t seem to make it a daily driver like I have with my Tide Powder.

One Last Thought. ALDI sells a generic verison of Tide Original called “Tandill Ultra Premium“ in a Dark Redish-Orange Bottle. For those looking for the old scent, it’s about as close as you can find.

The cleaning itself is also fairly remarkable. I would say it’s on par with Liquid Tide, if not better.

@Laundry Mich - Hi!! Nice to “see” you again!! Does the mountain spring powder smell like the old original tide powder, or still like mountain spring?

@Starflower, no it doesn’t smell like old Tide Powder, but, the scent is very clean and soapy. I would say it’s very “Mountain Spring”. I imagine you’d like it.

I honestly can’t stand the current renditions of “Original” scent, and since Clean Breeze Powder is not locally stocked in NYC, I’ve been buying this from Target. And, Like I said, mixed with Phosphate — I get a wonderful clean.

There is only one verison however I’m curious about. Everyone said that “Tide Ultra Oxi” Powder had a different scent. I never bought it, or tried it. And it’s already been discontinued.

Laundry Mitch... I'd love to hear about your new "cool" collection. I used up nearly all of my stash and had quit adding to it since MamaP left us.... she just made it all so exciting and fun and was such an enabler.....My stash slowly died down to nearly nothing... I have since built it back up some what... so please share your's and do hang around...

It has been several years since I used Aldi's Tandil. I was buying 'Tandil with Bleach'. When Aldi dropped that version, I quit buying it. Liked it a lot, cleaned well, but was quite sudsy even in a top loader w/ moderately hard water.

I've switched to almost entirely powders but intend to pick up a bottle of the Tandil next trip to Aldi & try the non-bleach version. Maybe they've tweaked the formula to produce less suds?

Tide is so darned expensive. I'm using Tide w/ Bleach & don't have a problem with the scent. Not overwhelming at all, IMO. Alternate Tide w/ Bleach and All Free & Clear powders on my white loads. IME, All is almost as good a cleaner as Tide and less expensive.

I also struggle with the scents of the Tide original powder and the Tide with Bleach powder but I love the cleaning action I get with them. I have been wanting to try the Mountain Spring or even Clean Breeze but it’s hard to commit when you can’t smell them at the store lol! I do love the smell of Persil but I find it takes quite a lot of rinsing and that’s even in my full fill Speed Queen!

Laundry Mitch, it's so good to see you again. MamaP, would be over the moon to see you. I too, hope you stick around. We need someone like you.

@mimi, I'm sure I'll be posting little bits here and there of the collection. Most of it is Liquids, sadly, but yes, I have some pretty interesting stuff from my journeys around the city.

@ ci_lantro, all I can say is wow. I've never even heard of that variety of Tandill, but I'm kinda jealous I never got to try it. Henkel/Sun Products (who made Wisk/All/Sunlight & Surf) produces Tandill and I was always impressed by the quality of their store brands. I've always liked their stuff, and have always been a fan of the company. Particularly, ALL which I've always thought was underpriced for what you get.

Anyway, the Red-Orange Bottle of Tandill at ALDI is Excellent, and I would say, is probably a modified version of Wisk, with a pretty good copy of the Original Tide scent before 2014. It smells so similar, and so much fresher than the new crap P&G is selling. They also *made* a version of April Fresh Downy, which another member here would proudly attest is the closest to the untouched April Fresh scent you could find. Target also had their own label of it, called Spring Bloom.

I haven't had trouble with sudsing with Tandill. However, I want to point out, there are multiple versions of Tandil. There is a Green Bottle that is supposed to compare to Gain, as well as a Blue Bottle which is supposed to compare to Purex. Ironically, the Blue One says it's not manufactured / or a authorized production of Purex Mountain Spring, but the company who manufactures it, makes Purex. How funny is that?

@aubrey510, let me tell you this. I have always, always loved the Clean Breeze scent - and the current box of Tide Clean Breeze powder is NO EXCEPTION. I'm not the best at describing scents, but it's a very, classic, CLEAN, smell, that just is comforting in a way. I'm sure P&G will find a way to ruin it, but for now, it's terrific.

