Tandil Premium Free & Clear Laundry Detergent

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Some of my family members have sensitive skin, so I’ve been trying to buy free and clear laundry detergent specifically for them to use when washing their clothing and bedding. Free and clear detergent does not contain perfumes or dyes that might irritate skin.

I’ve purchased name brands such as Dreft. Also, Trader Joe’s, which is a cousin to Aldi, sells its own house brand of free and clear detergent.

Then, during a recent Aldi shopping trip, I found free and clear laundry detergent under the Aldi Tandil house brand. Tandil is not a company; instead, it’s the private label Aldi uses for laundry products.

I’ve long been familiar with the three traditional laundry detergents Aldi sells in color-coded bottles: red (comparable to Tide Original Scent), green (comparable to Gain Island Fresh), and blue (comparable to Purex Mountain Breeze).

However, I have not seen free and clear laundry detergent at Aldi before, except for one time several years ago when Aldi sold some Simply Nature branded free and clear detergent as a limited-time Aldi Find.

A little nosing around on the Aldi website indicates this Tandil free and clear detergent is sold in a mixed case alongside the red bottle Tandil Premium Original Scent Laundry Detergent. I found a reddit message board where someone indicated that they purchase the Aldi free and clear detergent whenever they happen to see it, as the mixed case contains mostly the red bottle detergent and very few of the free and clear bottles. That might explain why I haven’t seen it before.

Tandil Premium Free & Clear Laundry Detergent appears to be a Regular Buy at Aldi, which means Aldi sells it year round. (It’s just never stocked in large quantities, though, so finding it may be difficult.)

The bottle states it’s dermatologist tested, free from perfumes, and clear of dyes. It contains biodegradable cleaning agents and contains no phosphates. It is safe for septic systems and was not tested on animals. It’s a product of Canada, and the label states this was not manufactured or distributed by Procter & Gamble, the distributor of Tide.

Price Comparisons:

This detergent cost $7.99 for a 100-fluid-ounce bottle at the time of publication. That comes out to about 8 cents per ounce. That’s the same price as the most expensive non-free and clear laundry detergent at Aldi.

The bottle states this is comparable to Tide Free & Gentle, which I found at Walmart for about 14 cents per ounce at the time of writing. That makes the Aldi free and clear detergent the better option in terms of cost, coming in at almost half the price of the name brand.

Using Tandil Premium Free & Clear Laundry Detergent:

Directions and ingredients. (Click to enlarge.)

The Aldi free and clear detergent bottle claims to be good for 64 loads (as measured to line one on the cap).

To use, sort laundry, separating colors from whites and lightly soiled items from heavily soiled. Select an appropriate wash cycle and temperature setting.

Measure detergent using the cap. For regular loads, fill to line 1. For large or heavily soiled loads, fill to line 2. Add the measured detergent to the machine’s dispensing drawer, or for top loaders add to the wash water and then add clothing.

Check for colorfastness by applying detergent to an inconspicuous area of the garment, then rinse and dry. Look for color fading or bleeding.

For tough stain removal, wet the stained area and apply a small amount of detergent directly to the stain, and gently rub the fabric together. Let stand for 1 minute and then wash as usual.

I’ve used this detergent for several loads of laundry for my family member with sensitive skin, and so far, so good. I’ll be purchasing this detergent whenever I can find it.

The Verdict:

Tandil Premium Free & Clear Laundry Detergent claims to be comparable to Tide Free & Gentle. It contains no dyes or perfumes and is ideal for people with sensitive skin. We have used it for several loads of laundry so far and are happy with it. The one downside to this detergent is that Aldi never seems to stock it in large amounts, so if you happen to find some, consider yourself lucky.