Laundry Detergent Pods vs Liquid vs Powder – How to Choose One

Laundry detergent pods vs liquid vs powder? Which one should you choose to use for the garments? If you are the one in charge of the washing in your family, the combination of high-performance detergents and water will correctly tackle your laundry grinds. However, you are sick of searching for the right sidekick among the ocean of plentiful washing machine detergents.

Do not worry! We’ve got your back. Our paper is now available to help you out of this brain-drain issue. To shop for an ideal solvent, you first need to determine which one in three laundry detergent pods vs. liquid vs. powder is the most productive to clean your clothes. So now, come with Floorcleaningtools to scan through the pros and cons of each detergent.

Laundry Detergent Pods vs Liquid vs Powder – Pros and Cons of Each Detergent

Laundry Detergent Pods

Laundry detergent pods, a term trademarked by Tide, arose in 2012 as a breakthrough impact on the laundry industry. Pacs quickly stole millions of users’ hearts for the sake of their handy size and variety of enticing scents. Let’s discover the pods’ significant features. 

The products have some advantages helping them surpass the other two. First and foremost, thanks to pods’ compact feature, users do not have to leave any space whenever bringing them along. Notably, laundry packs are pre-measured. Hence the worry of over-dosing or spilling is eliminated. By the products’ portability, users quickly grab one pod without measuring and go to the laundromat if they can not afford a washing machine. How convenient! 

Besides their convenience, the lightweight factor considerably deducts your carriage effort. The products are useful specifically for elderly and disabled people. Pacs are more comfortable to carry and use than large containers of liquid or powder detergents.  

Furthermore, the manufacturer delicately assimilated different cleaning technologies in one pod, such as 3-in-1 pods, 4-in-1 pods, or even all-in-one pods. The single-dose pods primarily contain detergent. Others add some ingredients helping to clean and soften your clothes. These advances are superlatively optimized in small polyvinyl chloride packs, accommodate your time budget to look for different technologies: brightness and fragrance.

Last but not least,  your task is to throw one or two pods in the washing machine directly and wait. For this reason, we can minimize the packaging waste for landfill sites. We are protecting our environment, aren’t we?

However, packs have some downsides that you should consider before buying. The washing cost per load using laundry pods is about 50% more expensive than liquid and powder detergents”. So if money is your big concern, it will be best to choose one of two liquid options and powder detergents. 

Also, due to being pre-proportioned, you hardly have any dosing control on the added amount to your garments. And, you can not use packs to re-treat stains or launder by hand. It would be best if you put them into the washing machine’s drum directly, and you have a habit of spilling detergents over your clothes, pods perhaps are not for you. Sometimes, pods may not dissolve properly and get stuck in the drum. 

Dangerously, children and vulnerable adults usually mistake them for candies, and in some cases, are even poisoned. Subsequently, the industry has proposed alterations to the pods pods’ model to be less attractive to kids.

Pros

• Do not take up much space.
• Avoid overdosing.
• Super lightweight, and easy to carry.
• Different technologies in one pod.
• Reduce packaging waste for landfills.

Cons

• 50% more expensive than liquid and powder per washing
• Do not have dosing control
• Do not pre-treat stains 
• Usually be mistaken for candies.

Liquid Laundry Detergent

Liquid laundry detergent has gained popularity among millions of American citizens for its well-blended texture in water and scents. Hence, keep reading to clear your doubts about this detergent.

To begin with, we will list several good points of liquid detergent products.

Compared to laundry pods/packs as to the cost per washing, liquid is much cheaper and more affordable for middle-class families. Combined with that, liquid detergent contains the alcohol ethoxylates, which quickly annihilate grease stains caused by cooking oil and car grease. These advantages already make it one of the top choices for daily wear. 

Unlike pods, liquid has a greater leverage of stain pre-treatment and hand washing. Instead of preparing a paste from water and powder, you can directly pour the liquid into your garments that get spotted with a few stubborn stains. We advise using liquid for quick washes or even large loads, not to mention small loads in the washer. 

Currently, there has been an emergence of single-use laundry detergent “packs” that is much more convenient than the traditional versions. Despite the pricey expense, with small polyvinyl bags containing concentrated detergent, liquid laundry detergent can be an option for those who love to skip, not measuring and pouring.

Basically, liquid detergent contains water in the main, so it dissolves easily at no exception of water temperatures. This note is vital since the more detergent disperses into the water, the more your clothes get clean, and the less white residue. 

Plus, liquid detergents are incredibly versatile. Hence you can use them to wash different fabrics. We highly recommend scent-free liquids if you have sensitive skin.

