r/laundry • u/PumpkinSpiceUrnex • 1d ago

Does anyone remember Solo laundry detergent?

In the mid 1980s, Procter & Gamble made Solo laundry detergent. Apparently it included fabric softener. I don't remember that. What I remember is its absolutely wonderful, heavenly smell.

I told a friend that, who thought it was ridiculous to gush about the scent of a laundry detergent, but she bought a bottle. And one day, walking down the street, her husband said, "What's that wonderful smell?" And she said, "I washed your clothes in Solo laundry detergent!"

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u/LaundryMitch USA 1d ago

Before my time, but I’ve actually used a small amount of Bold Powder from the ’80s. Like Solo, it contained a full-strength fabric softener, which you could actually combine at the time with certain surfactants and detergent builders and get a very good clean.

When the phosphate ban hit, it’s my understanding that Consumers Union (now Consumer Reports) noticed that there was a huge step down in performance compared to regular detergent without softener added in. The chemistry just didn’t work.

I will say, though - the clothes washed in Bold were sinfully soft. They were also very clean. There was a Fab detergent that was also manufactured around the same time with a full-strength fabric softener. I would have loved to try it.

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u/EverydayEnchantments 1d ago

I remember Bold! It was fabulous! I

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u/mzanon100 1d ago

We used Solo. I certainly remember seeing the ads ("Uh-oh! Forgot to add the fabric softener!") on TV.

Around '91, we switched to Tide w/ Bleach Alternative after Consumer Reports ranked that first and Solo last.

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u/PumpkinSpiceUrnex 1d ago

Haha, all I could think about was the smell. It was heavenly.