Those Laundry Detergent "Pods" ...

[launderess]

Liquid detergents

Solved the problem long ago of mucky dispensers by using the dosage ball from Ariel Excel gel. Works a treat though have to wait when using the AEG for it to finish it's drain, fill, sense load, then start wash business.

Quite honestly like liquids for some loads such as dress shirts and bed linens that aren't very deeply soiled. What soils they do have are often right up liquid detergent's street, oils, fats, and so forth.

 

[frontloaderfan]

I went to Walmart yesterday looking for Woolite to wash my LL Bean wool socks with. Walmart usually has the best selection of detergents in town. Almost an entire aisle of laundry products was liquids or pods. I looked for Purex powder because it is a Henkel product and found in the lonely four foot section of shelving in the entire detergent aisle where the powders were, a single box of Purex powder detergent. Everything else is liquid or pods.

 

[MrX]

That tends to happen here with Finish dishwasher products.

Endless versions of Finish occupying 75% of the shelf space and then the rest has P&G Fairy and Unilever Sun and a couple of in-store brands.

For laundry detergents P&G and Unilever compete usually fairly 50:50 although you can see they're both trying to push liquids, gels and pods and sort of leaving the powder products to languish on the lower shelves.

We've actually a bit of a duopoly on laundry products here though. Henkel and Colgate-Palmolive do not feature at all.

I would like to see more variety and definitely would like to see Henkel's range on the shelves.

The breakdown is like this:

Unilever: Persil & Surf in every format you can think of and umpteen varieties.
P&G: Ariel and Daz in every format you can think of and umpteen varieties.
Store brands: In every format you can think of and umpteen varieties.

Then you've P&G Fairy and Unilever Persil Non-Bio aimed at baby care / sensitive skin. Again, in all formats.

Softeners: endless 'flavours' of Comfort (Unilever) and Lenor (P&G) and store brands.

Then you've specialist products which are usually Woolite, Persil delicates and a few others and store brands.

Basically just unilever and P&G over and over again.

 

[launderess]

Colgate-Palmolive

IIRC at least far as USA is concerned sold off their laundry products and or licenses a few years ago.

 

[rolls_rapide]

My local mainstream supermarkets seem to stock dishwasher detergents as:

Umpteen versions of Reckitt Benckiser's Finish, in various flavours;
Almost a similar variety of P&G's Fairy, in several fragrances;
Store brands in several sizes.
Occasionally, Unilever's Persil Dishwasher pods.

Discount stores seem to have Fairy, own brands and Persil dishwasher pods with reasonable availability - usually with quite a saving over mainstream shops.

Mainstream supermarkets have laundry detergents as:
Bold, Daz and Surf in a million flavours.
Ariel and Persil in another million formats.

Lenor and Comfort fabric conditioners seem to occupy another a million shelf spaces.

 

[logixx]

Dosage balls

Aren't popular in the US, right? I haven't seen one on the many bottles of liquid detergents at Target.

 

[launderess]

Cannot recall a single American laundry detergent that sold/used dosage balls or equally similar devices. Then again we've gone straight from concentrated liquids to pods without stopping for gel detergents.

 

[MrX]

We've always had dosing balls for liquids.

The early ones were about the size of a tennis ball and a lot louder!

Unilever had a clear, soft plastic one for Persil liquid (not concentrated) which was a lot less noisy.
The current Persil Small and Might liquid comes with a similar idea in a much smaller format.

The liquid's not a gel. You pour it into the small dosing device and put it straight into the wash.
No mess, no measuring lids, no gunk down the bottle.

I've found the gels quite pointless to be perfectly honest. A concentrated liquid's a lot more flexible.

The pods pre-date the gels in Europe by about 10 years btw.

 

[paulc]

When Persil liquid (Unilever) first came out in the UK you used the caps as the dosing ball, that made a hell of a noise.

I think with the US traditionally using T/L machines dosing balls for liquid would not be required, even with F/L becoming more common the US, machines have dispensers which support liquid detergent without the use of a dosing device

 

[MrX]

Dosing Ball



Where as older Persil liquid went in the drawer :

 

[logixx]

I usually put liquids in the dispenser when the water starts flowing. This prevents it from sticking to the deterent compartment. When my washer was still connected to cold and hot water, it wasn't a problem at all because the hot water would wash everything away.

Took a quick picture of the detergent isle today. Mostly Henkel and P&G. Mostly liquids. Many jumbo boxes (50% needless fillers). Persil pods.

 

[frigilux]

I scoffed at pods for the dishwasher when they appeared because their performance lagged behind top-rated gels/powders, and I didn't believe a tough load could be cleaned well without a dose of detergent in the prewash. Since that time, improvements in their cleaning power have pushed certain brands' pods/pacs to the top of the ratings in Consumer Reports. Cascade Platinum (or Cascade Complete) pacs are now all I use, with excellent results. And yes, I use a whole pac when washing the occasional half load, which is probably a bit of an overdose--but the Earth has not spun off its axis and I continue to sleep soundly at night.

