Setec Astronomy
Well-known member
- Aug 31, 2010
- 17,097
- 1,400
So we know that high-efficiency (HE) washing machines require special HE detergent that produces less suds/foam. So a detergent that doesn't have the HE designation would therefore only be suitable for a conventional washer, so we could refer to the two types of detergent as HE and "conventional only".
So I keep hearing about Persil which is a German detergent and new to this market, and how some people have had good success using it to wash microfiber towels, and that it was recently rated in Consumer Reports as the best, knocking Tide out of the top spot.
So I'm reading the review, and they list several Tide detergents as "designated HE only"...huh? I can understand how something can be for conventional only, but I can't fathom what would make an HE detergent unsuitable for a conventional machine. I even looked up what's different about HE detergents: http://www.cleaninginstitute.org/assets/1/page/he.pdf (page 6) and it would seem those qualities would be equally effective in a conventional machine.
I did go to the Tide website and they do indeed say (at least for the flavor I looked at) "Tide Ultra Stain Release is available in two formulations: HE and standard. We recommend only using Tide Ultra Stain Release HE with high efficiency washers." Which certainly implies they don't recommend it for conventional washers.
I don't get it. Unless it gets back to the suds argument we have here over car shampoos where the chemists say that suds don't help and have no importance in cleaning and that the foaming agents are only put in for the customer to feel good about it and because they expect it (and some members argue that foam mechanically helps cleaning the car). So maybe Tide is afraid that if you don't see enough foam when using an HE detergent in your conventional washer you will be disappointed in the product.
So I keep hearing about Persil which is a German detergent and new to this market, and how some people have had good success using it to wash microfiber towels, and that it was recently rated in Consumer Reports as the best, knocking Tide out of the top spot.
So I'm reading the review, and they list several Tide detergents as "designated HE only"...huh? I can understand how something can be for conventional only, but I can't fathom what would make an HE detergent unsuitable for a conventional machine. I even looked up what's different about HE detergents: http://www.cleaninginstitute.org/assets/1/page/he.pdf (page 6) and it would seem those qualities would be equally effective in a conventional machine.
I did go to the Tide website and they do indeed say (at least for the flavor I looked at) "Tide Ultra Stain Release is available in two formulations: HE and standard. We recommend only using Tide Ultra Stain Release HE with high efficiency washers." Which certainly implies they don't recommend it for conventional washers.
I don't get it. Unless it gets back to the suds argument we have here over car shampoos where the chemists say that suds don't help and have no importance in cleaning and that the foaming agents are only put in for the customer to feel good about it and because they expect it (and some members argue that foam mechanically helps cleaning the car). So maybe Tide is afraid that if you don't see enough foam when using an HE detergent in your conventional washer you will be disappointed in the product.
