P&G Tide "Pods" Killing the Laundry Soap Industry?
- Thread starter launderess
- Start date
Help Support :
But Wait There's More
Again, who knew?
Again, who knew?
golittlesport
Well-known member
Strange
Why did the premeasured tablets never catch on? I remember Salvo and Vim many years ago. They faded. Then a few years ago a few manufacturers tried the tablet format again and nothing. (I really liked the Wisk tabs.) Now all of sudden everyone is ga-ga over Tide pods. How come?
Why did the premeasured tablets never catch on? I remember Salvo and Vim many years ago. They faded. Then a few years ago a few manufacturers tried the tablet format again and nothing. (I really liked the Wisk tabs.) Now all of sudden everyone is ga-ga over Tide pods. How come?
Colors?
You've got to admit, they look nifty.
I also have heard, and think Consumers Reports has verified, that they work very well.
This is just speculation, but it seems to me when P&G brought out dishwasher pacs, they made sure they worked better than existing powders, and Reckitt did the same with Electrasol/Finish.
I think, unlike the 1960s when Salvo/Vim were no better than the competition, and maybe not as good, P&G has packed Tide Pods with their very best technology, and wrapped them in a bright, modern, eye-catching package. Result: sales.
It's the time-honored P&G marketing, with a dash of science.
You've got to admit, they look nifty.
I also have heard, and think Consumers Reports has verified, that they work very well.
This is just speculation, but it seems to me when P&G brought out dishwasher pacs, they made sure they worked better than existing powders, and Reckitt did the same with Electrasol/Finish.
I think, unlike the 1960s when Salvo/Vim were no better than the competition, and maybe not as good, P&G has packed Tide Pods with their very best technology, and wrapped them in a bright, modern, eye-catching package. Result: sales.
It's the time-honored P&G marketing, with a dash of science.
arbilab
Well-known member
Haven't I read reports of the gelpak incompletely dissolving and depositing on fabric?
Look at that McDonald guy. Geezus, I wouldn't buy money from him if he was selling twenties for $5.
Dose schmose. For some washes I use a quarter scoop, others require 3 times that. How the hell does he know how dirty my stuff is?
No offense to anyone who likes 'pods', but the public's susceptibility to marketing is an embarrassment to sapient life forms.
Look at that McDonald guy. Geezus, I wouldn't buy money from him if he was selling twenties for $5.
Dose schmose. For some washes I use a quarter scoop, others require 3 times that. How the hell does he know how dirty my stuff is?
No offense to anyone who likes 'pods', but the public's susceptibility to marketing is an embarrassment to sapient life forms.
whirlcool
Well-known member
I guess P&G thinks we all have the same size washers and all of our clothing is equally dirty. I guess depending on what size washer and how dirty your clothes are will depend on the final result.
What I would worry about is how is the rinse ability of these pods. After all Tide is known for having rinsing issues.
What I would worry about is how is the rinse ability of these pods. After all Tide is known for having rinsing issues.
I tried a bag of them when they first arrived on store shelves. They occasionally migrate to the front of the tub and land in the boot of my front-loader, and I've read numerous user complaints about them not dissolving well--and consequently staining fabrics--in top-loading HE machines.
They do a pretty good job, but can't handle stains the way powdered Tide w/ Bleach HE does.
They're super-convenient to use, and if P&G can hook the college / in-their-twenties crowd, they'll have a large customer base for life. Most in that age group are in college or apartments, which means many of them are hauling their laundry to a communal coin-op in their building. Is it easier/more convenient to carry a few Pods or a big jug of detergent, which then has to be hauled back to dorm room/apartment?
They do a pretty good job, but can't handle stains the way powdered Tide w/ Bleach HE does.
They're super-convenient to use, and if P&G can hook the college / in-their-twenties crowd, they'll have a large customer base for life. Most in that age group are in college or apartments, which means many of them are hauling their laundry to a communal coin-op in their building. Is it easier/more convenient to carry a few Pods or a big jug of detergent, which then has to be hauled back to dorm room/apartment?
jeb
Well-known member
pods
While I am not a fan my mother loves them. She has arthritis and it is difficult for her to measure and pour detergent and softner. Her clothes are never that dirty so the cleaning aspect isn't that important. Jeb
While I am not a fan my mother loves them. She has arthritis and it is difficult for her to measure and pour detergent and softner. Her clothes are never that dirty so the cleaning aspect isn't that important. Jeb
kenmoreguy89
Well-known member
Over here laundry tabs and pods and pre-measured stuff were enough famous in the past also, I just recall the Surf pre-measured powder detergent coming in cloth bags....
