Thread Number: 87700  /  Tag: Detergents and Additives
Costco Kirkland powdered detergent
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Post# 1122652   7/8/2021 at 03:24 (994 days old) by Adam-aussie-vac (Canberra ACT)        

Hey, What’s everybody’s opinion about the Costco powder detergent?




Post# 1122655 , Reply# 1   7/8/2021 at 04:33 (994 days old) by ozzie908 (Lincoln UK)        

ozzie908's profile picture
In My Opinion its absolutely DIRE .... I bought a bucket and threw most of it away the best thing about it is the bucket...

Austin


Post# 1122656 , Reply# 2   7/8/2021 at 05:29 (994 days old) by Launderess (Quiet Please, There´s a Lady on Stage)        

launderess's profile picture
Here ya go... From one of our British members.....







Post# 1122657 , Reply# 3   7/8/2021 at 05:46 (994 days old) by Adam-aussie-vac (Canberra ACT)        
Nice video, I’ve watched it up until he stated the weight,

As the Costco one that I brought weighs the same but it only has 200 washes that means they must’ve previously doubled The dosage, somewhere in between February and now

Post# 1122658 , Reply# 4   7/8/2021 at 06:07 (994 days old) by Aquarius1984 (Planet earth)        

aquarius1984's profile picture
I conclude with Austin. Used 3 lots over the past decade and none have been anywhere near the quality or performance of any decent UK or European detergent. Too foamy and leaves fabrics feeling harsh. It’s a pain to rinse out too.

I wouldn’t waste your money.

If you want to try something different then maybe check out what your local British import shop has.

I’ve known Sainsbury’s Bio powder make it’s way over there into import shops. With five enzymes and 15-30 % bleaching agents it’s one of the top 2 best detergents we have here in the UK.

Persil and Ariel have lost their way ( which says a lot about Kirkland if both major uk brands are still better than it despite being crap themselves) and now Formil Bio and Sainsbury’s Bio are the only ones I trust with whites and soiled washing. The Sainsbury’s Bio smells great too.

Interestingly I’ve had chance to use a few Australian detergents and like American detergents they’re quite lacking. It leaves me to only conclude that there’s a huge difference in expectations and standards compared to us in Europe.


Post# 1122662 , Reply# 5   7/8/2021 at 07:30 (994 days old) by Launderess (Quiet Please, There´s a Lady on Stage)        

launderess's profile picture
As review in video makes clear, Kirkland powder is really nothing more than standard "commercial" type laundry detergent. Inexpensive, no frills and will get the job done in theory.

Similar powder detergents Sun, Arm and Hammer or "commercial" products like Hurricane and others that come in huge tubs or boxes are all same. Largely surfactants, washing soda, OBA, fragrance, and maybe some other bits. Heavy on washing soda and fillers these products don't make much suds because good part of cleaning action comes from chemical (all that washing soda or other alkaline substances). You'd best take a tip from commercial laundries and use some sort of sour in final rinse or a sour/softener unless want hard scratchy things.

Of course industrial laundries have a host of additives they can use in conjunction with basic detergents. Emulsifiers, breaks, enzymes, oxygen or chlorine bleach....

Telling thing is people use this Kirkland powder detergent for cleaning floors and walls. That's saying something....


Post# 1122666 , Reply# 6   7/8/2021 at 07:41 (994 days old) by thomasortega (El Pueblo de Nuestra Señora de Los Angeles de Porciúncula)        

First bucket was "OK". Not really impressed but, for the price, it was somewhat acceptable.


About 1 year later, second and last bucket: WTF they did to it? I'm still confused. I don't know if it's dreadful, terrible, awful or a disaster.

Used it as a "play" detergent until I could finally finish that thing and I can say that at least the bucket is awesome as a dryer lint wastebasket.


