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larsi_gw

New Cheer Bright Clean Concentrated Powder Detergent

larsi_gw
12 years ago

Ok...Livebetter and liriodendron are SO right; this stuff is really, really good!

I told myself NO more laundry products, since my family is bringing me an entire suitcase filled with German detergents and softeners in September. But, of course I could not resisit the temptation :)

I bought a big box (120 loads) at Target today. It was $19.99...a little expensive I think, but 120 loads is a lot of soap.

I've used it 2 times now...a load of clothes and a load of towels. This stuff does not suds, or at least almost nothing. And the rinse water (all 3 rinses) have barely a few bubbles. On purpose I did not use Downy softener (softener is great at cutting suds & bubbles). By the final and 3rd rinse, with using just the Cheer Powder...the water was basically clear.

This Cheer powder made less suds during the wash and rinses than my Tide he powder, Tide he liquid, Cheer he liquid and even Persil Color Gel. Like NO suds!!

Even though this is NOT he (high efficiency) detergent...it works beautifully in my Miele front loader (W4842). The stainless is shiny and clean!

The smell of this Cheer is VERY faint and clean. I would like it to smell stronger honestly, since it smells great. After rinsing and drying, there is only a very faint hint of scent. Clean, light and very natural!

Comments (55)

  • Cavimum
    12 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    @'sshrivastava - I understand what you are saying, but you'll have to trust me on this. Stiff & scratchy knit shirts, crunchy sheets, lots of suds in the rinses, I think this is why my DH got the rash from Persil and I was so itchy. No problems with Persil now, and the scent doesn't bother me; I rather enjoy it now. I never had these problems with the old extra-large capacity TL machine.

    I have not raised my machine's water levels like you and others have, so please keep that in mind. Miele phone tech support guy says the small amount of water this machine uses makes a big difference in detergent amount needed. It makes sense to me and I've become a John Shipkowski believer. ;o)

    After talking with Miele consumer tech support, I took all the "clean" clothes and ran them through a Rinse/Spin cycle. OMG the amount of suds that produced! When there are lots of suds still sitting on the gasket and in front of those drain holes after the cycle is over, something is not right. Some of them had to be run thru the wrinkle-free cycle w/o detergent. With the reduced detergent dosing, our clothes, sheets and towels are now much softer.

    Even using half the recommended amount of detergent is too much. I had been doing that for a while. There were lots of laundry loads that I had to do extra rinse/spin cycles to get rid of the suds. I know, it's bizarre; truth is stranger than fiction.

    My Miele salesman told me to use 1/4 the recommended dose when I bought the machine. I thought he meant my leftover non-HE detergent for the TL. Now I realize he meant HE detergent. Two weeks ago, Miele phone cust. support in Princeton, NJ, told me the same thing - 1/4 the recommended HE detergent - so salesguy was right, and he knows our local water. Most of my laundry loads half-fill the drum, so I go 1/8 amt. detergent with them. But remember, my water levels are at factory set levels. You and I may have to agree to disagree on this. ;o) There is no way I'm going back to full-dosing detergent.

    I wonder if there was a change in the manufacturing of the W4842 for 2011. Ours was made in Feb. 2011. I think most of this group here bought theirs in 2010? Could the earlier versions have come with higher water levels from the get-go? Something is different.

  • Anceska
    12 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Hello everyone, I wonder how do you test water for hardness? it seems to know such information is an important factor to determine how much detergant to use in a FL washing machine? I live in South Florida, does any of you know what is the water here like?
    Thank you

  • livebetter
    12 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    First, clearly I meant "nirvana" not "nervana" ... lol ...

    Wow ... @cavimum that is a small amount. I can't believe with your water you would use such a small amount. But you would know (I hope).

    What did you think of Cheer Powder? Like the smell? Think it cleans?

    @larsi, what did you think of cleaning?

    I thought it did just fine. My load was not overly dirty but there were a few of my kids' socks in there. They came out nice and clean.

    I'm going to test our water but they say it's around 8 - 9 grains. I used 3 tbsp for a not so dirty medium load and it seemed OK.

