Woolite For Darks Reviews, Experiences & Opinions

Below I've gathered quite a few Woolite for Darks detergent reviews, experiences from real people who've used it, and opinions.


This laundry detergent, which comes in liquid form, and also recently has become available in pacs, is designed for use on dark clothes and jeans.

While it is not exactly a delicates wash detergent, and is designed to be used on many types of clothing, it is advertised as being good for these dark types of clothing because of its promise of no fading, stretching of shrinking.

Woolite, in general, is a brand known for its promise to clean clothes gently, and without damage.

You can read more Woolite laundry detergent reviews here on the site, since the Woolite Darks is just one of several different types of this detergent available.



Along with the specialty nature of this detergent, it also has a pretty hefty price tag, at least compared to many others, when comparing the cost per load.

One of the things the reviews below addresses is whether that additional price is worth it, for these readers, compared to the way the detergent works to wash their clothes, and hopefully to preserve the colors and fit.

In addition, there is only a scented version of this detergent, and no unscented is available. Some people are totally fine with that, but that does have some consequences for allergic reactions experienced by some, which is also a topic discussed below in some of the reviews.



Scroll down now to read the reviews submitted, and if you've used this product I'd love to hear your experiences and opinions as well. You can click here to submit your own Woolite detergent review, or you can also comment below.

Woolite For Dark Clothing Saves Me Money From Dry Cleaning Bills

by Barb

Barb says:

I wear a lot of dark slacks and tops to work.

Some of them contain washing instructions requiring cold water and use of the gentle cycle, or as an alternative they may be dry cleaned.

Dry cleaning is very expensive and I have never had good luck with any of the "home dry cleaning" products that are available in the grocery store.

Since my work clothes are only lightly soiled I will wash them all (warm and cold water garments) in cold water with the Woolite.

For the tops I will pour some of the Woolite directly on the collars before putting them in the wash.

When it comes to pretreating occasional stains, usually on my tops, I reach for the Shout Gel, however I add one step to the process that I normally do not do for pretreating stains in a normal wash cycle. For my gentle cycle wash I will apply a small amount of Shout to hidden area such as an inseam, to determine whether the garment is colorfast.

This is an important step when it comes to washing garments that are hand washable or gentle cycle cold water washables.

In addition I never leave the Shout on for more than 5 minutes before washing.

Once again this is different from pretreating most of the stains on the kids clothes where I will apply the Shout and throw it in the hamper until wash day.

Note that while the Shout gel does caution you to not leave the product on bright or khaki garments for more than a few minutes it does not address the dark, gentle care garments.

This product is well worth the extra money spent as it drastically reduced my dry cleaning bills.

I Use This For All Dark Knits

by SR101 Reader

I love this product and cannot bear to be without it.

I wash my knit black pants in it and they always look new after washing.

Usually I do not dry them but hang them inside to dry (do not put dark clothes in the sun to dry).

I think Woolite's light scent is very nice.

I can use cheaper products for other delicates but I have to have Woolite Dark for my knits and dark sweaters.

Taylor says:

Thanks for your review!

Are you looking for a delicate wash for hand washing clothing, or use in a gentle cycle? If so, make sure to check out my round up of delicate wash reviews here.

Woolite Dark Causes Itching, Allergic Reactions

I've gotten quite a few comments and reviews about this product from readers, who've complained about allergic reactions to the Woolite Darks.

Since there is not an unscented version of this product, it's not surprising that some people are allergic (though of course not all). (To learn more about why fragrance is a common laundry allergen check out this article about laundry detergent allergies.)



Here are some of these reader reviews, and there are more in the comments:

Elsie said:

Because Cheer discontinued their Cheer for Darks I started using Woolite for Darks instead.

I wear a lot of dark clothing, especially shirts. I have noticed itching under my arms. The only thing that was different or new was the Woolite dark. I never had a problem with Cheer for Darks. When I wear light colored shirts I do not have the itching problem.

I would love to know what is in the Woolite for Darks that causes my problems.

SR101 reader says:

I would have liked this product, if only they could have toned down or completely eliminated the fragrance. It is overpowering and can be breathtaking, so I avoid using it on any clothing that's above the waist.

I cannot even do laundry when my family is home, as it permeates the house.

So, where is the fragrance-free version?

Taylor says:

The SR101 reader makes a good point, because Woolite is not, at this time, attempting to make a hypoallergenic version of this product for allergy sufferers.

Therefore, if you're experiencing allergies when using this product I suggest you instead try to find a hypoallergenic detergent that might do the job for you.

I Have Dark Clothing That Still Looks Good After More Than 10 Years

by Dianne L
(Colorado River, CA)

I have been using Woolite since I was a teenager, which was more than 50 years ago.

I used it on sweaters, knits, and delicates and always had great results.