Post# 1122671 , Reply# 7   7/8/2021 at 07:57 (994 days old) by Launderess (Quiet Please, There´s a Lady on Stage)        

launderess's profile picture
Unless things have changed Huish makes private label laundry detergents for Coscto/Kirkland. That company itself was bought by venture capital group back in 2014, and now things are under "Sun Products" brand


archive.sltrib.com/story.phpQUES...

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sun_Produc...

www.deseret.com/2008/7/31...


Post# 1122680 , Reply# 8   7/8/2021 at 10:02 (994 days old) by jamiel (Detroit, Michigan and Palm Springs, CA)        

jamiel's profile picture
The water conditions are so different country by country (Luton, UK has such hard city water it was unbelievable...)that what might be marginal in the US would be absolutely inappropriate in the UK.

Post# 1122686 , Reply# 9   7/8/2021 at 10:48 (994 days old) by SudsMaster (SF Bay Area, California)        

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I got one bucket of that stuff over ten years ago and consigned it to the workshop.

The Kirkland HE liquid detergent however, is quite good. I usually toss in a tbs or so of STPP at the start, then add enough of the liquid to create low suds.

YMMV


Post# 1122711 , Reply# 10   7/8/2021 at 15:13 (994 days old) by RP2813 (Sannazay)        

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Recently there was a story on line about which manufacturers are behind which Kirkland products.  I don't know how much truth there was to any of it (such as Kirkland vodka being produced by Grey Goose), but it stated that their liquid laundry detergent was made by Persil.  There was no mention of who makes their powder as I recall, but since powdered Persil isn't on the shelves around here anyway, I presume it's from another manufacturer.


Post# 1122723 , Reply# 11   7/8/2021 at 17:23 (994 days old) by brisnat81 (Brisbane Australia)        

I bought a bucket last year and have ended up only using it to clean the BBQ.

In a front loader, it foams up way to much, it doesnt rinse out and it leaves fabrics scratchy and harsh.

If you want to experience US detergent, buy the Big bottle of tide liquid, that works well, smells ok if not a bit strong and you can actually use it.


Post# 1122729 , Reply# 12   7/8/2021 at 18:01 (994 days old) by Adam-aussie-vac (Canberra ACT)        
Oh cool

I have use that type before it works really well although I do like to change up my detergent preferably every couple of loads, now considering everyone’s review on it It seems like no one is happy with it

Post# 1122732 , Reply# 13   7/8/2021 at 19:09 (994 days old) by SudsMaster (SF Bay Area, California)        

sudsmaster's profile picture
I've been able to get powdered Persil at a local appliance shop. Airport Appliance, in Hayward. I sometimes use it in the Miele in the workshop, for whites that I want to do a very hot wash on. I also have some Persil liquid back there, for color loads.


Post# 1122749 , Reply# 14   7/9/2021 at 00:54 (993 days old) by Launderess (Quiet Please, There´s a Lady on Stage)        

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Huish was bought by Sun who was in turn gobbled up by Unilever. Henkel bought Dial/Unilever laundry (and maybe other products) in North America, so it would seem same company that makes Persil for USA also makes Kirkland Signature detergent.

That being said again Henkel is behind Sun detergent and there is a world of difference between that powder and Persil's USA (now discontinued) perl detergent.

moneywise.com/life/lifestyle/the...

hip2save.com/tips/brands-behind-...

www.mabelandmoxie.com/The...

www.kiplinger.com/slideshow/spen...

And so it goes..

Costco/Kirkland is like Sears/Kenmore; neither actually made anything, but sourced their various merchandise from others and slapped their brand name on.

Sears was (then) big enough to throw their weight around and demand certain changes for "Kenmore" brand (also Maid Of Honor, Coldspot and other brands owed by Sears).


Post# 1122753 , Reply# 15   7/9/2021 at 01:25 (993 days old) by CircleW (NE Cincinnati OH area)        

Launderess, at one time Sears had significant ownership in their major suppliers, such as Whirlpool (appliances) , Roper (appliances and lawn equipment), United-DeSoto (paint, wall coverings, and detergents), and various other companies. Obviously, Whirlpool was going to design things the way Sears wanted, as the majority of their production was sold through them. The same is true for Roper.


