What's a good laundry detergent for work-clothes?

[spotco2]

Yeah, I hate Amway sales folks too but got suckered in by a buddy a couple of years ago. I get enough discount on our cell phone bill to more than cover the cost of membership each year and actually save money by being a member.

I've never tried to recruit anybody and never intend to. I've sold a little stuff though just from the site so it's a little extra lunch money every now and then.

Just thought I would pimp the link if anybody wanted to buy some SA8 from a member instead of the corp site. We've used it for years and it's great for oil and grease stains. Their degreaser is one of the best I've ever used. I found it at several dealerships that I used to work for and always loved it.

 

[GarageWarrior]

kinda related, when ever we test soil for gradation, we used a substance called sodium hydroxrate. ( my spelling off) but anyway it breaks up the clay particle. its pretty high dollar from the supplier so we buy it at the grocery store, you might know of it by its trade name, "Calgon" add some of that to your wash for heavy clay stains

Calgon is advertised as water softener. Household laundry detergents already have some water softening agents in them, so seems like Calgon would be needed only if the water is harder than normal.

 

[GarageWarrior]

Formula for soap is--grate 2 bars Fels Naptha (wife uses her food processor), 2 cups of borax, 2 cups washing soda, 2 cups baking soda, and 1 cup purex crystals. Just need about a tablespoon per load. This makes approx. 3-4 months worth.

Will try it out. Thanks!

 

[maddawg1952]

I use Tide liquid and if the clothes seem unusually dirty, I add Trisodium Phosphate to the load. Used to be marketed as a laundry booster, but the greenies got ahold of it and now manufacturers cannot put it in detergent. Don't get the TSP substitute, get the real thing. Found in the paint department of Home Depot in a Red and White cardboard box about the size of a cereal box, produced by Savogran, its a white powder. Don't look in the cleaning supplies section, its in the paint section, as a cleaner used to prep for painting. My store has 1 lb and 4.5 lb boxes. The substitute TSP's are billed as "phosphate free" and are usually liquid, and contain Sodium Metasilicate, the ingredient used in Westley's Blech White, white wall and rubber floor mat cleaner.

Charles

Just a point of information... TSP can create phosphate clogs in bends in sewer piping, I've removed literally shitloads of phosphate soap encrustations from house services I've had to repair.