The market share of pods will continue to increase, just as liquids gradually overtook powders. Pods are more convenient to use, do a decent job of cleaning most loads, and probably make the bean counters at P&G happy due to reduced shipping costs.

Having tried Tide pods when they first appeared, I quickly returned to powdered Tide With Bleach because a) it was the superior cleaner, and b) the pods produced too much suds on smaller, lightly-soiled loads (as both Ryan and Launderess pointed out). There are also a number of user complaints at CR that items have been stained blue; something I did not experience.

Frankly, once the cleaning performance improves and, perhaps more importantly, the sudsing issue (especially in soft water) is addressed, I'll give them another chance. So what if small loads get a heavy-handed dose as long as excess suds aren't produced? Toss in two pods (if you think it's needed) for the occasional huge load of heavily-stained/soiled loads.

Yes, pods have drawbacks that need to be addressed, but rest assured P&G's Wizards of Chemistry are locked away in underground bunkers working day and night on solutions to those problems.

I just don't buy into the theory that taking advantage of a laundry product that cleans well and is more convenient to use is proof-positive of the intellectual collapse of western civilization.

[this post was last edited: 12/31/2013-12:08]

 

[logixx]

Auto-dosage

I wonder how long it'll take before more manufacturers start to add this feature to their lines of appliances. GE has SmartDispense on washers and dishwashers and Whirlpool has Precision Dispense but that's it. Over here, many brands offer automatic detergent and even softener dosing. That trend must be coming to the US as well.

 

[washman]

Nonetheless

I still like to control how much detergent is used.

 

[frigilux]

You're right, Ben, that the ability to reduce dosage remains the pods' Achilles heel. That will present a problem when washing small loads until P&G gets excess sudsing (especially in soft water) under control.

 

[kb0nes]

Eugene,

Thanks for your refreshingly reasonable take on the pods. They have both advantages and disadvantages for sure. We have only been hearing the negative here by and large.

I tried them and I wasn't too fond of them due to sudsing and perfume. Like most of us here that pay attention to laundry I like having the ability to tailor dosing too. I will admit to using Finish packs in the dishwasher.

I have watched a number of people doing laundry and they typically many of them just pour detergent into the machine straight from the bottle, no measuring. And there is no observation after the machine starts to see if the dosing was correct. For people like this a pre-measured quantity is actually a good thing. And for good or bad I'll bet these people out number the people that pay attention...

Indeed the best thing would be what Alexander mentioned, a machine that autodoses the detergent itself. Perhaps this could even be accompanied with a PH or other sensor to adjust dosing to the load. Opps scratch that, we can't have machines that have any intelligence either...

 

[launderess]

Do Not Pour .... Directly Onto Fabrics

For years many laundry products came with warnings regarding prevention against coming into contact with *damp* laundry. Well with pods that is exactly what will happen until there is enough water to cause the thing to burst. Even after that event there must be enough water to distribute product quickly to prevent possible staining or fabric damage.

My older Miele uses a nice amount of water for the cottons wash, and the AEG fills whilst tumbling, but still am wary of using any pod product with bleach such as Tide's "Stain boost" with coloured loads. Am just that worried about undiluted product coming into contact and causing marks.

 

[MrX]

It does seem a little strange that the manufacturers put a huge amount of effort into designing a complex system that sprays the detergent with water and dilutes and disperses it (the drawer) and then we go and throw the detergent straight into the drum.

My current machine goes to considerable lengths to avoid that:

The fill cycle is like this:

1) Pump out for about 20 seconds.
2) Sense load.
3) Add enough water to fill the sump and a little bit more through the rinse valve.
4) Spray water through the detergent drawer for about 30 seconds and tumble.
(repeat until fabric's saturated
5) Do a 1 min slow spin to force detergent through fabric.
6) Add more water
7) Wash.

---

The liquids here do not contain any bleach though nor do the pods.
They're all just OBAs, enzymes and surfactants.

Do any of the pods in the US contain bleach?

If you want bleaching you either need to use powered or add oxygen bleach to the machine along with a liquid.

 

[logixx]

Tide Stain Release Liquid contain(ed?) oxy bleach.

http://www.pgproductsafety.com/prod...abric_care/Tide/Tide_Stain_Release_Liquid.pdf

 

[launderess]

Tide "Booster" Vivid Pods Contain Oxygen Bleach & Ac

Which is why they are promoted for use with liquid detergents such as those made by Tide. P&G also markets such pods for use with versions of Tide powder that do not contain oxygen bleaching systems.

Again the purpose is to overcome the main drawback of using liquid/gel detergents, they cannot/do not contain bleaching agents. The pods are designed in such a away that the oxygen bleach and activators are kept separate from the enzymes and other contents. IIRC the powder part is the oxygen bleach/activator/Zeolites portion with the liquid featuring the rest (enzymes, polymers/Acti-lift formula, etc...

 

[arbilab]

Ugh. Hating the uni-dose pods and the fact they took all the shelf space that used to contain Tide HE powder, and the HE liquid that doesn't work worth a flark, today I bought a box of Tide HF (high foam) powder. It was on sale for $2 off. I'd rather buy Persil but it costs 4 times as much.

