Powders on way out?

[sudsdudeshane]

I don't understand why liquid is so popular for washing clothes..Personally I think powder is much more effective at removing dirt,grime and stains. Liquids to me seem overly scented and watered down.I was in my local Albertson's recently and they had only one small row of powder available.
Lets hope this trend doesn't continue..

 

[kenmore80]

Powders on way out?

Well i guess liquid is good to remove stains but powders do get clothes cleaner me personaly I like Arm & Hammer powdwer and Cheer,Tide is also good but tends to suds more but it get clothes really clean so let's try to keep powders around.

 

[chachp]

I think liquids are messy too!

I hate the way the liquid runs down the side of the bottle and then makes that nice gooy mess underneath.

 

[hoovermatic]

I hope powders are not on the way out in the UK!! I hate liquids as they mess up my dispenser and I hate the dosing devices rattling arround in my machine.

 

[whirlcool]

We use a combination of both powders and liquids. The powders are used on the dirtier clothing and the liquids on the not so dirty items. I prefer the powders too, and the liquids can be messy to use. If you get any of the liquids on your fingers, it's hell to rinse off!
Our favourite detergent is Persil Non-Bio powder. We use it on our white sheets and the scent is very nice.

 

[petek]

I prefer liquids myself. There is still a fair selection of powders here but they're losing shelf space rapidly. Mom likes powders because she finds just lifting the bottles of liquids too heavy when they're full so normally she just buys the small boxes of ultra powders.

 

[launderess]

Liquid laundry detergents have gained ground if not over taken powders for some very simple reasons. The main reason is the types of soils/oils on today's laundry and sorts of textiles.

Powders in general, excelled at removing clay based soils. With the addition of enzymes and oxygen bleaches, they also do a good job with oils and removing stains. Liquid detergents, due to their high levels of surfactants, do a better job of oily dirt, and when combined with enzymes, do an even better job of oily dirt and stains.

In the United States at least, most laundry is simply not that dirty to require "heavy duty" laundry products. Even where laundry is really filthy, today's detergent liquids seem to do a decent enough job.

Changes in detergent chemistry have allowed liquids to incorporate all sorts of chemicals that they could not before, such as oxygen type bleaches. Also other chemicals have been found to sequester minerals and keep soils in suspension better if not equal to phosphates, washing soda, borax and Zeolites. Finally many consumers have reported they like using liquids because those detergents can be used straight from the bottle as a pre-treater.

Guess the final advantage towards liquids is the trend on both sides of the pond towards lower wash water temps. Liquids start working and disslove well in warm and even cold water. Powdered detergents can be made to do so, but normally because of cost, only top shelf detergents offer this advantage. Lower shelf powders which mainly rely on washing soda and or borax, simply do not work as well in cooler wash temps.

Another advantage is liquid detergents are nearly all pH neutral to slightly acidic. This means less chances of skin irritation, and in the case of colours, less fading and dye bleeding. Again powdered detergents can incorporate this technology, but it costs money, so only the TOL detergents tend to offer.

 

[hoover1060]

I just switched to powder

original flavor Tide, in a huge box from Sam's club. I'd previously used liquid Tide and sometimes Cheer, and I found they did not rinse very well, especially the Tide.
So far I am very pleased with the powdered Tide, and I love that smell on my clothes!!

 

[MrX]

Depends on the machine type

Front loaders are naturally better at handling powder-based detergents due to the dispenser drawer.

If you use liquids in a european machine you have to add a dosing ball to the drum which does, as a previous poster said, rattle around.

I can see huge advantages for a Toploader where you can add the liquid straight on top of the clothes where as powders really ought to be pre-mixed with water i.e. by putting them into the bottom of the tub, then starting the water flow then adding clothes.

I don't really think there's any difference in soil levels or types between the US and Europe though.

I find quickwash in a miele + a small amount of persil or ariel will get most things extremely clean in <30 mins.

 

[oxydolfan1]

I believe a lot of it comes down to what I always say, which is only you can know what works well in your own water!

Where I live, liquids rule....but that's largely because launderers try the powders that are still available (Tide, Gain, etc., and they suds up like mad and don't rinse clean in soft water, like they can in hard-water areas.

Also, powders are not aggressively discounted in supermarkets the way liquids are, and there's only so much you can do to a cardboard box to make it look visually appealing.

It seems everyone and their brother's plumber has advised them, "powders don't dissolve", and that they have a bad effect on the innards of the machine (for the most part, I disagree).

One product that is wildly popular here is the Kirkland 300 oz. liquid Tide knockoff that is sold in Costco stores (there is also an All Free and Clear knockoff in the same size). I've used it myself, and know it's converted a lot of Tide purists that balked at P&G's most recent price hikes on their branded detergents.