But they never catch on also, I never found pods and such stuff as good as the powders and their pre-measured things sometimes were or just too much or just to less, infact for large heavy soiled I got to use two or even three of them sometimes even 4, but when three was too much and two just too less here I felt like wasiting a thing more...but if not I knew my laundry would not be clean, this from past experience with that...
Measures indicated in liquids and powders should be intended just as an aproximative amount, I think that indeed is using liquids and powders that you save, you find the right amount needed of each product by seeing sudsing level and also when you're used to a product....while with these pods the 1 pod 1 load indication is often not true, especially for light soiled small loads or hevaily soilied loads, is crazy the idea to use the same qty both for large and small loads and every soil level...
That's also why I dislike these types of products, so this article leaves me pretty stunned....
[this post was last edited: 4/5/2013-10:45]
But they never catch on also, I never found pods and such stuff as good as the powders and their pre-measured things sometimes were or just too much or just to less, infact for large heavy soiled I got to use two or even three of them sometimes even 4, but when three was too much and two just too less here I felt like wasiting a thing more...but if not I knew my laundry would not be clean, this from past experience with that...
Measures indicated in liquids and powders should be intended just as an aproximative amount, I think that indeed is using liquids and powders that you save, you find the right amount needed of each product by seeing sudsing level and also when you're used to a product....while with these pods the 1 pod 1 load indication is often not true, especially for light soiled small loads or hevaily soilied loads, is crazy the idea to use the same qty both for large and small loads and every soil level...
That's also why I dislike these types of products, so this article leaves me pretty stunned....
[this post was last edited: 4/5/2013-10:45]
Suds, suds and more suds!
I picked up a small bag of the Tide pods back in the fall, verified the package said they would work in an HE machine as we have an LG Steam FL HE machine. I started a load of laundry which consisted of "everyday" clothes, jeans, shirts, sock, etc. that I added the pod to. I came down to the basement later on and had suds coming out of the stand pipe--in the final rinse cycle! The suds had overflowed all over the floor and the inside of the machine was sudsy. It took three aditional rinse cycles to get the soap out of that load. I sealed the package back up and gave them to my mother who still has our old TL, "old school" Kenmore Elite WM.
I did ask mom later on how they had worked for her and she reported "okay", but not as good as Tide with bleach-or regular Tide---in her opinion.
That is my first and last experience with the pods
I picked up a small bag of the Tide pods back in the fall, verified the package said they would work in an HE machine as we have an LG Steam FL HE machine. I started a load of laundry which consisted of "everyday" clothes, jeans, shirts, sock, etc. that I added the pod to. I came down to the basement later on and had suds coming out of the stand pipe--in the final rinse cycle! The suds had overflowed all over the floor and the inside of the machine was sudsy. It took three aditional rinse cycles to get the soap out of that load. I sealed the package back up and gave them to my mother who still has our old TL, "old school" Kenmore Elite WM.
I did ask mom later on how they had worked for her and she reported "okay", but not as good as Tide with bleach-or regular Tide---in her opinion.
That is my first and last experience with the pods
As costs have risen for packaging and transporting of products, detergent manufacturers have sought more compact and concentrated products. The goo in pods probably represents a concentration that would make liquid detergents almost impossible to pour out of a jug and would almost require throwing the measuring cap into the washer to wash the detergent out of the cap. Remember in the 80s when detergents appeared in the concentrated formulas and, as part of the concentration, they used the lower sudsing surfactants? It was great for people with front loaders and those who could understand that you do not need suds to clean clothing, but not so good for the people who were used to bailing detergent from the 40 lb. box of Super Sudz with the Melmac coffee cup from the starter place setting of whatever pattern the grocery store or gas station had given away.
