a whole entry about laundry detergents, prepare yourselves
Laundry detergent is not an exception to the rule of "You get what you pay for." You might think that most all soaps clean the same, and they probably do; all of this talk of releasing dirt and powering away grease or grass stains is mainly hype. You can't always get the stains out, but you can if you are lucky and do it right, pretty much regardless of what detergent you may use. However, the real selling point as far as I am concerned, is fragrance. Let me tell you why. I bought a huge jug of no-name laundry detergent at Wal-Mart the other day. It seemed to smell acceptable when I opened the bottle and took a hurried whiff of the concentrated form. Plus it was $2-3-4 more in price than other detergents (e.g. Gain, Tide, or Oxydol, respectively), so it was a deal that I couldn't pass up, and I honestly thought these savings would benefit me. I don't need oxygen action, and I sort my clothes so I don't need color protection, or any of that other bs.I got home and started to do some laundry; starting the water filling the tub of the washing machine, pouring in a cupful of the detergent. Then I notice a foul stench that I imagine can only be described as Wet Dog or maybe Sewer Fresh. I reexamine the label to make sure that I got the correct scent. No, not what I was expecting, "Original Scent." Well, not exactly descriptive, I can't argue with that. I have never had the displeasure of smelling any cleaning product this foul ever before. The bottle of it is so big, and I am so tight, that I cannot bear to throw it away and go buy new detergent, so instead I use twice as much fabric softener just to foster clean clothes with a pleasant odor. And thank goodness for dryer sheets. Almost a week later, it still smells nasty when I use it.Needless to say I'll be going back to something else. I really liked Gain's Tropical Island scent, it was very faint and not feminine, and the price was not exorbitant.. not to mention the packaging has really garish and distracting colors all over it (possibly the biggest selling point). I don't know how I can make this journal entry more domestic, though a poll about laundry would be a great start. Here's an lj-poll about laundry, detergent, and softener in case you are really bored and enjoy statistics like me. Poll #170741 laundry
Open to: All, detailed results viewable to: AllYou wash your clothes: (check all that apply)

View AnswersExclusively 4 (28.6%)Usually 4 (28.6%)Some of the time 4 (28.6%)Rarely 0 (0.0%)Never 1 (7.1%)Only when the maid is on vacation 2 (14.3%)Always, all of my clothes, and the rest of my family's clothes, and friend's clothes, and.. 2 (14.3%)Happily 5 (35.7%)Apathetically 3 (21.4%)Begrudgingly 4 (28.6%)