Powders vs Liquids vs Tablets vs Gels

[andyzanni]

Hi guys, hope everyone is keeping well and having plenty of lucky finds!!!

Just interested to see what everyones choice was when it comes to using a detergent.

I've heard that liquids and gels don't contain any bleaching agents in them, so don't kill much bacteria if used on low temp washes. is this true?

I generally just use Ariel powder with actilift, just smells nice and clean, none of these funny/strange smells that are every at the minute!

Any opinions/ views?

 

[ronhic]

Firstly, this should be in the SUPER forum...

...but you are correct, generally liquids and gels don't contain bleaching agents.

 

I'm a powder/tablet user through and through.....being in Australia, detergent choices are different, though some names are familiar to others....

 

My current stock, all for front loaders, includes:

 

- 1990's '1 cup' OMOmatic

- Persil Tablets (about 2004)

- OMO Baby - no longer available

- OMO

- Drive

- Surf 'Tropical' - both new and old (no enzyme) formulations. They new one is as good as OMO/Persil

- BioZet - Japanese brand sold here for many years.

- Aldi's Trimat

 

Frankly, I like them all and with the exception of Aldi's Trimat, all of them have a relatively light scent.

 

[paulc]

In the UK

The majority of powders and tablets contain bleaching agents in varying quantities unless the powder is one specifically for coloureds.

For example Persil Bio contains 5 to 15% oxygen based bleaching agent whilst Persil Non Bio contains 15 to 30% to make up for the lack of enzymes.

Liquids and Gels do not contain bleaching agents, colour liquids and powders also do not contain brightening agents as far as I know.

 

[strongenough78]

Here in the States, liquids have been all the rage for a few years now. I personally prefer powders. Tide and I think a couple of other brands were producing tablets for a while which I tried. Cleaning results were good, but not ideal for laundromat front loaders unless you remember to crumble them up first. I haven't seen them around for a while. I've used liquids many times over the years but always return to powders. I haven't tried any gels yet.

 

[launderess]

Tide, Purex and Wisk All Had Tablets

And all withdrew them from the market not long afterwards. IIRC, Purex was the last to go.

Shame really as one liked the scent of Wisk tabs. Used to crush up the packet and put the "powder" into a glass jar with lid. Easier to dispense the accurate dosage for front loaders that way IMHO.

 

[twinniefan]

Wisk

We used to have Wisk liquid here in Australia many years ago, although it did not last too long, which was a pity as my mother really liked it,she actually thought it was as good as her old favourite Rinso, which would have been quite a claim, knowing how much she loved Rinso.
From memory the advertising for Wisk concentrated on its deodorizing ability rather than its cleaning power, which I suspect may have been it's downfall.
Ronhic, mate hang onto that 1 cup Omomatic it is without a doubt a real treasure.

 

[launderess]

Yes, This Thread Goes Elsewhere

However being as that may cannot understand why the furore and confusion about liquid detergents not cleaning well due to the absence of (oxygen) bleach.

The problem is easily solved by using any of the myraid of various liquid or powdered oxygen bleaches. My person favourite is Ecover's packets of sodium percarbonate, or simply purchase the stuff in bulk.

Oh you'll hear "don't mix powders with liquids", but that is just what is in those Tide stain "pacs". An oxygen bleach and liquid separated inside the bag until they are liberated in the wash.

Sodium percarbonate supplies enough of it's own alkalinity to overcome the near neutral pH of most laundry liquids. Indeed I've used the fromer with everything from Ariel Excell (Alpine Fresh) to OMO and Persil from France. Not to mention Tide Coldwater and Free/Clear liquids.

 

[sudsmaster]

Many liquid detergents contain oxygen-safe bleach. Generally this appears to be a water-stable compound such as sodium perborate (I think).

But for heavy soils powders are the way to go.

Haven't seen a gel laundry detergent in a long time.

Tablets are basically compressed powders. My problem with them is that they can't be tailored for more exact dosage without breaking them up - messy.