It is interesting that the pods have cut more into liquid detergent sales than powder. The pods are probably lighter to carry and liquid laundry detergents seem to have the larger share of the market anyway. Given the ads for washing machine cleaners where people talk about the washer stinking up the whole room, and don't forget that they are wearing clothes that come out of these HE cesspools, they obviously need something that performs better, but I wonder how P&G is getting customers to switch from the cheap, store brand and off brand detergents to the pods. I wonder if the pods have an overwhelming perfume. That seems to be a requisite ingredient in laundry detergents, especially liquids, so that even if you wash in 40F water and the stuff never adequately rinses out, the perfume will overwhelm the stench of soil in the fabrics. I don't know what Gain smells like, but many ads tout that the product smells like Gain, I mean that it has the Gain fragrance. I guess that body deodorant will be the next step for the Gain fragrance on the way to the cheap perfume counter.
Do Tide pods come in regular and HE formulations? I can see the appeal to the harried of combining, yet holding separate, the various washing products that we measure out of separate containers. I don't think the slovenly care about that so for them it is light and convenient.
Unlike the tablets, the pods enforce a dosage that might be more than many need, but that sells more product. Mom used to break tablets in half for the WH FL. The main failure of the later tablets like Wisk and Purex was that HE machines did not have enough water in the wash portion to quickly dissolve the tablet so it had to be smushed into powder before being added to the machine. In the uncrushed tablet form, they also dissolved too slowly to be added to the dispensers.
I wonder about the families that load a week's worth of wash in a 75 or 100 lb machine. How many pods do loads like that require?
It is interesting that the pods have cut more into liquid detergent sales than powder. The pods are probably lighter to carry and liquid laundry detergents seem to have the larger share of the market anyway. Given the ads for washing machine cleaners where people talk about the washer stinking up the whole room, and don't forget that they are wearing clothes that come out of these HE cesspools, they obviously need something that performs better, but I wonder how P&G is getting customers to switch from the cheap, store brand and off brand detergents to the pods. I wonder if the pods have an overwhelming perfume. That seems to be a requisite ingredient in laundry detergents, especially liquids, so that even if you wash in 40F water and the stuff never adequately rinses out, the perfume will overwhelm the stench of soil in the fabrics. I don't know what Gain smells like, but many ads tout that the product smells like Gain, I mean that it has the Gain fragrance. I guess that body deodorant will be the next step for the Gain fragrance on the way to the cheap perfume counter.
Do Tide pods come in regular and HE formulations? I can see the appeal to the harried of combining, yet holding separate, the various washing products that we measure out of separate containers. I don't think the slovenly care about that so for them it is light and convenient.
Unlike the tablets, the pods enforce a dosage that might be more than many need, but that sells more product. Mom used to break tablets in half for the WH FL. The main failure of the later tablets like Wisk and Purex was that HE machines did not have enough water in the wash portion to quickly dissolve the tablet so it had to be smushed into powder before being added to the machine. In the uncrushed tablet form, they also dissolved too slowly to be added to the dispensers.
I wonder about the families that load a week's worth of wash in a 75 or 100 lb machine. How many pods do loads like that require?
HE and scent
Tom--I do not *think* Tide is making two versions of the pods (HE/Regular), IIRC, the packages said something along the lines of "this will work in ALL washers". As far as scent in the Tide pods (at keast the ones I bought), I do not remeber it being overwhelming. I was curious about them after seeing them advertised and reading some of the posts here. Our Kroger had them on sale and I also had a $2.00 off coupon so I decided to gamble
We keep the door open on the FL machine when not in use (as I have always done with any WM) and have not had any issue with smells, etc. I typically wipe it down with paper towels and will clean the window with cleaner every week or so.
My biggest beef with the FL machines is that you cannot soak in them like you can with the old TL machines. I had a laundry tub installed back in the late fall so that I had a way to soak stains out. It has been awesome having the sink in the basement next to the washer!
Tom--I do not *think* Tide is making two versions of the pods (HE/Regular), IIRC, the packages said something along the lines of "this will work in ALL washers". As far as scent in the Tide pods (at keast the ones I bought), I do not remeber it being overwhelming. I was curious about them after seeing them advertised and reading some of the posts here. Our Kroger had them on sale and I also had a $2.00 off coupon so I decided to gamble
We keep the door open on the FL machine when not in use (as I have always done with any WM) and have not had any issue with smells, etc. I typically wipe it down with paper towels and will clean the window with cleaner every week or so.