When the company added more types of Woolite I was delighted. I have dark clothing that is still looking good after more than 10 years.

My knits and tees do not stretch out of shape, so I do not have to "block" them while they are damp, which is a huge time saver.

I have found that the amount used in a load may need to be varied depending on whether you have hard water, soft water, or something in-between.

The only thing I do differently now is that I add a half cup of lemon juice to the loads of whites because our really hard water tends to leave them looking kind of dingy.

A neighbor noted skin irritation problems when she used it in her HE washing machine. I told her to cut the amount in half and the problem ended and her clothes still look great.

I do not have an HE machine, so cutting the amount of product was the only thing I could think of to help her.

No Fading Of Dark Blouse After A Year

by Susan Argue
(Winnipeg MB Canada)

I have been using this detergent off and on for about 10 years.

My daughter had a black blouse she wore for work and after a year there was no noticeable fading of the blouse and any clothes I have been washing there has been no noticeable fading.

I have not noticed any smell except what I use for the dryer.

Quite happy with the product and do recommend it.

Dark Wash Woolite Review - Extra Dark Care Laundry Detergent

by Amanda
(Montgomery, AL)

Taylor's note: Amanda has shared her Dark Wash Woolite review, of the Extra Dark Care variety. This seems to still be available in some stores, but is getting harder to find. It's also less than clear how the "extra dark" variety differs from the more commonly found Woolite Darks variety mentioned throughout these reviews.

Amanda says:

I had quite a few winter clothes that I did not want to keep taking to the cleaners to have them cleaned. I didn't like the way they smelled after they were cleaned--the chemical smell was obvious to me.

I decided to try washing them in Woolite, made for dark clothing, instead. I saw some commercials about it, and knew it had been around for a LONG time, so I felt pretty comfortable using it.

Since I had not used it before, I filled my washer with water first, added the Woolite and then mixed it together before I added my dark clothes. It worked beautifully. My clothes were very clean and there seemed to be no smell at all.

I put them in the dryer and that was when I ran into a little problem. As I took them out of the dryer, I noticed what seemed like a chemical smell--not really strong, but a faint chemical-like smell. I didn't think much of it, but when I wore any of the clothing I'd washed in the Woolite it was just a little itchy wherever it touched my skin. Not enough to create a rash, but not very comfortable.

When I looked at the bottle I realized that the instructions should have warned me off...statements like--do not let it touch your skin, and keep away from eyes. I think this is the last time I'll be using Woolite for laundry.

Taylor says:

Thanks Amanda for your review. It sounds like you have a mild laundry detergent allergy, similar to what some reviewers above also experienced.

Laundry Tip When Washing Delicates: Close Zippers Before Washing

by SR101 Reader

I agree with Barb's comments as I have used this product for over a year and am very pleased.

The manufacturers of Woolite recommend using a Resolve pretreater for stains which I believe is also manufactured by the same company that produces Woolite. ***Taylor's note: This is true!***

I would not recommend the Resolve products (Spray N Wash) for stains.

The Shout gel is my primary ally in removing stains. If for some reason I run out of Shout I will apply some of my regular detergent (Wisk) as a pretreater.

Of course I still do the colorfast test to be sure I won't ruin the garment.

I would also note that it is a good idea to close the zippers on any garments in the wash load, especially when you are washing gentle care clothes.

This is a precaution to avoid possible tearing of other garments in the load.

Photo courtesy of lululemon athletica, from Flickr CC

Woolite for Darks: A Remarkable Laundry Detergent

by Beau
(Bossier City, LA)

Beau says:

I have been a loyal user of Woolite for Darks detergent for over a year now, it's worth the higher price.

I am very choosy as to what types of products I use in the laundry room. My biggest concern is that my clothing looks "like new" for a longer period of time.

None of Woolite's family of detergents contain optical brighteners or enzymes, just gentle surfactants, and fragrance.

The detergent is a blue liquid, with a nice fresh scent. The measurement marks are very easy to see.

All of my blacks and navies are still dark and vivid. I need to mention that I have shirts and slacks over a year old! It's a remarkable laundry detergent.

However, they recommend using a separate pre-treater for stains. I just add a little in-wash stain fighter as necessary!

Give it a try! You'll love the results you get with Woolite for Darks Detergent, wash after wash, after wash, after wash..... :)

Taylor says:

Thanks Beau for sharing your review of this laundry detergent.

I would love to hear from even more people that use Woolite Extra Dark Care sharing your opinions about it, good or bad, and hear your experiences with it. You can share you Woolite detergent review here, or read other reviews that have already been submitted for this brand.

In addition, you can check out lots of washing machine detergent reviews here, from a large variety of brands, to find out which detergent you might like to use for yourself (or share your own review!)

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