Post# 1122758 , Reply# 16   7/9/2021 at 04:33 (993 days old) by mrboilwash (Munich,Germany)        

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If Henkel owns the parent company they might have improved the formula by now like they did for All, Purex and even Sun.

All of these are still cheap inferior detergent powders with lots of alkali but any of them have been improved considerably reading their "smartlabels".
Smallish amounts of oxy bleach, nonionic surfactants and the addition of silicates to protect FL washer`s alluminum spiders seems to be a given standard now. Big improvement in my opinion. Purex powder even got a non precipitating water softener added.

Don`t know what Kirkland powder used to be in the past but it wasn`t too difficult to find an ingredients list for the current formulation.
It seems to be very low end, pretty much in line with current Sun powder maybe worse and it has no oxy bleach.
The other Kirkland products seem to be rather TOL.







CLICK HERE TO GO TO mrboilwash's LINK


Post# 1122760 , Reply# 17   7/9/2021 at 05:08 (993 days old) by Adam-aussie-vac (Canberra ACT)        
Wow, that’s actually surprising

So it would be probably more in line with “commercial” detergents Where are you can add your own ingredients I guess I’m not actually sure what to call it, although I will say this, the Kirkland detergent seems to go pretty well in my laundromat powder dispenser, it’s one of the ones with a bucket and a motor And a coin acceptor, the kind that you put the cup under, My apologies about the 101 bits of double sided tape as that’s what the previous owner had on here, I wish there was somewhere I could take off the tape without taking off the stickers

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Post# 1122769 , Reply# 18   7/9/2021 at 09:34 (993 days old) by mrboilwash (Munich,Germany)        

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This type of "commercial" detergents might work ok in soft water areas where incrustation from hard water minerals is not a huge problem.
It might also work well in markets with rather low expectations where low costs and quick results are more important than good fabric care. For example in markets where sturdy fabrics like white bed linens and towels are washed in rather low temperatures and bleach is added separately.
As has been pointed out before a sour rinse is a must with these and I wouldn`t recommend to expose any delicate expensive clothing to those detergents because the high pH (11 according to SDS) would be very hard on colors, fabrics and it would ruin elastics in no time.





This post was last edited 07/09/2021 at 10:09
Post# 1122835 , Reply# 19   7/10/2021 at 03:26 (992 days old) by SudsMaster (SF Bay Area, California)        

sudsmaster's profile picture
Well, I found my 28 lb bucket of Costco "Institutional Laundry Detergent" in the workshop. It looks like I maybe used it once. However the label says it's good for sopping up oil stains so that's where I'll be using it next.

There are NO ingredients listed on rectangular product bucket type container. I was able to find a PDF of the ingredients online, though. The product number is 119903. Click on link below for the ingredient listing. I was not able to find proportions on that PDF. However, the Material Safety Data Sheet does list the Sodium Carbonate at between 30% and 70%.

Other ingredients listed in the link below include:

Kirkland Signature Heavy Duty Laundry Detergent, #119903

CAS Number Ingredient (Chemical Name) Role (Function)
497-19-8 Sodium Carbonate pH regulating agent
7647-14-5 Sodium Chloride Viscosity modifier
149458-07-1 Fatty acids, C12-18, Me esters, sulfonated, sodium salts Surfactant
7732-18-5 Water Solvent
1344-09-8 Sodium Silicate Chelating agent
68989-22-0 Zeolites, NaA Chelating agent
68479-09-4 2-Propenoic acid, telomer with sodiumsulfite (1:1), sodium salt Opacifier
68131-39-5 Alcohols, C12-15, Ethoxylated Surfactant
9004-32-4 Cellulose Gum Antiredeposition agent, Viscosity modifier
16090-02-1 CI Fluorescent Brightner 71, 244, 250, or260 Brightener
5989-27-5 Limonene Fragrance

Sorry about the formatting. It would take forever to format it here; you can see the formatted table of ingredients in the following link.


