It's Official - Tide Free & Gentle Powder is Gone for Good

[angus]

Have been trying to replenish my supply of Tide Free and Gentle Powder for a few weeks but wasn't able to find it at any WalMart or Target, and even on line. So I called our dear friends at P&G and they confirmed that the powder has been discontinued - but of course still available in liquid and pod formats. The only place I could find it was at Amazon for something like $69.00 for a 68 load size box - not happening. Yet the website still shows it in the product lineup.

I will never understand this. There are innumerable versions of Tide in both liquids and pods with a few new ones recently introduced (a "light" scent in liquid and pods and something like Seaside Fresh liquid) but I guess no one uses powders anymore or at least not enough to continue their production Or maybe P&G is using their muscle to force everyone to purchase what they want us to buy.

I probably should check on Tide with Bleach Powder and start stocking up before that goes away also. Oh, well, I guess if I need a "free" powder, it's back to All Free and Clear... Fortunately my sister doesn't lead a really high soil lifestyle so the All should work well enough for her.

 

[tomturbomatic]

I was at our recently refurbished Target and saw that all of the detergent offerings in two aisles that seemed to stretch to infinity were nothing but liquids. They are more popular with unfortunates who have to use coin laundries because even if they do not rinse out completely, they do not leave detergent harshness behind, just a highly perfumed residue that can cause skin reactions hence the market for "free and clear." One would think that the environmental damage from the plastic containers and the shipping weight of the liquid detergents would make them unpopular, but that does not seem to be the case when fragrance equals cleanliness. I do not like the idea of anything pre-measured like pods and I do not like the change in formulation that reduced the big box of Tide from 180 to 140 washes because of the extra bleach incorporated into the formula.

 

[panasonicvac]

That's a shame

There goes another powder product. I was really bummed when Tide quit making these original powder detergent, it's my all time favorite! The only one I like using now is the Kirkland kind, I hope those won't go away anytime soon. I like using both powder and liquid for different reasons. Pods I think are ok, I like them better in the dishwasher instead of the washing machine.

 

[joeekaitis]

Anyone else old enough to remember…

 

… when liquid Wisk was something your mother kept on the shelf next to the Oxydol to pre-treat grimy shirt collars and nothing more?

[this post was last edited: 6/4/2023-18:00]

 

[launderess]

Surprising but not unexpected.

P&G has been steadily culling powder offerings of laundry and dishwasher detergents for some time now. All in aid of various gel, liquid and pods formats I suppose.

Move towards ever cooler (to downright cold) water temps for wash means formulating powders that will work at such times must be updated. In USA where top loaders of all sorts are still selling cold water washing may present issues if "tap cold" is just that during certain times of year in various areas of country.

Have seen cases of job lot Tide powder "F&G" at auction sites over past year or so. But we're talking about things going by pallet load which is just not going to happen.

Quite honestly have enough detergents to last duration (much of it likely will become part of my estate *LOL*). Have two containers of Tide "F&G" liquid need to finish so that's me for you.

Anyone truly interested in getting their mitts on Tide "F&G" powder should hunt at out of the way places such as discount or job lot stores. Those are usual places where P&G offloads stock that didn't sell or otherwise in surplus to requirements.

Happy thing is powder detergents have a longer shelf life than liquids. Long as they are kept dry and cool can last a good while in storage.

 

[tomturbomatic]

Re: #3

The first time I saw Wisk being used as a laundry detergent was when it was still sold in the metal can and a friend's mom used one small yellow capful in her 33" WP combo. The access panel could be tilted down and a little round window was mounted so that the water line in the tank was halfway across it. The line of bubbles from the Wisk was slightly higher in the wash than in the three rinses. I can't imagine the disaster that would unfold if the recommended amount was used, but aside from the water used to saturate the load, I think I remember that the tank below the drum only held 3 gallons. The clothes came out clean.

 

[DADoES]

 
I refuse to use pods/pacs for laundry or dishwashing ... until there's nothing else available, which unfortunately seems to be coming alarmingly soon.

 

[bradfordwhite]

Wisk

I remember the ad with the high pitched nasal voiced woman saying "You've got ring around the collar" lol.

"Those DIRTY rings! You try scrubbing them out...."

In the late 70s a family friend (Marleen) had moved into their new home and she had a huge bottle of Wisk in a pump bottle. I asked her if when it was done if she could save the bottle for me because I wanted to use the pump for a project and she did.

There was a time when Wisk was advertised with the pump bottle being the way one could dispense the detergent. One full pump directly into your washer was all that was needed. So the bottle had to sit very near the washer lid or on a shelf above the washer.

