Prudax Washing Powder

[cecil39]

I bought some of this powder from morrisons, it was £6 for 6.8 kg and customers only allowed 2packs, thought it was a bargain although I have never seen this make before (I think its german) and usually find german stuff good, but looking in the washer just now find there is no foam, not a bubble to be seen, have I "bought a pup" as they say? has anyone else used it and what do you think?

[gingejbee]

Are you dosing it correctly? To be honest, in an automatic front-loader, there shouldn't be very much lather at all when dosed correctly.

[deggers316]

detergent has a foaming additive in it to make people think its washing better, it does not need foaming agent this and washing machines work better without this foam,most euro washing machine powders / liquids dont have this, its a uk thing

[cecil39]

yes gingejbee I did put in the right amount for our hard water, I am used to bold and that always lathers.

[deggers316]

this from a forum "Just an update, i have been using the Aldi Almat now in Liquid form and I can honestly say I see no difference in my washing from branded and I even prefer the smell as its not overpowering just fresh."

[boxtops]

I use Aldi Almat, that's not frothy either.

[gingejbee]

This product is made by roesch-swiss who sell detergent products throughout Europe, so deggers comment about lack of foaming-agent is spot on. The Europeans don't see the need for lots of (unnecessary) foam- it can make rinsing cycles less thorough.
The results you get will be as good as most other detergents (and according to Which? it is not necessarily the big, expensive brands that are the best).

[heathfield]

When foam is present, the rapid expansion and contraction each of the bubbles provides a kind of pumping action against the surfaces they come in contact with. This helps greatly in dislodging dirt, from fabrics in a washing machine, to scrubbing a chopping board. Back in the 1950s a liquid detergent was put on the market (I think by Domestos) which boasted that there was no foaming agent in it. It didn't sell, since it was found to be less effective than if at least some foaming agent was present.

[gingejbee]

heathfield: another theory is that the bubbles cushion fabrics, preventing wash agitation (when fabrics rub together) and also cause poor rinsing . This is borne out by the fact that Aldi's detergents (which hardly foam when dosed correctly) have consistently excelled in Which? tests.
Your theory may be relevant for outmoded top-loaders, but not for front-loading automatics where foam can be difficult to remove.

[cecil39]

i can now confirm that my washing came out fine with prudax, it looks and smells clean so you are right about that, it means I did not waste my money after all, thanks everyone, and thanks for the info re foam, also about Aldi products, I will try one next time.