CLICK HERE TO GO TO SudsMaster's LINK


Post# 1122880 , Reply# 20   7/10/2021 at 17:56 (992 days old) by Adam-aussie-vac (Canberra ACT)        

Don’t worry about the formatting, it’s alright and thank you for linking me to the ingredients list

Post# 1122897 , Reply# 21   7/10/2021 at 21:40 (991 days old) by norgeway (mocksville n c )        
Kirkland detergent,,,

The first and last time i tried it I ended up at the Doctors office getting a Kenalog shot for the worst contact dermatitis, That stuff broke me out from head to toe,


Post# 1122899 , Reply# 22   7/10/2021 at 23:05 (991 days old) by SudsMaster (SF Bay Area, California)        

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I cannot comment on Hans' bad experience, but if you look at the ingredient listing linked above, you'll see that the Kirkland institutional laundry detergent has far fewer chemical additives than many of the other products listed. Its only fragrance chemical is Limonene, which has been in use for ages and found to have low toxicity. The other ingredients are also relatively common.

In particular the scented products have a long list of fragrance additives. The high sodium carbonate component (30-70%) of the Kirkland institutional product would be enough to put me off it. Not for health reasons, but to prevent hard water precipitates in the washer.




This post was last edited 07/10/2021 at 23:50
Post# 1122900 , Reply# 23   7/10/2021 at 23:07 (991 days old) by SudsMaster (SF Bay Area, California)        

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In the past I used a fair amount of Sears Ultra Plus powdered detergent. It was pretty good, but when I got my Miele machines I switched to Persil, both powder and later liquid. I add a tbs of STPP to the washer as well.

Post# 1122933 , Reply# 24   7/11/2021 at 08:19 (991 days old) by Launderess (Quiet Please, There´s a Lady on Stage)        

This post has been removed by the member who posted it.



Post# 1123379 , Reply# 25   7/15/2021 at 22:06 (986 days old) by SudsMaster (SF Bay Area, California)        

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I did find a use for the Kirkland Institutional Laundry Detergent the other day. I have a shredding machine that I use to process ivy trimmings about every year or so. The trimmings then go into the compost bins; it makes for great compost.

Anyway, I noticed the collection bag had sprung a hole, maybe an inch or two diameter. Too many shredings were getting through that hole. And the bad itself was filthy. I wanted to bring it in to sew up the hole on the Singer, but not in that condition.

So I got a three gallon bucket, filled it with about 1.5 gallons water, added a scoop of the Kirkland, tossed in the collection bag, swirled it around with a stick, and let it sit a bit.

The water turned jet black. I had to change the water for three or more rinses to get rid of the black (it's a white synthetic bag). Hung it on the line overnight, and sewed it up the next day.

The black wash water and rinses went down the drain.

Oh, and the collection bag still has stains... not gonna worry about that. It may have only a few years life left, at which point I'll need to replace it.


Post# 1123503 , Reply# 26   7/17/2021 at 08:26 (985 days old) by Rapunzel (Sydney)        

I like Kirkland. It cleans well, rinses out easy and is good value. However, I also add either Clorox or Borax. Kirkland isn’t heavily perfumed. My clothes smell clean and fresh and they are not hard and scratchy.

Post# 1123504 , Reply# 27   7/17/2021 at 08:32 (985 days old) by Rapunzel (Sydney)        

I like Kirkland. It cleans well, rinses out easy and is good value. However, I also add either Clorox or Borax. Kirkland isn’t heavily perfumed. My clothes smell clean and fresh and they are not hard and scratchy. However, I also use Cold Power, Softly and Lovables.

Post# 1123505 , Reply# 28   7/17/2021 at 08:47 (985 days old) by Adam-aussie-vac (Canberra ACT)        
Rapunzel

Does it work better than the Coles/woollies/Aldi El cheapo detergent?