My biggest beef with the FL machines is that you cannot soak in them like you can with the old TL machines. I had a laundry tub installed back in the late fall so that I had a way to soak stains out. It has been awesome having the sink in the basement next to the washer!
I have only tried the Wisk version of the pods/packets, so I can't comment on Tide specifically. They seem to perform well, with one "but"... The instructions on the package indicate that one pod is good for most laundry situations, but 2 might be necessary for really dirty loads or very large loads (I have top loaders, non-HE models). So the question becomes - when is one not enough? And by how much is it not enough? It's not like I can add a little more, it's one pod or two, no partials. That, for me, is the advantage of an unpackaged product, be it powder or liquid, the user can adjust the quantity infinitely (similar to infinite water level selection vs. pre-set levels, or infinite electric range controls vs. pre-set buttons). I still have my jug of liquid detergent and I did use it for one load that I didn't feel was dirty-enough to warrant an entire pod. I haven't decided if I will continue to buy the pod product or stick with the jug.
lawrence
lawrence
Ha ha ha, you and me, little brown jug, don't I love thee!
Marketing?
I think that some of the multi-segmented packaging with various colors may be just plain old marketing. We all know that a pack with 3 colors of goo in it would be more effective then one with just 2 for instance...
Does anyone remember a couple years back when Cascade DW packs came with one side filled with a blue liquid that was supposed to represent Dawn liquid? They stated that the packs had the cleaning "power of Dawn". I wonder how many people figured they could give a squirt of Dawn into their dishwasher to accomplish the same thing? I suppose that may do a good job of cleaning... the kitchen floor!
I think that some of the multi-segmented packaging with various colors may be just plain old marketing. We all know that a pack with 3 colors of goo in it would be more effective then one with just 2 for instance...
Does anyone remember a couple years back when Cascade DW packs came with one side filled with a blue liquid that was supposed to represent Dawn liquid? They stated that the packs had the cleaning "power of Dawn". I wonder how many people figured they could give a squirt of Dawn into their dishwasher to accomplish the same thing? I suppose that may do a good job of cleaning... the kitchen floor!
franksdad
Well-known member
I tried them...
I was not impressed. The Tide pods did not completely dissolve and left slimy gooey mess on the laundry. I had to wash some things an additional two times before I got the mess off. Also, it seemed like laundry washed in the Tide pods made my skin itch. I seem to recall someone else on this board stating they had an adverse skin reaction to the Tide pods. I threw the rest away. I also tried the all gel tabs. They were worse at not dissolving than the Tide pods. I finally used the all tabs up by throwing a pod into my BOSH front loader, turning it on and letting it run a minute or so without any laundry in it. The tabs would dissolve then I would add the laundry. I have used the Clorox 2 pods with good success and admit the pods and gel paks are a good idea... but I ain't going back there again. Give me my Sears UntraPlus powder anytime.
I was not impressed. The Tide pods did not completely dissolve and left slimy gooey mess on the laundry. I had to wash some things an additional two times before I got the mess off. Also, it seemed like laundry washed in the Tide pods made my skin itch. I seem to recall someone else on this board stating they had an adverse skin reaction to the Tide pods. I threw the rest away. I also tried the all gel tabs. They were worse at not dissolving than the Tide pods. I finally used the all tabs up by throwing a pod into my BOSH front loader, turning it on and letting it run a minute or so without any laundry in it. The tabs would dissolve then I would add the laundry. I have used the Clorox 2 pods with good success and admit the pods and gel paks are a good idea... but I ain't going back there again. Give me my Sears UntraPlus powder anytime.
Tom
Not THAT jug....
lawrence
Not THAT jug....
lawrence
dirtybuck
Well-known member
Hypocrite!
If I'm not mistaken, didn't Arm & Hammer come out with their version of the Tide Pods? Perhaps the Church Dwight dude is a bit jealous because the Tide Pods are doing much better in sales over what they developed.
Part of me wants to use the Tide Pods, but then, I like to dose detergent to my preference. And since I'm reading such negative reviews on here about them, I'll stick to the powders and liquids I already use.
If I'm not mistaken, didn't Arm & Hammer come out with their version of the Tide Pods? Perhaps the Church Dwight dude is a bit jealous because the Tide Pods are doing much better in sales over what they developed.
