When you are looking for laundry products, you are faced with a copious amount of choices. Undoubtedly, you have too many options and you do not know which to pick from. This was not always the case; as until the mid 1950’s the only detergent we had was powdered. Ever since, the liquid detergent was introduced and recently, the liquid pacs. With now three options in the market, how to determine which is best?
Below we have listed all the necessary information for you to choose which option suits your needs.
Powdered Laundry Detergent
Powdered detergents were first introduced in the 1930’s. They were the go-to choice for many consumers and still remain so in a few countries. Compared to the other two, it is evidently the cheapest option.
Pros:
- Smallest cost per laundry load.
- It contains linear alkylbenzene sulfonate, which is best to treat tough stains such as grass and mud.
- Good for the environment as the packaging is in cardboard boxes, so they are easily recyclable.
Cons:
- They can be problematic as they may leave a residue, especially if used with cold water, as the powder does not always dissolve in that temperature. Subsequently, the residue can make its way to the clothing which will make them look dirty despite being cleaned.
- Has to be stored in a dry area to prevent caking.
- Pretreating stains can be difficult as a paste will need to be made first by mixing the water and detergent.
Liquid Laundry Detergent
Introduced in the mid-1950’s, they are the most popular type of detergent as they are easy to use and mix well with water.
Pros:
- Less expensive compared to all-in-one pods/pacs.
- Useful in treating grease stains as it contains alcohol alcohol ethoxylates, which is best in removing oil-stains.
- Perfect for pretreating or spot cleaning.
Cons:
- Consumers use too much product per load as measurement lines on most detergents are difficult to read, which results in wasting money, and leaving residue on the clothes and washing machine.
- Although the bottles can be recycled, most consumers and municipalities don’t always recycle them which causes a strain on the environment.
- Limits the effectiveness of other cleaning agents such as oxygen bleach because they are not stable when mixed together in water.
Laundry Pods
The biggest revolution in laundry products in over 50 years was in 2012 when laundry pods/pacs were introduced. They were popularised mainly by Tide, who trademarked the term “pods”. They are the fastest growing laundry product and have already outsold powder laundry detergents.
Pros:
- Most convenient option.
- One single dose contains detergent and other cleaning or softening ingredients in a small polyvinyl film packet that dissolves in water.
- Each pac is pre-measured which eliminates overuse and residue.
- Due to the limited amount of water, the cleansing agent is stable for a longer time and provides quality results.
- Less packaging which means it is better for the environment.
Cons:
- Most expensive option on the market
- Pacs are designed for average load size, thus, heavy stains and larger loads require more pacs and increase costs.
- Cannot be used for spot treating.
We hope this list helped you narrow down your choice! And, of course, you can consider professional services to take care of your laundry such as Doosh, ‘cause you got better things to do than looking for a detergent.
