Thread Number: 73109  /  Tag: Detergents and Additives
Tesco 'Eco Active' Detergents
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Post# 965734   11/3/2017 at 07:48 (2,337 days old) by Rolls_rapide (.)        

I spied new detergents and fabric conditioners in Tesco. I presume this is yet another of their digs at Method and Ecover.

I bought this one, as, for some unknown reason, my local Tesco has removed Ecover conditioner from its shelves.

The fragrance is quite nice, similar to, but a little less intense than the milky white 'sensitive' efforts of Unilever's 'Comfort' and P&G's 'Lenor'.

There was a pink 'Peony & Pomegranate'. I thought it smelled too floral.

This new conditioner seems to be made in Spain. It has an 8-digit barcode.


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Post# 965811 , Reply# 1   11/3/2017 at 14:38 (2,337 days old) by MrAlex (London, UK)        

mralex's profile picture
Oh, interesting! Guess this gives me an excuse to pop down to Tesco lol

Post# 965815 , Reply# 2   11/3/2017 at 14:52 (2,337 days old) by Rolls_rapide (.)        
"Guess this gives me an excuse..."

Indeed so. Lol

They had a liquid detergent plonked right beside the conditioner, but I wasn't paying much attention to that at the time.

Cost of conditioner was £1.50


Post# 965818 , Reply# 3   11/3/2017 at 15:26 (2,337 days old) by johnrk (BP TX)        
What Is

a fabric conditioner?

Post# 965838 , Reply# 4   11/3/2017 at 17:48 (2,337 days old) by liamy1 (-)        
Johnrk

A fabric conditioner is a fabric softener.

In the U.K. we use the word fabric softener/conditioner interchangeably, no difference.

Wouldn't confirm this as gospel but I would think conditioner is used a little more than softener.

Suppose it's just what one has a habit of saying.


Post# 965840 , Reply# 5   11/3/2017 at 18:10 (2,337 days old) by johnrk (BP TX)        
liam

Do our British friends use white vinegar as a fabric softener and deodorizer as many Americans do? Our fabric softeners over here seem incredibly slimy to me, which is why I've avoided them for decades.

Post# 965929 , Reply# 6   11/4/2017 at 07:03 (2,336 days old) by MrAlex (London, UK)        

mralex's profile picture
I tend to use vinegar for bedding and towels and conditioner/softener for the rest of my laundry. As soon as I’m done with my 120 washes Lenor bottle, I’ll probably switch to vinegar completely

Post# 965940 , Reply# 7   11/4/2017 at 08:14 (2,336 days old) by Rolls_rapide (.)        
Slimy conditioners

I agree - especially those ones which are more concentrated such as Comfort and Lenor. It's the highly perfumed scents that put me off though.

Shop brands tend to be a tad thinner consistency, and less inclined to be too fragrant.

I've found Ecover to be quite thin (free-flowing) and a reasonably subtle perfume.

But my local Tesco frequently plays 'funny buggers' and discontinues lines on a whim! Wall-to-wall with 57 million varieties each of Comfort and Lenor, and a few of their own brand conditioner. Everything else gets the boot.


Post# 966430 , Reply# 8   11/6/2017 at 15:03 (2,334 days old) by hoovermatic (UK)        

Slightly off on a tangent although Method was mentioned earlier in this thread. I was convinced to try Method detergent and as luck would have it, it was on special offer at £6.00 for the big bottle. I have to say, I am mightily impressed. I have used it on numerous coloured loads but yesterday I used it on a load of dirty whites (tea towels, dishcloths, hand towels, gym towels, table linen etc). I was open minded about what the results would be like. Ran the 60 economy cycle on my Bosch WFF2000 and everything came out spotless. Thank you to whoever recommended it! I will definitely be buying this again.

In regard to conditioner, I choose to use the very least amount, currently using one of Wilko's own. Never more than a third of a cap ostensibly to neutralise detergent residue, of which Method leaves almost none. I don't like concentrates. They gunk up my dispenser I find. Method seems so good at rinsing that I frequently use no conditioner at all, which is a new experience for me as have habitually used it for ever!


Post# 966437 , Reply# 9   11/6/2017 at 15:54 (2,334 days old) by MrAlex (London, UK)        

mralex's profile picture
Hoovermatic - make sure to follow their recommended dosage lol.. I used more and ended up with yellow stains on my teatowels. I had the lavender which worked really well, I’m now using the method in the pump bottle

Post# 966438 , Reply# 10   11/6/2017 at 15:55 (2,334 days old) by MrAlex (London, UK)        

mralex's profile picture
Oh btw, you can get Persil liquid 60 washes for £6 at Sainsbury’s atm

Post# 966558 , Reply# 11   11/7/2017 at 09:47 (2,333 days old) by liamy1 (-)        
Johnrk

Yes, I have used vinegar as a softener in laundry, and have read around variouss forums that would indicate many others in the U.K. do use vinegar too.