Part of me wants to use the Tide Pods, but then, I like to dose detergent to my preference. And since I'm reading such negative reviews on here about them, I'll stick to the powders and liquids I already use.
kenmoreguy89
Well-known member
It's fun like here these pods and similar stuff never caught up like that, we've Dash over here which is as famous as it is Tide in USA.....but looks like P&G didn't want to introduce these kind of powder +liquid pods over here in Europe...
Here instead of pods many started to produce the liquid tabs/ soluble pouches from Dash, Dixan, Sole with 1 thing=1 load indication etc..., and the fun thing is that here what they advertise is that these pouches allow a saving because they said most 'part of regular detergents finish in the drain pipe during filling?..... yep absurd, but this is what their commercial said also (The Dash one), the only advantage of this type of product to which they did give importance in ads ...
Now, my previous speech in the other post can only be a generalized one about the premeasured types of detergents, can't say how Tide pods do at wash as I never tried them nor I think I ever will to do... but probably are way better than the Liquid tabs sold here....
I can speak for liquidtabs though, and they sucks totally IMO..... some people find them pretty good because they believe the story about detergent waisting in pipes...but they even admit they needed to use more than one, so the 1 thing 1 load is bullshit...
They cost alot also compared to the regular powders or liquids...
Here, at least in my town liquid pods section in stores in always full.... it means very few people buy them compared to the ones who buys powders and liquids ...never see them in people's caddies while shopping...
I think is impossible to measure correctly without wasiting a pre-measured thing...so here I find the article like a non-sense...IMO.
It's interesting that these products are liked mostly from younger generations rather than old ones..... sad to say but not a mistery that young generations are litterally scared by though dirt and stains , and their typical home -done laundry is lightly to medium soiled ....while a though dirt and stained item is sent directly to dry cleaners considered "a too hard job for me" or also often to be given to mom and or granma ( that "magically" make it disappear as she knows how laundry has to be done) ... infact an example:I can hear anyday about mommies not allowing kids to play in dirty places (gardens, grass, and such) or rebuke them hard for being got dirt or food stained...at least this is here....
I don't know about you, but I don't remember me or all my childhood friends being rebuked so hard or at all from mine and their mums to be returned home litterally covered of grass and mud.... and we usually came home in indescribable conditions...
Our clothes were simply clean again the next day..... without such stories and gripes....that was normal..
Im 23 years old... not that old...... but I can't imagine my childhood in the hands of today's mums...I would never want to be one of today's child!
A mom of today would litterally scream at their kids just for doing what kids always do .... or used to do... it's also true now kid's games and playing is all about video-games playstation, x-box etc....
Even if often the guilt of this is given to kids losing interest in real games, open plays like it used to be for people of a certain generation, I think most part of today's children life-style and loss of genuine fun is to be given to family and general life-style ...not certainly only to kids..but that's another matter...
All this to say that laundry canons are changed like they're in everything, a today's heavy soiled laundry is what once was considered a light soiled one from some younger people....
The one above is a practical example that all is changed, for some reasons, so I can explain myself the fact these things now are liked because now actually 1 thing is able to get their average load clean (lightly soiled), while once nobody liked them and never caught up.. because life-style is changed, laundry, house-keeping conception and attitude ( for most younger people) is someway changed.... some one nowadays would even find good at washing some kind of scented water if you would not tell them what it is, they would just say it wash well as long as it leaves clothes scented .. that's what I mean...
Anyway, again, can't really see how these pods would actually allow a saving ....or better saying, avoid waisting of regular products ... I think it's just the opposite....
Can be this article indeed an attempt operated from manufacturers to induce people to buy these pods? A trick? My beliefs tells me that manufacturers makes much more profit on these pods than with regular measurable detergents, someone may need to compare price of a pods box and price of a tide powder box and just compare the number of loads you can actually do (not the stated loads number) with pods and powder and make proportions .... maybe results would surprise you.... that may be a trick, they claim/denounce a thing that actually isn't to get a hoped result....that would be a possibility also? I think it may be....without counting that the matter involved Church&Dwight and ohter manufacturers of detergents, and from what I know pretty much all including the cited Chirch&Dwight started to make their own pods....so....what's the matter with other detergents? The part of the angels, good and kind who tells people : "we know that people uses more than needed so we want people to use the right amount, and we did this against our economic interests blah blah blaht" is just this! a part! IMO They all are friends in the backastage of this theathre...it's in their interest after all.....