I'm loving this commercial not only for the Wisk ad but also the TOL GE dispensal washer in the background.



In this one the "ring around the collar" theme is more aggressive and annoying. The woman starts out with a GE washer but then they graduate her to a Whirlpool with recirculating lint brush.

 

[angus]

I don't remember Wisk in a pump bottle but that could be a regional thing. I do recall that when P&G introduced Era liquid, that came with a pump bottle and was advertised so that you could pump directly into the washer. And yes, Wisk was what my mother kept on the shelf next to the Cheer or Ajax powder for collars and cuffs. I don't think she ever used it for a regular load of laundry. Actually the Wisk of the 50's and 60's had a rather nice fragrance - a friend's mother used that exclusively in her Philco top loaders. Note that I said top loaders. His father worked for Firestone which was the only local Philco dealer so they always had a houseful of the latest Philco appliances, air conditioners, TV and stereos. The only non Philco appliance they had was the dishwasher - that one was a Hotpoint for whatever reason.

Back to Tide F&G powder - good suggestion on checking out of the way places. There is a Big Lots and an Ocean State Job Lot not that far from my town so I will check there. Usually not much in the way of detergents at Ocean State but Lord knows they have a ton of everything else. ...

 

[launderess]

P&G has a radio commercial for one of their liquid detergents (IIRC, Tide) that basically pokes fun at fact those products are mostly water. Commercial goes on to boost superiority of pods, which of course contain less of that substance.

 

[qsd-dan]

I don't think powder will completely go away. People are starting to abandon pods and use powdered detergent in dishwashers again. There's no one size fits all for every dishwasher, especially when water quality/hardness is taken into consideration. I've found that most pods are designed for hard water applications. For those with natural soft water, mechanically softened water, or dishwashers that contain a water softener, they're too strong and cause suds-locking.

 

[sarahperdue]

Well, damn

Free and Clear powder has been our go to detergent for years. DH looked several places last weekend and couldn't find any. I suppose I like the compact and neat pods better than liquids, but I'm not happy with either.

 

 

[gelaundry4ever]

Tide powder

So what is in the Tide powder lineup? Or are they gonna discontinue it altogether? SMH.

 

[angus]

Well, according to the Tide website, the powder offerings are:
- Original Tide
- Tide Clean Breeze
- Tide Ultra Oxi
- Tide with Bleach
- Tide Free and Gentle

That said, not sure that the website info is accurate and current since I already confirmed by calling that F&G powder no longer exists. You would think a company like P&G would be able to keep their website current since F&G powder was supposedly discontinued "a while ago".

Most grocery stores don't carry any Tide powder but original and the WalMarts and Targets of the world carry the others randomly. I haven't seen Ultra Oxi or Clean Breeze powder in any of those stores...

 

[angus]

Sorry forgot to add that the website also includes Tide with Downy. Haven't seen that one anywhere either...

 

[combo52]

I use tide regular powder if it comes from Costco

I don’t see any advantage of free and clear if your washing machine does a proper job rinsing there’s really no fragrance left.

Procter & Gamble would not use a fragrance that even 1/2 of one percent of the population is allergic to.

I always love all my customers that say we have to use free and clear and yet the washing machine is filled with mold and scum from Coldwater washing. I don’t think people really know what they’re allergic to, lol

John

 

[volvoman]

@ Reply 13

The only powdered Tide varieties left are...

- Original Tide
- Mountain Spring Tide
- Tide Ultra Oxi
- Tide with Bleach
- Tide with Downy

Clean Breeze and Free are discontinued.

 

[bradfordwhite]

#8 Wisk or Era

Thank-you. That could be as they were both in red bottles.

The red bottle and the pump is what I remember. Also, the detergent was a blue color.

I don't think I've ever tried ERA. In powders I've used Tide, Oxydol, Cheer, Fresh Start, Woolite (I used to LOVE Woolite powder), generics (junk- weak), Foca, and Roma

 

[launderess]

P&G Seems To Cut Side Deals

With certain vendors IMHO.

There are versions of Tide one only finds say at Target or Walmart but not say your local supermarket.

For some reason Tide Coldwater Clean Free HE Liquid Laundry Detergent is only sold up north (Canada).

As for pods, oooh I don't like em. It's a toss up whether or not will totally dissolve when using front loaders. Even P&G suggests adding them first to washing machine while filling, let dissolve then add clothing to avoid such mishaps.

If one is careful and notices sticky pod residue before wash is bunged into dryer or hung on clothes horse can perhaps do something. But once offending item has been machine dried all bets are off.

 

[launderess]

"I don’t see any advantage of free and clear if your washing machine does a proper job rinsing there’s really no fragrance left."