    I think you had sudsing with Vaska too right? I can use Vaska OK. I need to be careful about dosing correctly for the load but if I do it right than all is OK (no suds at the end).

    My water levels are also still at factory settings.

  • larsi_gw
    Original Author
    12 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    I think this Cheer powder cleans really well!! I did a load when my almost 5 year old came home this late afternoon from summer camp. He dropped his red, white and blue canvas beach bag in mud (and then it dried all day, sitting in the hot sun today...it was 105F today :-o.

    I washed the canvas bag along with his dirty socks, lunch stained t-shirt (PB & Jelly), swim clothes and 2 not so fresh beach towels he used at camp and to sit under a big oak tree on the grass and dirt (Ick, kids are just so gross...LOL). EVERYTHING came out sparkling clean.

    The only negative so far is the smell, or lack of smell. After 2-3 rinses in my Miele and then drying...there is almost no smell. The powder in the box smells so good, but it just goes away (I know, I know...a big plus for most of you!!).

    I have to say, I am impressed with the cleaning, but most of all almost zero suds during the wash and rinse levels.

    I am filling the provided cup to line 2. I'm sorry, gonna be outspoken on this one...to those that use a tablespoon or less of detergent, you're nuts. That is NOT enough detergent to clean clothes and prevent soils from re-depositing back onto clothes.

  • Cavimum
    12 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    @livebetter - The scent is nice and light; not overpowering and not likely to offend my über sensitive sinuses. Scent clung to some garments more than others, although all were cottons. (I'll never figure that one out) IMO it cleaned as well as anything else I've used.

  • suburbanmd
    12 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Miele suddenly advising 1/4 of the recommended detergent dose is quite a turnaround from the manual, which says "Closely follow the requirements of the detergent manufacturer." Very strange IMO.

  • liriodendron
    12 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    For most loads in my (smaller than the 4800 series) Mieles (and Askos) I use one green Charlie's Soap scoop, or about 1 TABLESPOON. That's been my standard since the mid-1990s. I just went and checked a carton and the box recommends 3/8 c (6 Tbs.) for medium loads; 1/2 c (8 Tbs.)for medium w/heavy soil or "normal" soil large loads; and 3/4 c (12 Tbs.) for large loads with heavy soil. My box may be an older formulation as I buy it in large quanities to insulate myself from product reformulations. Newer, more concentrated products may require less, by volume. At any rate I see I am using just 1/8th of the recommended mid-range dose of this particular version, and it has worked just fine for me for a long time.

    I'm not sure I understand the need to add more product than necessary for good cleaning with a particular water source. To me, the only criteria is whether your wash gets completely clean. Slippery water is a surrogate marker in the wash liquor and is more about the water chemistry in combination with the product. Certain chemical combinations might give slipperiness, without doing much cleaning at all. Of course some products don't give satifactory cleaning without FL-confounding amounts of suds, or have inherently poor rinsing qualities. Those got scratched pretty fast back when I was testing.

    Keep in mind, too, that my machines are the smaller, cold water-fed (i.e. true profile washing), default long-cycle, horizontal axis, Euro style critters and that I am not at all shy about using warm to hot water where tolerated by the fabrics. Those factors may all combine to make my small detergent quantity more effective at cleaning than it might be in other machines. As always, YMMV, so test it yourself.

    To arrive at my dosing schedule I started at about 2 or 3 Tbs (I'm trying to recall as it was more than 13 or 14 years ago). I kept it a one level for a few weeks and studied the results, even deliberately staining old white T-shirts and washing to observe the results. When I had a level that seemed OK, I cut it again, and again, until I arrived at the smallest dose that worked very well. When I am forced to purchase a new and improved version, I test again.

    My water is fairly soft, but with some minerals. (It is a natural ground water spring in a shallow well.) No artificial water softener used.

    I think the best advice we can give to people who fetch up here on the laundry forum and ask this age-old question is to try a moderate level and if suds, scratchiness, poor cleaning or rinsing appear, then try reducing the amount of product and study the results. With some water chemistry this will work, others not. But there is no harm in trying.