In this institution I'm stuck with 00's Maytag toploaders and they don't have a problem with HF; that is, you have to run them twice to get them to rinse properly no matter what.

I've been doing laundry 60 years and doing it properly has never been as complicated/compromised as it is today.

 

[frigilux]

Took a stroll over to Consumer Reports online and was startled at the number of pods/packs they have tested. Judging by overall scores, Kirkland Signature (Costco) and Tide Pods are the only ones that can compete with the top-end powders/liquids.

For comparison: These are the top scorers among powders and liquids.
Tide With Bleach/Vivid White+Bright HE (powder): overall score is 82 (Excellent) Cost: $.23 per load
Wisk Deep Clean (liquid): 80 (Excellent) Cost: $.14 (can be used in conventional or HE machines)

PODS/PACKS: (all can be used in conventional or HE machines)
Kirkland Signature Ultra Clean (Costco): overall score is 73 (Very Good) Cost: $.14 per pod
Tide Pods: 72 (Very Good) Cost: $.22
Nice Power Pacs (Walgreens): 65 (Very Good) Cost: $.34
All Mighty Pacs 4x Concentrated: 59 (Good) Cost: $.18
Arm & Hammer Crystal Burst Plus: 56 (Good) Cost: $.15
Purex Triple Action Ultra Pacs: 52 (Good) Cost: $.15
Dynamo Toss Ins 4x Concentrated Tablets: 51 (Good) Cost: $.20
Arm & Hammer Toss 'N Done Power Paks: 50 (Good) Cost: $.13
Dropps 6x Concentrated: 37 (Fair) Cost: $.28
Seventh Generation Natural Laundry Packs Advanced Triple Enzyme: 35 (Fair) $.30

[this post was last edited: 1/1/2014-14:27]

 

[DADoES]

 
I bought a 5-pack of Tide Pods this afternoon for a test-go.

 

[launderess]

Great Minds Think Alike

Also use mason jars to hold my powder detergent stash! *LOL*

 

[DADoES]

 
Ran a load of jeans in the Calypso with a pod.  The dosage seems on-target, minimal sudsing, and it dissolved quickly-enough.

The sweet scent is too much, though.  Leastwise I bought only 5 of the goofy things.

 

[logixx]

Did the scent remain after drying? I had some of it remain on the clothes that were line-dryer but nothing on the laundry from the dryer.

 

[DADoES]

 
Yes, enough scent remained to be somewhat objectionable.  I didn't add an extra rinse but there are (I think) five rinses by default (Calypso rinses nicely, although all the rinses are not preceded by a spin).

 

[frigilux]

All this curiosity-arousing talk of detergent pods compelled me to dig through an envelope of coupons where I found one for Tide pods and one for Tide Washing Machine Cleaner. I want to try the pods on a variety of loads---dress shirts; bed linens; bath linens; uber-stained kitchen whites---using both the top-loading Speed Queen and the Frigidaire front-loader.

All Mighty Pacs (unfortunately only the Free & Clear version), Arm & Hammer Crystal Burst, and Purex Ultra Packs were also on the shelves, all priced considerably lower than the Tide product; but I decided not to do a full-on multi-brand pod comparison test. (Translation: I will probably go to the store tomorrow and pick up a bag each of the other brands, LOL.)

I'd really like to try Costco's Kirkland Signature pods, and was in Sioux Falls, SD (the nearest Costco) on Sunday, but did not have pods on the brain at that point. Has anyone tried them? If so, what are your thoughts?[this post was last edited: 1/2/2014-21:10]

 

[frigilux]

Glenn & Launderess: I'm afraid I can't join the Great Minds club, as I store my detergent stash in lowly Rubbermaid containers. :-(

The powders: Persil Bio (UK Unilever); Fuller 86 (Fuller Brush Co.); Sears Ultra Stain Fighting; and daily driver Tide Plus Bleach/Vivid White+Bright.

Wisk Deep Clean is an impressive cleaner, and can be used in either a conventional or HE machine. It's a keeper. I won't replace the Tide liquids once they're depleted.

Love the Perwoll for Black & Darks. I wear a lot of black clothing, and it keeps blacks deeper/richer-appearing over multiple trips through the washer than does Woolite.

 

[launderess]

Once Used Similar Rubbermaid Type Containers

But found the lids would crack and otherwise self destruct after awhile. Certainly not like the long lived Rubbermaid or Tupperware of old.

Came upon a set of Ball canning jars at local Goodwill for a dirt cheap price. IIRC it was an open box item where a few of the jars were missing (broken in shipment?), so snapped them up. For months that darn crate sat sitting so one decided either to put the jars to use or move them on.

Use some when putting up batches of tomato gravy for pasta, black-eyed peas and so forth into the freezer for long term storage. The rest became containers for laundry powders. Being as they are glass once that use is over one trip through the dishwasher and they can return to food storage use.

Have found plastic containers OTOH once used for detergent are best reserved for that purpose. The scent never leaves does it?