January 2007
‘Softergents’ for double duty
The claim. Blends of laundry detergent and fabric softener can clean and soften clothes “in a single step.” Besides saving a ton of
labor (we’re smiling here), the blends eliminate the need for a separate softener. Blends we tested cost 8 to 31 cents per
load vs. 6 to 61 cents for products without softener.
The check. We washed multiple loads of all-cotton laundry using liquid Arm & Hammer Plus a Touch of Softener and Tide With a Touch of Downy, and two regular liquid brands, Arm & Hammer Free of Perfume & Dye and Tide With Bleach Alternative. We tried the regular detergents with and without a dose of Downy fabric softener. We let all the loads air dry, then had our trained testers evaluate the fabrics’ pliability, smoothness, and fuzziness, and assess their overall softness.
CR’s take. The claim doesn’t wash. Fabrics laundered in detergent-softener blends were less soft than those laundered in regular detergents plus softener. Fabrics washed in the Arm & Hammer softergent were a bit less soft than all others. (Guess that’s why the product boasts a mere “touch of softener.”) Another caveat: CR has long advised against the use of liquid fabric softener on children’s sleepwear or any clothes that are fluffy or have been treated with fire retardant.
For Ratings of these and 35 other detergents, see our January 2007 story on laundry detergents.
The check. We washed multiple loads of all-cotton laundry using liquid Arm & Hammer Plus a Touch of Softener and Tide With a Touch of Downy, and two regular liquid brands, Arm & Hammer Free of Perfume & Dye and Tide With Bleach Alternative. We tried the regular detergents with and without a dose of Downy fabric softener. We let all the loads air dry, then had our trained testers evaluate the fabrics’ pliability, smoothness, and fuzziness, and assess their overall softness.
CR’s take. The claim doesn’t wash. Fabrics laundered in detergent-softener blends were less soft than those laundered in regular detergents plus softener. Fabrics washed in the Arm & Hammer softergent were a bit less soft than all others. (Guess that’s why the product boasts a mere “touch of softener.”) Another caveat: CR has long advised against the use of liquid fabric softener on children’s sleepwear or any clothes that are fluffy or have been treated with fire retardant.
For Ratings of these and 35 other detergents, see our January 2007 story on laundry detergents.