Notwithstanding good points, there are some drawbacks when using liquid detergents. Firstly, it is plastic. Plastic bottles may be recyclable, but in reality, very few people do that. Therefore, the usage of plastic packaging leads to an increasing amount of waste for landfills. Moreover, because the primary filler of liquid detergents is water, the products are more massive, resulting in costly transport. 

Overdosing is another problem. Commonly, the cup enclosed with the bottle tends towards being much larger than the amount needed for a wash. Besides, people are usually too lazy to check the instructions before using products. They fill up to the rim of the cup. Consequently, not only do they overdose, causing the residue on their clothes, but also waste money. 

One more shortcoming, brightness, and fragrance technology in liquid detergents does not work effectively at the same time. You can not expect the process of the pleasant odor and the whitening happening simultaneously. Bear in mind these notes; consider before you go for it.

Pros

• Slightly cheaper than pods.
• Excel at annihilating grease stains
• Directly poured over the stained spots.
• Convenient with a new liquid “packs”
• Dissolve readily at all water temperatures.  
• Used for various fabrics.  

Cons

• Increase the packaging waste for landfills due to plastic jugs.
• Heavyweight, the expensive shipping cost
• Overdose.
• Not efficient in brightness and fragrance at the same time.

Powder Laundry Detergent

Powder laundry detergent has successfully survived until now for about one decade. Among its competitive opponents in the laundry market, powder detergent is a true friend to many people. There are several noteworthy features for you to scan through in advance of actually counting on liquid products.

When it comes to price, the powder is cheaper than liquid and remarkably less costly than pods. Thus, the product is suitable for all families’ budgets, even lower-class ones. Besides, although all detergents degenerate in the long run, powders have the most extended shelf life. It means that you can buy the products in bulk to save up for future usage. 

Covered in the cardboard packaging, which is much more environmentally friendly than plastic bags, powder may be the least evil option for us to save the earth compared to liquid and pods. 

Chiefly made of Alkylbenzene sulfonate, a cleaning agent, powder detergents also perform more effectively in eliminating muds and bloodstains. They are ideally handling the garden attire. 

Outstandingly, we can put non-chlorine bleach in powder as well, but this chemical will quickly deteriorate when added in the liquid.  Furthermore, thanks to its ability to contend with hard water, the powder can be the best choice. Depending on some formulations, powders tend to be less impacted since the additives easily get integrated.   

Now, let’s discuss some downsides. In the first place, the bulky powder boxes take up lots of room. And, they are challenging to handle because of pre-measurement before you put them in the washer. That is the main reason why we do not recommend powder products for disabled people. They need something convenient to use, not hard work causing back pain. 

In preparation for the washing, you need to create a paste from powder and water, which is quite time-consuming and messy. Along with that, washing with powder requires you to pour it into a separate cup. Sometimes, you may have some trouble measuring and sprinkling on your hands or the floor. How wasteful!

One more drawback, due to the sodium sulfate, powder detergents’ texture usually tends to be granular. Powders, ergo, will not dissolve immediately, especially in the cold water. This situation increases the likeliness of accumulating on the garments.  

As mentioned earlier, powder detergents can congest the washer and septic system due to the undissolved clumps from the problem. In consequence, your washer may fail to drain and dispose of the waste. 

Pros

• The cheapest products.
•  Have the longest shelf life.
• The least evil option to save the earth.
• Work well in erasing mud and blood stains. 
• Contend with hard water.

Cons

• Take up lots of space.
• Difficult for disabled people to handle the heavy boxes.
• Need to measure before putting it in the washer.
• Create clumps of solidified powder, accumulating on your clothes.
• Badly impact your washer.

Wrap-up, we are happily living in a world full of advanced products, with tons of various selections. In contrast, we sometimes feel it is hard to choose which one is the best. That is why it is vitally important to stay tuned and not easily get trapped into the commercials’ mellifluous words.

So before deciding to buy any products, you need to answer a few questions first. They are:

• Is this detergent the right type of your clothes?
• Is the product suitable for the washer?
• Am I purchasing it because of marketing tricks, or what do I benefit from this detergent type?
• How can I keep it safely?

Conclusion

Hopefully, our paper of laundry detergent pods vs liquid vs powder has provided you with more comprehensive information regarding each detergent’s pros and cons. 

If money is not your matter, invest in detergent pods. But supposing that you are looking for products with the lowest price but guaranteeing quality, choose powders. And liquid is for convenience and versatility. 

By the way, be free to share your experiences of using detergents with everyone and us by commenting in the box below. 

Thank you for going with us to the end of the paper. We wish you the best luck!