I use a mild liquid in my front loader for bath towels. It leaves them softer than most powders (although Persil powder leaves relatively soft results). For the rest, I generally use Sears Ultra Plus HE cut with STPP. Works great.

 

[launderess]

To The Best Of My Knowledge

No liquid detergents sold for domestic use in the USA contain oxygen bleach.

Have looked up and down Sun Chemical's list and even where the deterent lable says "Oxi" one sees neither hydrogen peroxide or any other chemical normally associated with oxygen bleaching. Of course it just could be something new has been developed...

The problem with liquid oxygen bleach (hydrogen peroxide) is it will kill off any enzymes in the detergent. In powders this isn't a problem as the oxygen bleach and or enzymes can be coated to keep both stable until mixed with water.

http://www.sunproductscorp.com/ingredient_sheets.aspx

 

[launderess]

Ok, Found The List For All "Oxi" Active

The only ingredient remotely related to releasing oxygen in wash water would be sodium bicarbonate (baking soda), and that is only just..

All oxygen generating chemicals; hydrogen peroxide, sodium percarbonate, sodium perborate must be listed on the MSDS due to the potential for combustion *kaboom* if mixed improperly. So if isn't *there* it's not there. *LOL*

 

[peterh770]

ALL Oxi = the addition of enzymes.  For some reason, Lever removed enzymes from ALL formulations and left them in Wisk, probably to differentiate the brands.  Now, Sun the added the enzymes in and put the OXI moniker on the label.

 

[matthewza]

We use powders. we used to use Purex liquid because it lasted about 3 mnths in our house, but then returned to powders. the commo powders we use are OMO handwash, Sunlight tropical sensations handwash, Skip perfect white. at the moment my OMO handwash is nearly finished so i bough regular Skip just for a change. ts also very good. then we tried the new OMO Auto liquid and wow... it works like an absolute BOMB! just brlliant! the new Skip concentrate liquid is also good but the omo auto liquid the best by far. but then found out liquid detergents make yopu machine go mouldy so i stopped and went back to powder. we dont use fabric softener or dryer sheets at all!
but we have 2 top loaders, does the liquid detergents reali make the machines go mouldy like the fabric softener does? i always leave the maxhines open after washing to dry out and leave the fabric softener dispenser open as well

 

[zanussi_lover]

I'm a Persil man =]

I generally use Powder (Persil Non Bio) for all clothes, Sometimes buy a box of Persil Bio for heavy soiled items like teatowels (I like them spotless) although Persil Non Bio powder is fine for all washes and temps and my skin =]

I prefer mild detergents that have a mild scent rather than a strong one, Ariel Bio makes me itch unfortunately..Bold and Surf makes my skin burn, due to the heavy perfume content.

Have been using Formil Biological Liquid from Lidl, in the big 3 litre bottles, and Find it to be pretty good =] it reminds me of the Old School Persil/Ariel Liquid bottles from the Late 1980's, cleans whites pretty well even though theres no oxygen bleach (just optical brightners) so its safe for darks too.

I have found though with Liquids, they are great for dark clothes, but as your clothes dry I have noticed that if they dont dry fast enough on a clothes rack, they start to smell of mildew, although i haven't noticed this with powder detergent (Persil) because it has bleaching agents, which keep the bacteria at bay.

I'm favouring Persil powders at the moment..and Comfort Pure Softener...Nice and Mild =]

using Lidls Bio Liquid too, which is good..mild smell, and good cleaning

 

[zanussi_lover]

Also I think..

People who prefer to use Liquids can use them if they do a hot wash with their liquid detergent (whites for example), leave the door ajar after every wash, and wipe the drawer out or clean it regularly.

Ive gone through a phase when ive used liquids alot at low temperatures, and the machine drum didn't smell because I took the clothes out immediately after the cycle ends, and i left the door open and when i next used the machine the machine smelt fresh.

However now I use Powders for most of my loads of laundry and I use 60*c for Towels, teatowels and sheets, so the washer gets a clean out as well as santising my sheets and towels with a hot wash.