    I live on a farm, so our soil loads are sometimes pretty bad, in those cases I will add more detergent and opt for the pre-wash. Occasionally, with particularly challenging loads, I'll add even bit more to the wash phase, but it quickly (at about the 3.5 Tbs level per load) results in poor rinsing, some suds remaining and poor cleaning. The water feels quite slippery then, but the clothes feel, and look, awful because of the excess detergent that accumulates within the weave. Fortunately the cure for that is a simple, hot-ish, product-free, clear wash.

    Since my box is nominally a 120 load package, and I normally use just 1/6th of the lowest dose on the box (which is how the loads per box is calculated), I am getting about 700 loads per carton. Which makes it very, very, inexpensive. (If Larsi's price is current, then I am paying about 2 cents per load.) A box usually lasts me about 16 to 18 months- and I do a prodigious amount of laundry every week. (Though not all loads are Cheer loads, as I wash woolens, down, synthetic, Gore-Tex, silks, sneakers, etc., in different specialty products.)

    The most helpful thing to advise people to do is to test products and dosing in their own machines. It can feel like too much work to measure accurately and consistently while doing the tests, but it's actually the fastest way to arrive at a valid conclusion about a product or quantity.

    If you prefer more scent residue, you could try adding something to the rinse water, or dryer, if you use one. For me, Cheer-washed cottons, dried in the sun and breeze are olfactory heaven. You could also use sachets in your closets and drawers.

    HTH,
    L

  • livebetter
    12 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    I had used 3 tbsp on a medium, not so dirty load of my kids' clothes. I found the cleaning good (dirty socks came clean) and the smell perfect.

    I measured this morning to be sure and line "1" is 4 tbsp, line "2" is 6 tbsp and line "3" appears to be 9 tbsp. This is the new concentrated version of Cheer non-HE powder.

    However, if this is non-HE, this is the dose recommended for TL machines - right? With A LOT more water - right?

    Oddly though, this is the same scoop and same dosing instructions as Tide HE. Huh?

    Comparing the box of Tide Original Scent HE vs. Cheer non-HE powder. Both say "use 1/3 less" - new concentrated version.

    Tide HE, original scent
    concentrated
    1.5 kg / 40 loads
    same scoop as Cheer
    line 1 - medium loads
    line 2 - large loads or heavily soiled medium loads
    line 3 - heavily soiled large loads

    Cheer, non-HE
    concentrated
    1.5 kg / 40 loads
    same scoop as Tide HE
    line 1 - medium loads
    line 2 - large loads or heavily soiled medium loads
    line 3 - heavily soiled large loads

    Of course, no indication what size drum they are referring too or water quality. This is where the European detergents do better (instructions for use).

    I emailed P&G asking them what's up with this powder. I asked why the HE and non-HE have the exact same ingredients and how dosing was the same as Tide HE. I asked about using this non-HE in a FL washer. We'll see what they say.

    @Larsi, I think it's a great detergent for kids. No brighteners and no overwhelming fragrance. Since you lost your Greenworks, this could be perfect for you.

  • livebetter
    12 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Just a FYI - here are the ingredients of both Cheer and Tide to compare. FWIW, I'm not a chemist so can't say what it really means just thought it would be interesting to compare.

    Cheer, non-HE concentrated powder
    (although the HE version of Cheer lists the same ingredients in the same order)

    Sodium Carbonate
    Sodium Alluminosilicate
    Alkyl Sulfate
    Sodium Sulfate
    Linear Alkylbenzene Sulfonate
    Water
    Silicate
    Sodium Percarbonate
    Ethoxylate
    Polyethylene Glycol 4000
    Sodium Polyacrylate
    Fragrance
    Protease
    Silicone

    Tide, HE, original scent

    Sodium Aluminosilicate
    Sodium Sulfate
    Sodium Carbonate
    Linear Alkylbenzene Sulfonate
    Water
    Nonanoyloxybenzenesulfonate
    Alkyl Sulfate
    Sodium Percarbonate
    Sodium Polyacrylate
    Polyethylene Glycol 4000
    Fragrance
    Diethylenetriamine Pentaacetate (Sodium Salt)
    Disodium Diaminostilbene Disulfonate
    Palmitic Acid
    Protease
    Silicone
    Modified Starch

  • larsi_gw
    Original Author
    12 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    @ Livebetter..

