What washing detergent do you use and why?

[TiredMule]

I'm getting fed up with my washing not coming up to scratch and depressing me!, and want to know what other people use and why. I'm rubbish at remembering what i've tried before....I know there was one that didn't clean at all and one that made dd1 and my skin dry but I can't remember which! So i'm after recommendations for good ones. I normally use powder, but will try anything if it will actually work! And seeing another thread i'm happy to try two or more different ones for different jobs.

I've used on a regular basis Ariel, Lidl's Formil and Ariel. All work equally well. All are superb detergents.

OP, do you have hard water? That can stop detergents from working. I rub stains with Sonett oxgall soap and soak them a bit, and even difficult ones (tomato or red wine) come off pretty well. My housekeeper used Vanish, but I like gall soap so much better.

Sorry, meant to say Tide, not Ariel twice. All in powder form (I didn't like liquid as much). And yes, a different liquid detergent for cashmere and silk (using my washing machine's handwash cycle).

Does your washing machine need updating? My new Bosch is so much better than the ancient one I had before it.

Ecover non bio. It does the job and is less harmful to the environment and DD's skin. Hanging your washing out in the sun helps because the sun bleaches out any residual stains.

Put soda crystals into the drawer with the powder. I have found this works brilliantly and you can use less powder. For really disgusting clothes, soak in soda crystals first.

Lots of good suggestions-thanks everyone! I'll start trying some different things out.

We have very hard water here....so maybe it's the water rather than my incompetence!

DonaAna - Where can you buy Tide? I love the smell of it and it is a fab powder for stains.

ecover bio - washes well and agrees with our sensitive skin
ariel colour - same
fairy naturals almond softener - smells lovely and doesn*t make our skin itch
I add soda crystals to clean the really dirty stuff

Fairy non-bio powder - I use non-bio on principal and have found it is just so much better than supermarket own brands. Some things it is cheaper to pay more for. It is often on some kind of special offer so works out cheaper in the long run.

I don't usually use fabric conditioner though and think I should - stuff is often waiting a couple of days to be ironed and although I do try to neatly fold sometimes the laundry is creased to buggery.

Any old non bio crap plus soda crystals. Plus unscented fabric conditioner (can't remember the name, is eco brand).

I used to use bio but found it made me itch. Since I swapped, no itching.

So what is the trick to getting clothes clean in hard water - use bio and use the correct amount? I'm always hesitant to add the extra bit. Or is there some other magic additive I can use - does white vinegar really work??

soda crystals are supposed to help soften hard water

Co-Ops powder or liquid plus fabric conditioner - used because they work AND aren't tested on animals :-)