Valley News Live - KVLY/KXJB - Fargo/Grand ForksConsumer Reports: Confusing Laundry Detergents

  No doubt you've noticed laundry detergents have been getting more and
more concentrated. That saves manufacturers shipping costs because of less
packaging. But Consumer Reports says people are plenty confused about
how much detergent to use.

  You've seen the claims on laundry detergents — ‘Ultra,' ‘2X Double
Concentrated,' and ‘3X Ultra.' The more concentrated the detergent, the less
you're supposed to use. But that's not what's happening.

  Many people are using twice as much detergent as they need, according to
an industry trade group. That can make the rinse cycle longer. It also wastes
money. And if you think you could do twice as many loads with a two-times
concentrated detergent, think again.

  Celia Kuperszmid Lehrman/Consumer Reports: "It turns out there's no standard definition for what these concentrations mean. It's only twice as concentrated when you compare within the same brand."

  For example, this Era detergent says it's 2X concentrated and it can clean 32
loads. It's the same size as this Tide, which says it can do 30 loads. But the
Tide's not concentrated. Figuring out how much detergent to use isn't easy either.

  Celia Lehrman: "This All detergent says to fill to line three for large loads and line two for
normal loads. But those lines are virtually impossible to see."

  So you may need to get a bit creative. Take Consumer Reports' top-rated
detergent for top-loaders — Wisk Deep Clean. The fill lines are really tough
to see. So take a permanent marker and make a nice bold line. That way you won't
end up wasting detergent.

  If you have a front-loader, Consumer Reports named Target's Up and Up
HE Fresh Breeze a Best Buy. It costs 11 cents a load, but only if you use the
right amount.