Post# 1123556 , Reply# 29   7/18/2021 at 02:48 (984 days old) by rapunzel (Sydney)        

I have never used the el cheapo or most of the other popular detergents. They are too heavily perfumed for my liking. Cold Power has a nice scent that tends to rinse out so it isn't overpowering. The strongest scented detergent I use is 'Lovables.' It is specifically designed for black and dark clothes. However, it is also more tolerable than the Radiant version of the same type of detergent. I find Radiant particularly offensive on my olfactory senses and can smell that detergent on other people from miles away. Softly for woolies and delicates is another product I use, which I find works really well. I've tried Tide liquid from Costco, but wasn't that fussed with it. Occasionally I get Woolite shipped from the USA Foods store.

Aldi detergent is supposed to be quite effective and good value for money. A few years back I tried the Trimat something or other from Aldi and it wasn't too bad. The dollar shops used to have some US and Canadian detergents on their shelves and I remember buying detergent sheets from Canada, which smelt quite nice and seemed to do a good job. However, once gone from the shelves, they never materialised again.

I machine dry most of my clothes and only line-dry items that aren't suitable for that. Beach and pool towels go on the line, but all my bath towels go in the dryer. I find that towels feel softer when they are machine dried and most of my other clothes come out softer and with fewer wrinkles when they go through the dryer. At home I process a lot of laundry for between six and more people; and line drying just isn't an option with that much laundry.


Post# 1123573 , Reply# 30   7/18/2021 at 10:02 (984 days old) by Adam-aussie-vac (Canberra ACT)        
I always seem to pick up at least one bottle of

LAs totally awesome laundry detergent, and stay remover whenever I see a bottle I know that the reject shop has had let me see Vietnamese detergent, Czechoslovakian detergent Russian detergent and I think even possibly Chinese detergent

Post# 1147529 , Reply# 31   4/27/2022 at 12:27 (701 days old) by Adam-aussie-vac (Canberra ACT)        
I know this thread is a couple of years old

But Rapunzel, I wanted to add the one detergent I honestly can’t really stand is the extra large box of ALDI Trimat detergent, It’s probably the only detergent I currently know of that actually makes me cough simply because of how goddamn strong the fragrance is

Post# 1147617 , Reply# 32   4/28/2022 at 08:15 (700 days old) by Launderess (Quiet Please, There´s a Lady on Stage)        

launderess's profile picture
There's always Amazon, and it's selling out fast.

www.amazon.com/Kirkland-L...


Post# 1147618 , Reply# 33   4/28/2022 at 08:18 (700 days old) by Launderess (Quiet Please, There´s a Lady on Stage)        

launderess's profile picture
Believe this was or still is an AW member. Regardless have always loved his YT videos.






Post# 1147635 , Reply# 34   4/28/2022 at 14:04 (700 days old) by SudsMaster (SF Bay Area, California)        

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I did my monthly (approx) Costco trip this morning. In addition to chicken pot pies, picked up a bucket of Kirkland laundry powder. It will probably wind up sitting next to the still almost full bucket in the workshop. However I do have some concrete flooring back there that needs to be cleaned....

Starting to realize I got way too many toys. Might be time to start planning a downsize...


Post# 1147636 , Reply# 35   4/28/2022 at 14:14 (700 days old) by SudsMaster (SF Bay Area, California)        

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The Florence Ballard chap gave it the thumbs up, basically.

The price I paid today for the bucket was about $18.

Cannot remember what I paid some years ago for the other bucket currently in the workshop. Probably around $10.


Post# 1147655 , Reply# 36   4/28/2022 at 23:29 (699 days old) by SudsMaster (SF Bay Area, California)        

sudsmaster's profile picture
I just did a search on the Costco.com site, and the Kirkland Powder Laundry detergent cannot be found. So I guess it is being discontinued.



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