Same even goes for the Tide + A Touch of Downy Powder. It smells blissful, if you can find it. I just hate that it comes in a three year supply box. I really like the smaller 60- Load ones.

The Mountain Spring Box, is different, but I would say, in a way, similar. It smells very soapy, and classic fresh. It's nothing like the current Original Scent, and is easy to love.

I really don't think you can go wrong with either box. I just avoid Original like the plague now. It's ruined to me.

Speaking of Tide Powder. I'm sure I sound like a shill, but I really do love it. It's so dependable, and the cleaning is very good. I just toss in a scoop and walk away. Even without complete pretreating, I get excellent results. I've also noticed, it does a number on anything funky or smelly like Gym Clothes. This is something a lot of Liquids, really struggle with overtime.

One last point to mention. I called P&G and complained about the new smell of Liquid Tide, several months ago. If you hate it, and show emotion, they will send you a Debit Card to buy another variety. I'm sure the same would go for a box of Powder, with a scent you hated.

@Laundry Mich That is too funny.. I JUST spoke with P&G earlier today about being disappointed with the smell of the two powder detergents that I recently bought and she had me verify the upc codes and what not, and you're right she did offer to send a prepaid giftcard! I was stunned, I didn't they would help all that much but made me feel like they cared somewhat.

Yes I have to agree with you, the Tide powders work so well and, it's hard to explain but differently than the liquids. Your description of clean breeze, mountain spring, and Tide + downy makes me want to try them ALL. I feel like I'll be missing out on a better scent or product if I don't lol it is too bad they don't sell them in smaller boxes, they are huge otherwise.

@aubrey510 - happy to send you a sample of the Tide with Downy powder if you'd like to try it? Just PM me your address. It smells SO GOOD!! Old school.

@Starflower that's so thoughtful! I would LOVE to try it and report back on how it cleans and smells. Okay forgive me, I can't figure out how to send a PM on here lol

What version of Ariel is good for general laundry?

@aubrey510 - PM me an address and I'll send you a sample!

@Starflower I can't seem to be able to. When I go to your profile, there is no option to message you. Do you have it turned on to accessible?

@aubrey510 and @Starflower, unless things have recently changed, you two need to follow each other to be able to send PMs to each other.

So the verdict is in, I think the Tide plus Downy powder smells lovely! It has a very light, warm scent and a cozy, homey smell. I really like it and surprised it smells nothing like the original powder. I just cannot stand that stuff. I really enjoy the scent of the Downy version.

So another thanks to @starflower!! You rock.

Now on to try Clean Breeze and Mountain Spring.. all in due time ;) Those boxes are huge hahah

@aubrey510 - hooray!! I’m so glad you like it!!

LaundryMitch, yes, I just noticed the different versions of Tandil. Also, Aldi had Ariel, too. (Looked like one of those Special Buy things so don't expect to see it being stocked regularly.) When I was using Tandil, 10 yrs ago?, there were only two versions, both in orange bottles. Regular & the w/ bleach one. I was using the w/ bleach version as a less expensive substitute for Tide w/ Bleach.

Back then, the Aldi store was much smaller (has been expanded twice in the intervening years) but the space allocated for Tandil was bigger. Probably, because of front loaders taking over the washing machine mkt., Aldi sells less detergent now...

Anyway, didn't buy any last trip because I'm good on detergent for a while.

I have great luck with pre-treating grease and oil stains with a toothbrush and full strength blue Dawn. I got a bunch of black bicycle chain grease out of grandson's cargo pants and a cotton T-shirt that had been washed and dried first! Scrub with toothbrush, let it sit for a few hours, rinse and repeat if needed. Love the Tide info. Tried the Tide pods with oxy in my front loader, big mistake, needed 4 rinses to get the horrible scent out. The newer front loaders use too little water to handle most of the stronger scents.

Mitch, I'm so glad you're back. You are one of my teachers on here. Please stay.

Right now I'm going back & forth with Gain original powder and Arm & Hammer 'fresh scent' powder. I went back to powders last summer and can say that my washer still does not smell and my towels are fresh smelling. I will never use liquid detergent again.