Not always correct. P&G among other detergent makers have perfected technology that promises to give "lasting scent" of garments. They promise scent will remain for a few or several days if not longer. And am here to tell you in many instances that is spot on.

My vintage Miele uses heaps of water for rinsing and still with some detergents there is scent on dried wash, this either done by machine or line.

OTOH all versions of Tide in one's stash that are scent free leave nothing remaining on wash.

One also prefers scent free products for occasions when using fabric softener (usually Vernel Rose). Don't want anything else competing or mixing with so that's that.

On average however find P&G scented laundry detergents pack quite a whiff that lasts. Gain is one of the more dramatic offenders in that area.

 

[launderess]

Another thing;

Using an extra rinse or rinses just ensure washing is free of detergent scent seems wasteful. Why not just start with scent free product and be done with things.

Also for those who suffer from certain allergies or conditions such as migraines strong scents period can trigger reactions. This as scent wafts out of washer while laundry is being done, or things transferred to dryer and so on.

On rare occasions one uses local laundromat often have to step outside to avoid gagging on air indoors heavily laden with detergent scent. It's like being hugged by your auntie who is drenched in Shalimar.

 

[combo52]

Normally scented tide detergents

I sure don’t smell the slightest trace sent machines. I never use an extra rinse on the top load washers I do use a third rinse on the Speed Queen front load washers.

On outer wear I use a fabric softener, but not a super scented one.

John

 

[launderess]

Well that's you sorted then isn't it?

 

[angus]

I don't find Tide with Bleach (at least in this latest formulation) to leave a noticeably heavy scent behind, but my need for some "scent free" products is based on doing laundry for someone who claims to be extremely sensitive to any scent - so even my cologne is a problem when I am in their presence. That said, there is also an anxiety issue there and there is always something "wrong". So, quite frankly, regardless of the actual facts or what anyone else says or thinks, I have better things to do with my time than fight that pointless and exhausting battle. And I do agree that certain products leave more pronounced scent behind (Gain as a prime offender - promising weeks or months of "freshness"). As far as fabric softener, I will only use it on synthetic fleece tops or outerwear jackets and the only one I will use is NuSoft - very light scent and what is left behind is very subtle. Started using that when my sister began bringing her fleece garments to my house to launder and they were loaded with cat hair. So to avoid having to clean out the cat hair clinging to the inside of the dryer after finishing her stuff, I began using the NuSoft. A lot less clean up for me and the residual scent is so light it gets no complaints from the sister.

 

[gansky1]

 

 

It's been a while since I've bought the Tide powder from Costco, certainly a good deal and it's about the only place we can find powdered detergent now.  I'll have to look next time I'm there but I've not seen the Kirkland powder for a while.  Perhaps it's selling out quickly or just not popular in this market. 

 

The Target, WalMart and grocery stores around here either carry no powdered options or the Ariel and Foca which I cannot stand.  I don't like the strong scents of most detergents and have now changed over to nearly exclusively  using commercial products from Wausau Chemical Co.  Enzyme version powder is really a good cleaner but their phosphate "lemon" detergent gives stunning results for whites, grimy work/yard clothes, car washing rags, etc.  They also have a liquid detergent that I've only tried a couple of times at a friend's and a fabric softener that I really like.  Very light scents in all of their products, easy and clean rinsing. 

 

[48bencix]

Powder prefered for front load machines

A couple of years ago Consumer Reports addressed mold in front load machines. They stated that powder detergent was preferred. I think that Miele also recommends powder detergent for their front load machines. I use Original Tide Powder in my 2017 SQ TL. We also use Liquid Tide with Bleach. One very good thing about spin drain as the SQ has is that it keeps the outer tub clean.

 

[bradfordwhite]

Sears detergent

As big a fan as I once was of Sears, I never bought their detergent.

I was sold on original flavor Tide powder back in the early 80s and haven't strayed too far from it.

I also didn't realize there is so much variety out there in detergents.

 

[tomturbomatic]

Excuse me, but someone with cats is concerned about detergent odors? That is too rich for words. I am sorry for you.

 

[angus]

Tom, I am guessing that someone living with cats and dogs becomes desensitized to certain odors. But I don't own or live with pets so can't speak definitively to the issue. Also, she is smart enough to keep her clean clothes secure in drawers or in the closet where cats won't lay on them - apparently the cat hair comes about when she leaves used clothing that is going to be washed on the floor - not the best habit to be sure.
And let's not forget that I did mention there are other anxiety issues there and often no rational explanation for certain beliefs and attitudes...

 

[launderess]

One knew this was going to happen.

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