    Yes, I am thinking this Cheer Powder is GREAT for my son's clothes. The smell is very faint (leads me to think the perfume amount used is quite low) and I love that there are no Optical Brighteners. For all my black and navy clothing...happy there are No OPs as well. While some of you hate fragrance or dislike enzymes...I am really hating OPs. They kind of freak me out.

    I used this Cheer powder this early am, on a medium sized load of kitchen towels, bathroom hand towels and some of my son's socks...ALL clean, fresh and basically perfect.

    Oh, why, why am I fearing P&G will discontinue this great product?? And then replace it with something that contains a dozen Optical Brighteners and will "smell" like "tropical apple mango day in the park ocean sunset crisp linen breeze glacier bay mountain fresh sunflower dream alpine rain meadow flower NONSENSE!! :)

  • Cavimum
    12 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    "Miele suddenly advising 1/4 of the recommended detergent dose is quite a turnaround from the manual, which says "Closely follow the requirements of the detergent manufacturer." Very strange IMO."

    I totally agree! I may work up to more than 1/4 dose, which the phone support tech said could happen, but 1/4 dose is the 'new and improved' starting point. Since I was having so many problems, and it took so much to get the 3-months worth of residue out, I am willing to take the conservative approach.

    Everyone's water chemistry is different. Definitely YMMV. We have good water here, but a water-soluble thread in a sewing project did not dissolve in our water (disaster!), yet it dissolved right away in water from a community six miles away with a slightly different source.

  • izeve
    12 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Are you sure the new Cheer powder is still OB free? with a name like "Bright Clean" I was afraid the formula may have been changed to include OBs. The website used to have a little blurb about the powder Cheer being OB free but I don't think it says that any more.

  • livebetter
    12 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    @izeve, I posted ingredients above (taken straight from their website). You can see Tide contains Disodium Diaminostilbene Disulfonate (optical brightener) but Cheer does not. P&G also told me by email that the powder does not contain OBAs. I think they use their chlorine neutralizing as the thing that helps keep colors bright.

    Weird that liquid Cheer contains them but powder does not.

  • izeve
    12 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Thanks, I didn't know the chemical name for the optical brightener so this is helpful. I may give Cheer a try as I've been looking for a powder detergent without OBs.

  • liriodendron
    12 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    The chlorine neutralizer may not be the only thing that keeps colors bright. IIRC, the enzymes (it may be the protease) are also there to help that. One of the reasons that colors begin to look washed out is that the fabrics gradually acquire a surface layer of fuzziness from simple abrasion while being worn. This has the optical effect of dulling or sueding the colors somewhat. What the brightener does is chemically eat the little fuzzy fibers off, exposing a less-worn surface and clearer colors. Tiny litle Pac-men in solution having a grand old time in my washer during the high speed spins!

    L

  • livebetter
    12 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    @liriodendron, the enzyme usually responsible for that is cellulase (which neither Tide powder or Cheer powder contain).

    Below info from P&G website (Science in the Box):

    Enzymes fit their target substrates like a lock fits a key.

    The active site of the enzyme is open only to specific target substances (i.e., substrates) with a matching chemical and 3-dimensional shape. If the substrate doesn't fit, it can't enter and no reaction occurs. This makes the action of enzymes highly specific for their substrates.

    Many classes of enzymes are known to improve the laundry process:

    - Proteases act on soils and stains containing proteins. Examples are collar & cuff soil-lines, grass, blood. Proteases are enzymes that break down a long protein into smaller chains called peptides (a peptide is simply a short amino acid chain).