I find the softeners here ok as little no as they're used in the proper dose, we have Downy and Snuggle, but they go by different names


Post# 966559 , Reply# 12   11/7/2017 at 09:48 (2,333 days old) by liamy1 (-)        
Typo

*as long as they're used in their proper dose that should read

Post# 966618 , Reply# 13   11/7/2017 at 14:46 (2,333 days old) by marky_mark (From Liverpool. Now living in Palm Springs and Dublin)        

marky_mark's profile picture

Interestingly, I have a bottle of Downy that I purchased in the US and on the bottle it now describes itself only as "fabric conditioner' with no mention of softener.  Also, on the reverse they say that it has 6 benefits: long lasting freshness, reduction of wrinkles, less fuzz and pills, superior softness, keeps colours bright and helps prevent static.  On the P&G website they have videos talking about how use of fabric conditioner protects clothes and extends their life.  No longer as they just a simple softener!


Post# 966629 , Reply# 14   11/7/2017 at 16:03 (2,333 days old) by johnrk (BP TX)        
Downy

Great--you can use my share! Thinking about all of you over there in Barcelona, some tough times going on...

Post# 966657 , Reply# 15   11/7/2017 at 17:14 (2,333 days old) by Launderess (Quiet Please, There´s a Lady on Stage)        
Fabric Softener vs. Conditioner

launderess's profile picture
Yes, there is a difference. It is subtle but never the less exists.

Original fabric softeners were merely oil in water emulsions invented for and use by commercial laundries to deal with the harsh feeling that came from laundering with the newly invented built detergents.

Back when soap was queen of wash day laundry was left softer due to the fats/oils that are naturally present in that product, and are never fully rinsed away. The small amount of lubricant left things "soft". Indeed well into the 1970's soap laundry products were marketed as having "built in fabric softeners".

Later both for domestic and commercial use fabric softeners pretty much were tallow based emulsions. Again the idea is to deal with the harsh feeling caused by the middle to high alkaline pH of detergents. Also as the 1960's onwards where man made fibers such as polyester became more a part of laundry, *and* machine/tumble drying became more the norm these products also reduced static cling.

All this being said there are other ways to "condition" or soften wash besides tallow and fats.

Quats, clay, silicone (a type of oil) and other chemicals have properties that will get between textile fibers, smooth, soften, and give them "glide" which makes ironing easier. That and if done well things come out of dryer needing little to no ironing.

The bit about fabric softeners making things "eaiser to iron" comes from the oils/fats once of soap, but now from rinse or dryer products. Dryer sheets for instance are mainly coated with stearic acid, a type of soap which you also find in many laundry detergents and fabric softeners/conditioners.

As noted in a thread several weeks ago fabric softener use has fallen off, especially among the younger generation. They either don't know what the stuff does, and or otherwise can't be bothered. Truth to tell the push towards liquid detergents means much laundry comes out of dryer or whatever pretty much soft enough. Hardly the scratchy and coarse affair that resulted from detergent powders of old.

Awhile back P&G started the trend with Downy "Advanced". This was a short lived product that was one of the first fabric "conditioners" on the domestic market. IIRC some of that technology was incorporated into Tide "Total Care" detergent which supposedly left things soft and with less wrinkles.

Fabric softeners have gotten a bad name. Mostly because products of old did cause things to become less absorbent over time. This was because just as with using soap for wash day, all that fat/oils/tallow built up.

Today's fabric "conditioners" are made from as noted above quats and silicones. They build up less or maybe even not at all compared to the stuff of old. So to get around the negative connotations the "softener" bit has been dropped.

Finally perhaps the biggest driver today in fabric softeners/conditioners is scent. Laundry product makers have taken a page from perfume and body products in that many customers want scent "layering" so that the smell of detergent is reinforced in the rinse (or dryer) and will remain long after things are dry and put away. One way to do this is to use a rinse or dryer product that lays down scent. Much like using a powder, lotion, cologne or whatever after a bath that has the same scent as one's perfume.

You notice at least here in USA P&G has slapped the "Gain" fragrance on dryer sheets and God only knows what else. Ditto for all that "Touch of Donwy"....



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