Hi mieleforme,

be aware that liquids DON'T contain oxigen bleach, while powders DO.

Many people say that powders work better on stains and whites .... would you ever say that a washer/dryer combo dryes better than a plain washer ? Obviously yes, the washer just washes. In detergents it is not so obvious

Be Persil, be miele liquid, be Tide , be whatever brand you want, when washing whites with liquids you have to use oxy bleach too. Anyway liquids work better than powders on greases and oils.

I'm currently using this version with eucalyptus oil : it cleans well and rinses well, but leaves a strong vicks vaporub like smell ... hope to consume it ASAP, i haven't colds all the time :)

Yes, don't waste your money on liquid detergents - even Persil. As mentioned, they don't contain bleach so they cannot remove certain types of stains. Whitening occurs simply through optical brighteners, which will make items *look* whiter (cleaner) than they actually are.

Liquid detergent also don't contain powdered water softener. Instead, they use an extra dose of surfactants to soften the water, which is bad for the environment.

German consumer reports never rates liquid or gel detergents as well as powdered ones.

Alex

Thanks for the info, I had forgotten the lack of bleaching agents in liquid detergents. IÂll leave the whitening to the powder. However, the main reason I wanted to get a liquid detergent was based on the suggestion from Miele to use liquid detergent on Denim, comforters, and for a express wash. I also use it to pre- treat on rare occasions. So for this I was thinking of using the liquid for colors which wouldnÂt have bleaching agents anyhow. Why is it Miele suggest liquid for these items anyhow? Does it dissolve faster? Guaranteed no residue for tough, bulky, or quick washes? IÂve never had problems with powder but if thereÂs a better way to wash certain items IÂm down to learn. Thanks Everyone!

Many european powders contain zeolithes that work as a water softening agent. Zeolithes are insoluble compounds (clay silicates), so if you use them on darks, you'll notice plenty of tiny grains on your laundry. That's why manufacturers suggest liquids for darks and denim.

I hate powder with zeolithes because they leave terry towels rough. You can rinse for ever, no matter if the machine is a vintage water hog, no matter you repeat the whole rinse routine, towels feel rough. I use powder without zeolithes just those rare times I run a boilwash - usually i never go beyond 140°F

Liquids dissolve faster, that's good for Miele and Bosch low level, slow motion, wetclean-like handwash cycles and also for the 20 mins express cycle

Don't want to bore with another flood post as i usually do :) .... you can get lots of tips from pages 42 ---> 46 and 56 of this manual .

Denim: those powdered water softening agent often tend to leave a white residue behind - especially with modern, ultra-low-water-level washers. Even more so, if the washer is overloaded. Since denim is a rather stiff fabric, it needs more room to tumble than regular fabrics. In case of an overstuffed washer, powdered detergent (the softener) remains in the creases. All-denim loads should not fill the drum more than approx. 50%.

Quick wash: yes, liquid detergent dissolves faster. But I think, since US washers start the cycle with already warm water, even powder should dissolve fairly quickly.

Comforters: if filled with real feathers, one should use a down detergent - such as available from Miele - in order not to overly degrease the filling (so I read on automaticwasher.org). Again, powdered can set and remain in the creases of bulky comforters.

Alex (who's looking forward to more videos ;-) )

Hidroman,

are you also on aw.org? Just wondering.

Hi Alexx ;)
yes ... but here i'm fed up with my AEG DW nicks ;)

I knew it was you! :)

I was actually considering getting some of the Persil Liquid to use as a pre-spotter since I think it contains both enzymes and surfactants. The enzymes in particular should make it quicker and more potent than the old standby, blue Dawn, which can make the wash a bit foamy if you have a lot of stuff to pre-treat.

The zeolite problem is one example of how hard it's been to find good substitutes for phosphates. Of course, adding phosphate to a detergent containing zeolites wouldn't make them disappear.

Hello,

Can someone explain the difference between Persil Color Gel Liquid and Persil Color Megaperls...not that one is liquid and one is powder, but the chemical makeup that would make one better than the other in the laundry.

Also...

Will someone explain the difference between Persil Universal Powder and Persil Megaperls for whites? What ingredients would make one a better option in the laundry?

Thank you in advance for responding.

Hi Mieleforme,

I am currently using the following detergents:

Dash powder (italian) by P & G
Dixan universal powder (italian) by Henkel = German Persil
Dixan Multicolor liquid - I like this liquid for my colours, nice scent and cleans well, even coloured towels up to 60 degrees.
I also have Miele UltraWhite, Sensitive and UltraColor detergents. Waiting on the UltraColor liquid.

Use the powder for the whites or if anything coloured needs a deep clean and the liquid for my coloureds, light or dark.

The Miele detergents are zeolite free, but the towels still feel rough if lined dried, so I always dry them in the dryer.

Where do you get the Italian Henkel detergents? Are they Cheaper than Persil?