    - Amylases remove starch-based soils and stains, e.g. sauces, ice-creams, gravy. Amylases break down starch chains into smaller sugar molecules.

    - Lipases are effective in removing oil / greasy body and food stains

    - Cellulases provide general cleaning benefits, especially on dust and mud, and also work on garments made from cellulosic fibers, minimizing pilling to restore color and softness

    Here is a link that might be useful: Chemical Functional Definitions - Enzymes

  • sshrivastava
    12 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    @ Cavimum

    Regarding water levels, my unit is set to factory defaults as well except for the following:

    Rinse Process: ON
    Automatic Load Control: ON
    Bleach: OFF
    Hygiene: ON
    Allergy: OFF
    Maximum Water Level: ON

    The only setting that affects the water level is the last one, and even then it only alters the rinse levels but doesn't affect the wash levels. I should be getting the same amount of water as you. Having a whole-house softener, I'm used to using very little soap, etc., and even after rinsing off in the shower I feel slippery. So I know the softener is working. Taking that into consideration, I could never get away with using 1/4 the recommended detergent dose. For Tide HE liquid, that would be a mere 1 TBSP for 4 cuft of tub. My Asko, which had about half the Miele's capacity, recommended 1-1.5 TBSP of HE detergent. I always used 1 TBSP without issue in the Asko. So extrapolating for load size, the Miele should take 2-3 TBSP for a normal load. I usually use about 3-4 TBSP.

  • izeve
    12 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    So I took the plunge last night and got some Cheer powder. No Target, Walmart or grocery store around me seems to have it but a Big Lots store near me has the older (not concentrated) version. They had small 15 load boxes for $2 and large 120 load boxes for $13. I bought the little one to try and, if I like it, I will get the large box. I did one load last night - medium size load of various bright colored clothes. I used the smallest recommended dose on the box (which is recommended for medium loads). My washer is LG FL, I used very warm wash, extra rinse. I had no suds whatsoever, rinses were clear and after drying, there is very faint clean scent remaining on the clothes. Everything came out clean and fresh, although none of the items had visible stains going in. But I had some sweaty gym clothes in the load and those came out smelling good.
    I think I will get the large box. I hope it really delivers on its "no fading" claims!

  • liriodendron
    12 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    @Livebetter

    Thanks for posting about the specific effects of the various enzymes. It was very helpful.

    All these years I've been faintly anxious about the idea of the enzymes munching up the little surface fuzziness, but reassured when I saw no damage from them. Now that I know they are not there, it's even better. I recall when the concept was first being touted and somehow I got the immpression they were in my Cheer. I think it was when they went to the color-guard version, from the previous one. I was also wary when they changed to the Bright version. But I saw no actual difference, so I concluded that it might be mostly marketing and went right on using the product. The detailed info on the P&G website sounds very interesting, I'll have to look at it. It's seems vastly better than the last time I looked a few years ago, when companies were taking a much more secretive approach as if to protect "trade secrets". Silly really since I expect their competitors employ professional chemists who could arrive at the formula with simple product testing so there was nothing to protect. Only point seemed to be to baffle consumers.

    L

  • sshrivastava
    12 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    @ liriodendron

    The fabric "fuzz" is one of the reasons I use Tide Totalcare and Persil Megaperls. They both contain cellulase which helps reduce the fuzz. Tide Totalcare also does a few other things to preserve colors and soften fibers. I much prefer this version of Tide to the regulars, which means it will probably be discontinued soon!

  • liriodendron
    12 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    @sshrivastava

    I don't notice any fuzzies, but I always thought it was because Cheer enzymes were munching them off. I wonder if now that I know Cheer doesn't have the required enzyme whether I'll start to see them.

    Tide is too stinky for me. My DH wears a medical garment that the manufacturer specifies must be washed in Tide, so I hold my nose and use it one load per week. I run a clean cycle after I wash it to get the odor of Tide out of my machine.

