Team-BHP - The Home Appliance thread

Since we intellectual's are discussing about Washing machine (majority of this thread) what about the consumables used by our wife's(although I decide for my machine), leave it for them to decide ???....naaah!!, besides the fancy ad's that entice them to buy washing powder here are some facts. :)

Dirt removal score

How well detergents clean is measured by the ‘detergency’ test (results shown in percentage).

Consumer VOICE tested this by analysing how much of soil could detergents remove from clothes. Indian standards specify that Grade 1 detergents should have a minimum detergency percentage of 65 per cent, Grade 2 should have 55 per cent, and Grade 3 should have 45 per cent.

1. We found that the regular category (falling in Grade 2) brand—Ariel Fresh Clean—has the highest detergency percentage of 69 percent, making its performance better than that of even premium (Grade 1)brands.

2. Two of the three premium category brands fell short of making the 65 per cent minimum detergency mark. Henko Stain Champion Matic and Ariel Ultramatic (both washing machine detergents) had 50.24 and 63.95 per cent detergency.

3. All other brands match upto the minimum detergency percentage required according to their particular categories (i.e. regular brands or Grade 2 have 55 per cent minimum detergency and Grade 3 brands have at least 45 per cent detergency

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If you are interested for more details, see attached pdf. Hope this will help us to make a wise and non-environmental polluting decisions.

Source: consumer Voice magazine and Effy

Some good info there; but I use - hold your breath - home made detergent power.

Do not ask me the details. Sister makes the powder with raw material sourced from the various shops, and she spends around 2 hours to make power enough for 2 households (hers, and ours) for around 45 days.

No, she does not sell it; and she had take n some course @ Khadi Gramodyog Bhavan for soap making. The course was only a few hours duration.

And I find absolutely no difference between the branded (surf excel, henko, and some other brand) and this home made soap.

Dadu, thanks for that information, which I will go through with interest

BaCkSeAtDrIVeR... amazing to know that you use home-made! One of the problems with soaps in washing machines, especially front loaders, is too much foam. You don't have any foam problem with your machine?

Quote:

Originally Posted by vid6639 (Post 1561985)

I'm feeling sad that I threw my 15 year old Bosch dishwasher as I was not able to find a particular part in Bangalore, Mumbai or Singapore.

It was working fine till one coil got burnt. After that for 3 years I was never able to find the particular coil.

Just before moving to my new place with a heavy heart I had to scrap it.

That is a shame. My Washing machine is 10 years old. repeating myself, but... the list price for my replacement part was over Rs24,000, and would have meant scrapping the machine. It is amazing what can be found, with perseverance, on the internet though, and eventually I located an affordable replacement.

Quote:

Originally Posted by BaCkSeAtDrIVeR (Post 1564213)

Yes, foaming, if not careful with the quantity of soap used, is a problem.

I have SIEMENS washing machine and used to face foaming problem for large loads. Started using liquid detergent and problem was solved. Earlier I was using some brand Purizh(not remember the name now) but from last 6 months I am using S8 from Amway which I got as a sample from the distributor I source other products

After reading the link in Dadu's post, it looks as if washing powders should get a special feature in the Are Indians Being Ripped Off thread.

The stuff they sell is is both not very good at cleansing, and very bad for the environment. It confirms my suspicions, although I thought it might have been the water --- clothes just do not look as good coming out of my washing machine here as they did in London.

I think I have to include the following on my advices to incoming expats: bring a giant box of your favourite washing powder.

Mind you, I have not checked the comparative prices.

Yes, I do... It always feels like they should have been rinsed a whole lot more!

It is very subjective though, and a lot has to do with the washer. At least the machine is a constant, but most of our stuff gets hand washed.

I had a plan to install a water softener, which got shelved due to other expenses, but it should make for better rinses.

Has anybody with a dishwasher (esp. IFB) tried "Finish" products?

India specific website - Dishwasher products by Finish, recommended by leading dishwasher manufacturers!

The site also lists places where it is available in different cities, in case anybody wants to try.

Seems the stuff is all imported and pricy. 1 kg detergent with enzymes and oxygen bleach costs Rs. 300. Another variant which seemed to contain chlorine cost Rs. 400 for 1.4 kg.

IFB's detergent costs Rs. 220 for 1 kg. I was wondering if anybody here knows it it compares to Finish, considering the higher price tag. The containers have a sticker that say its recommened by IFB.

Quote:

Originally Posted by BaCkSeAtDrIVeR (Post 1563239)

I use - hold your breath - home made detergent power ... I find absolutely no difference between the branded stuff and this home made soap.

Anyone tried soapnut? That's got to be the cheapest and most eco-friendly way to wash clothes. I have no idea how effective it is though!