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Feb 1, 2007 5:45 pm US/Eastern
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OxiClean Detergent Ball: Does It Really Do That?
Does It Really Do That? All month long, KDKA Consumer Editor Yvonne Zanos will be putting products to the test to see if they live up to all the hype
by Yvonne Zanos
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) ―
With three young sons and a dog, Shelley Cicchini of Upper St. Clair has a hectic life and a lot of laundry -- making her an ideal candidate to test the OxiClean Detergent Ball.
For Cicchini, any product that promises to make life a little easier is certainly welcome, so she was up for the job. "I've seen them in the store and I've wondered if they worked," she told KDKA Consumer Editor Yvonne Zanos. "Anything with 'Oxi' has been good luck so far."
The OxiClean Detergent Ball claims to clean 25+ loads of laundry without ever having to add detergent.
But Does it Really Do That?
From the beginning, Cicchini wondered how the ball could tell to release detergent during the wash cycle – but not in the rinse cycle.
"It didn't create a lot of suds the first time," she noticed, "so I don't know how you would even tell the difference."
"The water was dirty, but there was no bubbles at all," she added, "and I really didn't smell a detergent smell, either"
For Cicchini, the lack of smell was a big deal. "There's not a lot of rewards in laundry. The only perk I get is the good, fresh smell!"
Weeks later – after 21 loads of laundry, the OxiClean Detergent Ball shrunk to about the size of a golf ball. According to the directions, that's when it's time to replace it.
While Cicchini says she probably could have done a few extra loads, she told KDKA, "I honestly couldn't tell if it was cleaning my clothes or not."
To find out, Cicchini put mud stains on three identical towels – washing one towel in plain water, another with the OxiClean ball and the last one with regular liquid detergent.
The results? Cicchini said the OxiClean ball did only slightly better than plain water – and not as well as her regular detergent.
"There's just not enough of it in the water to clean my dirt. We have dirt," Cicchini added.
"The only convenience it saves is putting the detergent in the washer and that only takes a second to do anyway.. I may as well put the liquid in... and then I can smell it and I feel happy. I feel clean!"
When it comes to cleaning, we gives a thumbs down to the OxiClean Detergent Ball.
Coming Up On Monday: KDKA Consumer Editor Yvonne Zanos will be putting the Vidalia Chop Wizard to the test. The Chop Wizard promises to slice and dice tear-free onions and all kinds of fruits and vegetables – the safer, easier way; but Does It Really Do That? Watch KDKA-TV News Monday at 5:00pm to find out.
(© MMVII, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)