    Persil Megapearls doesn't ring my chimes, either, as I don't think it does a very good cleaning job despite its vaunted reputation. Kinda of like Charlie's Soap, many people swear by it, but I found it does a middling-to-poor job with my water. I keep some on hand for visitors who must have their stuff washed in it, but that's the only use I have for it. I used to like the Persil powder and when my husband traveled to Europe he was always tasked with bringing some back. But the Megapearls formulation is different, and not as effective in my opinion. I adore Perwol powder however, it is my mainstay wool-washing product. I do 4 to 5 loads of it per week.

    Mostly, though, for me it's Cheer powder day in and out.

    L

  • jewels04
    12 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Maybe my clothes aren't coming clean or my water is wierd but I have been using 1/2 a scoop of detergent in my machine on FULL loads. The box says to use 1 scoop so i'm using half the reccomended dosing.

    My clothes seem clean though. How do you know if you're using enough?

  • sshrivastava
    12 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    @ jewels04

    My own process is to pop the door a few minutes into the wash cycle to test the water for a soapy, slippery feel. If the water isn't slippery, I need to add more detergent. Another thing I look for is a small trail of bubbles on the glass porthole. If I just see plain water washing down the door, there isn't enough detergent. There should be a small amount of bubbles visible. I did this the first few times I washed in my machine so I could get a sense of the dose - I don't do this every time! LOL

    In my opinion, without the above two signs in my favor, I might as well forgo the detergent, wash in plain water and save myself some money. Some will disagree with me, but using the above methodology has caused me to effectively increase my detergent dosage without causing sudsing issues. The cleanliness of my clothes have improved with the increase in detergent. When I cut back on the manufacturer's recommendation, I cut back by about 25%. I'm not one of those people who thinks there is a conspiracy among detergent manufacturers to get us to use more. The legal liabilities are tremendous should it ever be proven that detergent companies are making an effort to consciously dupe the public. Rather than believe in conspiracies, I do believe that the recommendations are generally a "one size fits all" solution given the wide geographical distribution of most detergent products. Less may work for you, more may work better for someone else. It's trial and error, but no conspiracies.

  • jewels04
    12 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    well my machine won't let me open the door in the machine until the end of the wash cycle but I do see a small amount of bubbles on the glass door and when the wash is all done there are some bubbles on the door I have to wipe off. My clothes seem clean...knock on wood. But maybe I will keep experimenting with a little more detergent to see how that makes them.

    I think I am going to buy some of the Cheer powder detergent since I really like how powder is cleaning my clothes in this machine as opposed to the liquid. I've tried purex and wisk HE liquid and had to rewash my clothes with powder because the clothes just didn't seem to be as nice with liquid as opposed to the powder. But I use the liquid for pretreating and it works great.

  • happymomof2kids
    12 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Okay, now I have to try the new concentrated version of Cheer powder. LOL. It is inexpensive here and if it works well enough and has such little scent, it would be perfect. The Sears powder began to fade our colored clothes despite it saying it would help protect colors, and I love the Persil Megaperls, but it is really expensive for me. LOL. Maybe the concentrated version of the Cheer powder is what I need. Thank you all for posting all of this information.

  • jewels04
    12 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    well I bought cheer today $12 for a box that does 80 loads I could only find it in 1 store here. My clothes are in the process of washing now and I used roughly 3 tablespoons. I have some sudsing, not noticeably more than the Sears powder we use. I'll update when my clothes are completely washed and dried. But I love the smell when I open the box :) !

  • illinigirl
    12 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    i also bought this today at Target. I thought it sudsed more than my usual HE liquids (Kirkland HE or Tide HE). I used about half way or a little less up to the line one marking on the provided scoop

    I like the scent though.

  • jewels04
    12 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    that's basically what I did. I use 2 tablespoons of the Sears powder so I used that scoop and I scooped up a little more powder than I use with the Sears and put it in the Cheer measuring cup and it was about halfway to line 1.

    Seems to work well clothes came out clean, didn't feel crunchy, but they don't smell like cheer since I use the purex crystals fabric softner they smell like the softner. Don't really seem any softer/cleaner than with the Sears powder though. I will keep using it though because I tend to become allergic to detergents if I use them all the time so I figure it'll be good to switch around Sears and Cheer every couple loads.

