It's a toss up between Persil Color Gel (fine for whites too) or Tide he. Dollar for Dollar, I think I would choose Tide he liquid. It has always performed very well, smells great and makes things clean, fresh, soft and feel good!

In a hypothetical scenario where I had only one detergent to use on all of my laundry, including delicates, I would choose Tide HE Total Care. It has everything you need except for oxy bleach, which you can add as needed for white loads. The reason I choose this product is because it really does what it claims - it helps your clothes look and feel like new. I'm wearing a moss green shirt right now that was developing a fuzzy texture using another detergent, but after washing a few times in Total Care the fabric surface of the shirt is smooth again and it looks and feels like it did the day I bought it.

mara_2008 asks: "If you used one liquid detergent for all types of laundry from white cottons to jeans, what brand would you buy?"

Not a hypothetical. We use one liquid detergent for all types of laundry from white cottons to jeans. We have used it, the same liquid detergent, for years. The liquid detergent that we have used for all types of laundry for years is Biokleen All-Temperature; it never has failed us. (We do supplement the Biokleen with borax on most loads.)

Tide HE.

Can you use Tide HE in a TL?

@ utopiankitchens

Yes you can!

Part of my dilemma is this: Though I really like Tide Total Care and use it for some of my laundry, it is much more expensive (like twice as much) than Woolite Complete at my favorite warehouse store.

If anyone here has used both of these detergents, would you give me your opinion about using Woolite Complete on all types of laundry? My main concern is about its cleaning power (or lack thereof) on white cottons.

I thought i have been reading that TIDE HE is not very good for FL and one should be using powder detergent!?!?!

If Tide HE is ok to use what about GAIN HE ?!?!

@ jmith

You can use any HE detergent in your front loader - not just powders. The reason you hear a lot about powdered detergent is that many people falsely equate using liquid detergents with mold/mildew and build-up in their machines. However, this has nothing to do with using liquid detergent. If these same people used powders, they would probably still have the issue. The fundamental problem is generally solved when you start incorporating regular hot or sanitary washes into your routine.

Liquid detergents tend to be better on oil based stains whereas powders tend to be better at removing soil based stains. Most of my wearable garments, including linens and towels, get liquid while area rugs and pet bedding get powder.

@sshrivastava: thanks i wont be rushing out to get powder with my FL once i get them i will continue to use my HE tide and maybe try out Gain etc.

@mara 2008...

I personally felt Woolite Complete did not clean very well for me and my family (especially my now 5 year old :) He turned 5 on Saturday, they really do get so big, so fast!!

Anyway, Woolite Complete (like Vaska) does not contain enzymes (the reason both are safe for Wool and Silk). But for day to day clothes that might have a speck of food, or sauce, or kids paint, little brush against the car or tire...Woolite Complete does not remove stains very well.

Also, I found Woolite Complete does not make work out (gym) clothes smell fresh and clean. Vaska, also without enzymes cleans better. Still, I need and want enzymes.

For a detergent with enzymes and NO optical brighteners, Sstava is right..Tide Total Care he fits the bill right. But use the FULL recommended amount. Using less does not clean well, and it smells awful for some reason. Using the full amount makes the Total Care he smell clean and fresh. Odd, I know!

@ larsi

There actually may be optical brighteners in Tide HE Total Care. If you look at the ingredients list on the US site, there are no OBAs in Total Care. However, if you pull the same ingredients list from the Canadian Tide web site, you will see a more complete ingredients list including OBAs.

Regardless, if Total Care contains OBAs, I don't find that they fade darker clothing. I've been washing most of my clothes in Total Care. If anything, my colors appear to be getting richer and black garments are having no trouble retaining their blackness. I know you're probably not supposed to use Total Care on silks or other protein-based fibers since Total Care contains protease, but I used it on a load of silk dress shirts. Previously these shirts had been washed many times with Vaska, which has not removed certain light stains. While the shirts felt soft after washing in Vaska and ironing, they have become stiff after hanging in the closet for a week or two.

Washing once in Total Care (w/ fabric softener) removed the stain and left my silk shirts feeling like new. I dried them in the dryer on delicate, pulled them out while still slightly damp, and hung them in the closet to dry. No ironing needed and the shirts all look and feel much better than they did before.

If I could only pick one, I would have to pick Tide Free and Gentle HE. We have some very specific allergies here and have to have a scent and dye free detergent for those purposes.

I actually use a variety now depending on what I am washing.

@ larsi

Thank you! Your post is what I needed to see (though not what I really 'wanted' to see, lol). This sounds like a case of "you get what you pay for". It is good to know what Woolite IS good for, as I have a good supply.

@ happymomof2kids

I use a variety of detergents myself, depending on what I'm washing. My question was not for a home situation. :)

@ jmith

I use both liquid and powder HE detergents in my HE TL washer (Maytag Bravos). I wash at least one load per week (usually white cottons) in heater-boosted (which means VERY) hot water. Even when I didn't have a washer with an internal water heater, I never had any problems with mold or mildew in my washer.