[this post was last edited: 4/5/2013-15:14]
Here instead of pods many started to produce the liquid tabs/ soluble pouches from Dash, Dixan, Sole with 1 thing=1 load indication etc..., and the fun thing is that here what they advertise is that these pouches allow a saving because they said most 'part of regular detergents finish in the drain pipe during filling?..... yep absurd, but this is what their commercial said also (The Dash one), the only advantage of this type of product to which they did give importance in ads ...
Now, my previous speech in the other post can only be a generalized one about the premeasured types of detergents, can't say how Tide pods do at wash as I never tried them nor I think I ever will to do... but probably are way better than the Liquid tabs sold here....
I can speak for liquidtabs though, and they sucks totally IMO..... some people find them pretty good because they believe the story about detergent waisting in pipes...but they even admit they needed to use more than one, so the 1 thing 1 load is bullshit...
They cost alot also compared to the regular powders or liquids...
Here, at least in my town liquid pods section in stores in always full.... it means very few people buy them compared to the ones who buys powders and liquids ...never see them in people's caddies while shopping...
I think is impossible to measure correctly without wasiting a pre-measured thing...so here I find the article like a non-sense...IMO.
It's interesting that these products are liked mostly from younger generations rather than old ones..... sad to say but not a mistery that young generations are litterally scared by though dirt and stains , and their typical home -done laundry is lightly to medium soiled ....while a though dirt and stained item is sent directly to dry cleaners considered "a too hard job for me" or also often to be given to mom and or granma ( that "magically" make it disappear as she knows how laundry has to be done) ... infact an example:I can hear anyday about mommies not allowing kids to play in dirty places (gardens, grass, and such) or rebuke them hard for being got dirt or food stained...at least this is here....
I don't know about you, but I don't remember me or all my childhood friends being rebuked so hard or at all from mine and their mums to be returned home litterally covered of grass and mud.... and we usually came home in indescribable conditions...
Our clothes were simply clean again the next day..... without such stories and gripes....that was normal..
Im 23 years old... not that old...... but I can't imagine my childhood in the hands of today's mums...I would never want to be one of today's child!
A mom of today would litterally scream at their kids just for doing what kids always do .... or used to do... it's also true now kid's games and playing is all about video-games playstation, x-box etc....
Even if often the guilt of this is given to kids losing interest in real games, open plays like it used to be for people of a certain generation, I think most part of today's children life-style and loss of genuine fun is to be given to family and general life-style ...not certainly only to kids..but that's another matter...
All this to say that laundry canons are changed like they're in everything, a today's heavy soiled laundry is what once was considered a light soiled one from some younger people....
The one above is a practical example that all is changed, for some reasons, so I can explain myself the fact these things now are liked because now actually 1 thing is able to get their average load clean (lightly soiled), while once nobody liked them and never caught up.. because life-style is changed, laundry, house-keeping conception and attitude ( for most younger people) is someway changed.... some one nowadays would even find good at washing some kind of scented water if you would not tell them what it is, they would just say it wash well as long as it leaves clothes scented .. that's what I mean...
Anyway, again, can't really see how these pods would actually allow a saving ....or better saying, avoid waisting of regular products ... I think it's just the opposite....
Can be this article indeed an attempt operated from manufacturers to induce people to buy these pods? A trick? My beliefs tells me that manufacturers makes much more profit on these pods than with regular measurable detergents, someone may need to compare price of a pods box and price of a tide powder box and just compare the number of loads you can actually do (not the stated loads number) with pods and powder and make proportions .... maybe results would surprise you.... that may be a trick, they claim/denounce a thing that actually isn't to get a hoped result....that would be a possibility also? I think it may be....without counting that the matter involved Church&Dwight and ohter manufacturers of detergents, and from what I know pretty much all including the cited Chirch&Dwight started to make their own pods....so....what's the matter with other detergents? The part of the angels, good and kind who tells people : "we know that people uses more than needed so we want people to use the right amount, and we did this against our economic interests blah blah blaht" is just this! a part! IMO They all are friends in the backastage of this theathre...it's in their interest after all.....
[this post was last edited: 4/5/2013-15:14]