  • happymomof2kids
    12 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    I must confess....I bought some Cheer Powder too. LOL. I filled the scoop provided to line one for a large load. It suds more than my HE detergents did, but not much. It also rinsed better than the Arm and Hammer HE and Purex HE liquids I had tried.

    I only had to do one extra, extra rinse with the Cheer where I had to do four extra, extra rinses with the A&H and Purex.

    Also, the load I did wasn't really dirty. Usually, the dirtier the clothes -- the less suds I see, so if I used it with a seriously dirty load, it would probably rinse out even better.

    The fragrance left behind after drying in the dryer was definitely mild and something we can use, and the clothes came out clean, so no complaints so far.

  • livebetter
    12 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    I am posting this information in this thread as well as my previous thread about Cheer Mystery.

    Well ... here is P&G's response and it's not what I wanted to hear. DRAG ... I REALLY like this powder detergent.
    "Thank you for contacting Cheer.

    Our HE and non-HE formulas are different and we don't recommend using a non-HE detergent in your HE washer.

    Only the use of a HE detergent ensures the proper performance of your washer. Since HE washers use less water to clean, the water is dirtier. Our HE detergent has special dirt capturing ingredients to suspend dirt and dyes in the water, which helps keep them from re-depositing on your clean laundry.

    Since we don't currently have a HE powder, I suggest either switching to Cheer HE liquid or trying Tide HE powder.

    Thanks for writing."

    I still think it's weird that their ingredients are the same?? or was that another P&G error ... sheesh ...

  • liriodendron
    12 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    @Livebetter: Why let flack-generated, CYA, mumbo-jumbo keep you from trying a product? Truly, nothing awful will happen to your machine from a trial. If it turns out not to work for you, you can donate the remainder of the box to an animal shelter.

    But if it works, who cares how it's labeled? Remember, pre-HE formulations Cheer powder was specifically named by FL manufacturers as a recommnded low-sudsing product. It worked very well then, and still does.

    @happyMom: try using less and see if that solves the suds issue, while maintaining good cleaning and rinsing. Measure with a kitchen tablespoon, or other small scoop, so you have load-to-load consistency for several test cycles - don't guesstimate the quantity during the trial period.

    HTH,

    L

  • sshrivastava
    12 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    I believe it's time for Consumer Reports to not only rank detergents by their effectiveness, but also to take detergent manufacturers to task regarding their ingredients. If P&G is putting ingredient lists out there, it is also assuming liability for their accuracy in the event that someone relies on those representations when purchasing their product. This is a lawsuit waiting to happen, and trust me - it will.

  • happymomof2kids
    12 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    @liriodendron,

    I only filled the scoop to line one for the initial test. Considering it suds less and rinsed better than two actual detergents I tried specifically labeled HE, I would say it did quite well. My washer is also notorious for bad rinsing. I've complained about it often on this forum over the past couple years. LOL

    I can cut it back on clothes that are not heavily soiled or just need a freshening, but I like using full doses for seriously messy stuff. I guess it will be Cheer on my lightly soiled colors and Persil Megaperls Color on the ones that are seriously nasty, which will stretch out the Persil and I should still get nice clean clothes.

    If all else fails, I can use it for presoaking, which I use to do with the Tide liquid HE I had when I got my frontloader and the Tide liquid was still way too sudsy. I am happy to see they fixed that problem.

  • Pat z6 MI
    9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Okay Everybody. Three years later, do you still like Cheer? Liquid or powder? Comments?
    Pat

  • miele1966
    9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    I adore Cheer powder. For the about the last decade, it's been the only detergent I've used on all my colored loads.

  • Pat z6 MI
    9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Okay again. Do you think Cheer powder cleans as well as Tide powder or anything else? Do those of you above who loved Cheer 3 years ago, still love it???? Sure wish P&G would make a free and sensitive version of the powder!!!!