In New Jersey, many of us have damp (if not outright wet) basements, and the powders, especially the less expensive ones, tend to clump up in the box. This is not a new phenomenon, but today's consumer is very convenience-oriented, and liquids in bottles solve that problem easily.

Lastly, many powders (Purex, Surf, and All in particular) don't dissolve well (or at all) in our soft water.

 

[volvoguy87]

Powders Rule!

I don't bother with liquids, ever! I hate the sticky dripping and residue they always leave behind, and powder is SO much easier to clean up if you spill. Also, I hate to think what the solvents in liquids do over time to the rubber and plastic parts of our washers. Even though liquids are often on sale, I find powders to be cheaper on a per-load basis. At my local Target they sell a 96 load dispenser of liquid Tide for $21.00 and a 120 load box of powdered Tide for about $17.00. The powder is cheaper for more loads! I have been using Tide original for whites and really dirty stuff, and Cheer for colors. Sometimes I add some 20 Mule Team borax powder if the load is very dirty or has an odor. I want to try some Gain and Surf because I have never used them. I put the powder in first, then turn on the hot water and run it until all the powder is dissolved. (I run the hot water in a nearby sink to get the hot water up the pipe to the machine before I turn it on). Once the powder is dissolved, I load the clothes, select the wash and rinse temp I want and turn it on. In college when using coin-op machines, I put the powder in first, then loaded the clothes, then turned it on. I have only had problems with detergent not dissolving when putting the powder in on top of the clothes. The only better way I know of is in my grandmother's GE Filter-Flo where I load the clothes and put the powder into the filter pan before turning it on.

Keeping it clean,
Dave

 

[tolivac]

The irratating thing I don't like about the liquids is not the detergent itself--but the bottles-I HATE the "splashproof" bottles-they waste the detergent-you have to tilt and poor and dribble the last bit out-and that often dribbles not into the detergent measuring cup-but on your hand or whatever else is nearby.That package design is WASTEFUL!!At least with the powders you could get the last bit without problems.But the packaging for powders is bad-that cardboard box-those have to go--how bout some airtight plastic bin or jar?In the humid area I am in-the detergent would keep better-and easier to measure from the bin or jar then from a box.

 

[mrcleanjeans]

Powders,in general leave precipitates in the washer and clothing because the washing soda that is often used as a phosphate-replacement reacts with hard water causing limestone (calcium carbonate, chalk) that builds up in time on the clothing and the washer.Better powders use aluminosilicates instead of or to partially replace the washing soda thus aren't as bad with this.Plus,many powders just don't fully dissolve in cooler temps.Thus,liquids,Fab is tops, or PHOSPHATED mexican powders which have none of these probs for me.

 

[dixieland]

I prefer powders as I feel they clean better. I too have soft water (Memphis). My biggest complaint about liquids is their scent. I simply want a detergent that smells like detergent.

 

[westytoploader]

I love powders, as they are neoprene-safe (for Frigidaire pulsators/rings and rubber fins on others) and do a good job. No sticky, gooey mess either. My personal favorite is Fresh Start, though I do like Fab, original Tide w/Bleach, and Gain as well. The Mexican phosphated powders are good if you want a lot of suds, and are quick-dissolving.

David brought a bottle of Cheer True Fit liquid to the wash-in that I still have, and I like it, surprisingly. I don't have to use fabric softener either, as it holds true to its claim of extra softening power. Because I've been using the Dual-Tumble lately, I've just been using Fab powder as it's low-sudsing.

However, if you just throw the powder all over the machine, over time it will accumulate on the tub ring and cause a NASTY mess. More on THAT experience soon...I wish I had taken some pictures.

--Austin

 

[oxydolfan1]

I'm somewhat disappointed in Surf powder....it's more like a lightweight "classic" detergent that doesn't really remove stains well.

I tested the Tide HE and Arm and Hammer "2x" liquids over the weekend. Tide is just about the same, but the Arm and Hammer performs a bit better than the original concentration, and even seems a bit lower-sudsing then before.

I'd lobby for "Fresh Start" to be carried up here, but who do you contact? Colgate-Palmolive sold the brand off, and it's not on their website, yet everyone who has it claims it's still labelled CG!

Fab and Ajax powders are long gone from the stores around here, even the ghetto bodegas and dollar stores. The distributors must have been sitting on huge stocks of Fab liquids-in all three flavors!-because they are everywhere, and are surprisingly steeply discounted. I don't care for the Fab liquid, but do like the Ajax (blue bottle) liquid, because I have yet to find a liquid that whitens (with a shot of Clorox) my white shirts better, and the "El Tremendo"-sized bottle is all of $1.49!

I like the Cheer with Softness product as well, but reserve it for sweaters, washable dress slacks, khakis, and the like.

Agree totally on the fragrances of liquids....I'm nuts about the Persil gels, because they just smell a cut above. Too expensive, though,

 

[DADoES]