TrueLiving Laundry Detergent (Dollar General)

Laundry is one of those necessary evils in life. Few people actually enjoy doing laundry, or putting away the laundry after it’s been washed, but it’s something we all have to do.

One way to feel better about doing the laundry is to get a good deal on laundry supplies such as detergent. If you stick with name brands like Gain or Tide, maybe you can use coupons or store sales to get a good deal. Or you can try cheaper store brands. I’m a fan of Tandil private label laundry products like detergent and fabric softener from Aldi. You can also buy store brand laundry supplies at Dollar General that are advertised as being comparable to name-brand Gain laundry detergent.

TrueLiving Laundry Detergent cost $5.50 at the time of publication. It comes in two different scents: Hint of Spring in a 70-fluid-ounce bottle, which comes out to about 8 cents per ounce, and Midnight Bliss in a 75-fluid-ounce bottle, which comes out to about 7 cents per ounce.

That’s a better deal than name-brand Gain liquid detergent, which cost at least 9 to 10 cents per ounce for a bulk container from Walmart at the time of writing. Walmart brand Great Value detergent, which bills itself as comparable to Gain, was sold in a 100-ounce bottle for about 6 cents per ounce at the time of publication, so if you’re looking for an off-brand detergent comparable to Gain, you might find a slightly better deal buying a larger bottle at a big box store. You can also buy cheaper detergent from Aldi, where I recently picked up a 100-ounce bottle of detergent (Tandil private label in the blue bottle, which is comparable to Purex rather than Gain) for $4.79, or about 5 cents per ounce.

The Hint of Spring detergent from Dollar General has a standard detergent smell; it’s clean and fresh and not overpowering. Midnight Bliss has more of a lavender-like smell. Even though the Midnight Bliss scent is a slightly better deal, I opted to buy the Hint of Spring True Living detergent because I liked the scent better.

Bottles for both detergent scents state that this detergent is comparable to name-brand Gain, which is a trademark of The Procter & Gamble Company. However, the label states this detergent is not manufactured by or distributed by The Procter & Gamble Company. The bottle also states this detergent “whitens, brightens, and freshens.”

It’s safe for all washers, including high efficiency washers. Each bottle has enough liquid detergent for 45 loads of laundry if you fill to the second line on the cap.

You use this laundry detergent like you would any other. The label advises to check your garment care labels or hangtags for washing instructions. To pretreat, check the inside seam for colorfastness, then rub a small amount of detergent directly into the stain before washing. For best results, use the dosing cup to measure detergent, filling the cup to the second line for regular loads. Use more for large or heavily soiled loads.

The back of each bottle states that for more information you can visit www.Productdetails4you.com or call 1-888-309-9030. I visited the website, which is a simple database of online safety data sheets. It prompts you to enter a product name and select it from a menu, which led me to a basic product information page for the detergent that lists ingredients and health warnings (avoid eye contact, etc.)

So how well does this Dollar General laundry detergent work?

I’ve been using it for a while now to wash everything from clothing to cloth napkins, and it does the job well. Things get clean, and they have a pleasant clean laundry scent that is not overwhelming. I’ll probably continue to buy my detergent from Aldi, but if I can’t get out to Aldi I’d be fine with buying this DG detergent in the meantime. It works just fine.

The Verdict:

TrueLiving Laundry Detergent from Dollar General is comparable to name-brand Gain laundry detergent and is sold in two scents: Hint of Spring, which has a clean laundry smell, and Midnight Bliss, which has more of a lavender-like smell. I like the Hint of Spring scent. This detergent works well. It gets my clothing clean and gives it a nice but not overly strong fresh scent. The price isn’t bad either.