  • sparky823
    9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Still like it, mostly for colors. Have used it in whites and it does fine---not as well as Tide with bleach powder but to me the Tide w/bleach can't be beat! (for whites).

  • Rault85
    9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    I've been using it for a while now and I love it. I had heard on another forum that it would probably be discontinued so I've been stocking up whenever I can find it. Im up to 9 boxes thus far!
    I don't use it for anything but everyday colored clothes and its doing great. Clothes don't seem faded at all. Still using Total Care/Colorguard for nicer clothes.

  • estysmith
    8 years ago

    Curious if anyone has had any experience with Cheer powder being able to restore the brightness of clothing. My daughter has an antique blue school sweatshirt that she claims is lighter than anyone's in her class. I have been washing it in tide original once a week and hanging it to dry. I do pretreat stains it with shout when needed. She came home asking me yesterday if there was any way to bring it back to it's original color which is darker than it currently is. I am wondering if cheer powder would do the trick, or any other advice. I would like to hear some advice before I go buy another detergent. Thanks so much!


  • estysmith
    8 years ago

    I do have tide with bleach alternative from Costco that I started using on whites and lights that I love. Would that work, or would it just make the sweatshirt even lighter? It's a medium blue sweatshirt.

  • Alex Chicago
    8 years ago

    I think that would only make matters worse. You could try Cheer (powder only) or Woolite for darks (liquid). Others will have some suggestions for other liquid OBA-free detergents. I believe Clorox Greenworks is also OBA-free, and is a good performer.

  • estysmith
    8 years ago

    Thanks Alex. I just don't understand how hers became lighter, while everyone else's stayed the same.

  • Alex Chicago
    8 years ago

    Have you seen it in comparison to the others?

  • estysmith
    8 years ago

    No, I haven't seen it myself. We all live in the same area, so our water shouldn't be so different. At first I was washing it on it's own because I was afraid of the color running. I put in a carbona color catcher and it turned blue the first few times. Now I wash it with the darks in warm water (I hardly ever use cold) with a carbona color catcher and tide original. Could it be that since I'm washing it with darker colors, that's the problem?

  • Alex Chicago
    8 years ago

    No, I really don't think so. Washing with other clothing - regardless of color - shouldn't cause an article to *fade*. Pick up colors, sure, but not lose. Maybe it's simply been washed more often than her classmates' shirts. Not sure. Or she's more active and spends more time in the sun with it? You mentioned hanging to dry but I suspect you mean indoor drying -- not out on the line.

  • estysmith
    8 years ago

    Yes, indoors. Much too cold outside now to hang dry out there. I told her the same thing, that maybe I wash hers more often than others. Do you think cheer powder would restore some of the original color by eliminating the ob's now that you read some more information? Thanks so much!

  • Alex Chicago
    8 years ago
    last modified: 8 years ago

    You're welcome. I would give Cheer powder a try, but this by all means an "under promise and over deliver" type suggestion. It won't hurt, but I'm not making any guarantees :)

  • mamapinky0
    8 years ago

    I Beth..hope you and the kiddos are all well. it could be it was washed more than the others, who knows...did you by any chance wash it with the A&H? I have blamed that detergent for slight fading. I don't think its from OB's that would cause more of a dusty look as if you dusted furniture with the garment. But to prevent any more fading I'd recomment cheer powder..but add the Cheer to the washer first, there's just a small amount of Sodium percarbonate in cheer not enough to fade colors but just enough to neutralize the chlorine in tap water, so by adding the cheer to the wash water first it will prevent the chlorine from causing fading..the sodium percarbonate in the cheer is the secret ingredient and why Cheer is considered a **Color Guard** detergent lol.

  • estysmith
    8 years ago

    Hi Cheryl, thanks also for responding. No, never used arm and hammer on that sweatshirt. I use tide on all my daughter's clothing. Majority of her clothing stay very nice. This sweatshirt, she is claiming, is losing its color. I think i will try thr Cheer powder. I saw it at Wal-Mart today, but wanted to check first with some of you guys here what you thought. Thanks again! Hope all is well with you and your family as well!