Seriously, I do a LOT of laundry. It drives me nuts. Before I was married, I did 2 loads a week, tops. Now? I consider 8 loads of laundry for the 3 of us a "slow week". Madness, I tell you! And the sad part is, I don't know which is worst stain monger - my husband, or my daughter. Sigh!
I also consider clothing to be an investment of sorts - I don't buy cheap clothing. If something falls apart quickly, I get upset. And because of this, I do spend extra time on my laundry, and I'm willing to spend money on a better quality detergent or stain remover. Yes, I get excited over new laundry goodies - so what? ;) I had two new products from OxiClean to try out - not even on the shelves as I tried them out. Yippee! They'll be available on store shelves mid February or so.
OxiClean Max Force Power Paks are a laundry stain fighter and booster. They look like the dishwasher packs, with plastic around the powder:
They smell, well, powdery soapy. No floral scents here. The bag does tell you to keep it closed between uses, so I am supposing that the plastic wrap stuff could dry out if left in the air.
Now before we begin, let me remind you (or tell you, if you're here via search) I have an older, top loading washing machine. And I do mean older - it's almost as old as me. It has it's quirks I guess, but it's still kickin'. These Power Paks are safe for both my old school washer, as well as the new HE washers, but keep in mind, I'm only testing it old school. If you have one of the HE washers, your experience may vary.
Usually I test new laundry products on my towels, but since these are stain fighters, I figured it was a waste of time... I went straight for the jugular. Yes, I tried it out on the whites: a hodge podge of socks, and DH's undershirts. DH has a habit of sitting around in his undershirts before getting into scrub tops, so it never fails... he gets food stains on his shirts (I've suggested adult bibs to him, but they guy gives me looks that could kill... I wonder why? LOL!) I struggle with a lot of those food stains. One, because it takes over a week to get a full load of whites, and that means the stains have been sitting there sometimes awhile, and two, because I just can't seem to make them pearly white without bleach. (and I loathe bleach!!) Some products make an improvement, but I still see dingy-ness.
You are supposed to add the detergent (I used 2x Ultra Tide) and the Power Paks, and let the water fill up. I was using hot water on this first load since we had extra dirty socks in there (muddy at the park) and I did notice the pak dissolving. Actually, it was kind of cool watching it dissolve. (I know, I need a life) Foaming bubbles! I did notice extra bubbles compared to just detergent alone. After I added the clothes, I let them soak an hour before finishing the load. I also took the opportunity to try out the OxiClean Max Force Pre Treater Gel Stick on one of DH's fresher undershirt food stains. (I think it was 3 days old?)
The OxiClean Max Force Pre Treater Gel Stick has these little round nubs (dirty minds! LOL! I know though, it totally does look like something naughty!) to rub the stain remover into the garment. You might end up with a little extra stain remover, depending on much you are rubbing it in.
Now when I took this loads of white out of the washer, I can't say I was blinded by the whiteness. It seemed an improvement though, and next load of whites, I'm going to let soak overnight. The stain on the shirt above was still there, although faded. Maybe it would have come out even better or completely had I caught it right away with the Gel Stick.
Bottom line: I love the OxiClean powder which has been on the market for ages for soaking whites. What I like about these new Power Paks is that you don't have to go over every piece of clothing in search of stains like the Pre Treater Gel Stick. The stains I catch right away I can use the Pre Treater, but I don't have to worry so much if I have missed a stain, or if I just don't have time to pre-treat every. single. stain. (hello, I'm a mom!) If you're on a budget, probably your best value is the powder. If you're looking for quick and easy, try the OxiClean Max Force Power Paks, but think about letting them soak overnight for tough stains. The OxiClean Max Force Pre Treater Gel Stick is also easy to use, but for super tough stains, better make sure you use it right away before putting the garment in the laundry basket, or this is not going to do much good.
I wrote this review while participating in a blog campaign by Mom Central on behalf of OxiClean and received a sample to facilitate my candid review. Mom Central sent me a gift card to thank me for taking the time to participate.
1 comment:
I geek out on laundry and cleaning products too :) I use Oxyclean but have to use powdered detergent in my washer if I use it because they have to go into the same compartment. And finding a good powdered detergent is difficult. If I could use this little packet directly in my washer it might solve my detergent problems - I could use liquids again. I hope, I hope.
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