Laundry detergent-pods,liquid or powder?

[MsMiaWallace]

Which do you use? I buy pods but trying to save money.
Is it more cost effective to buy liquid or powder nowadays?
At least with pods you know it's the actual amount of washes you get.

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MNHQ

There was a really informative Ask Me Anything a while ago from someone who worked in the research & development of laundry products. The thing that stuck with me was: powder for whites only (because powder will always contain bleaching agents so will fade colours) and liquid for colours (liquid won't contain bleaching agents because the nature of the agents means they can't be in liquid form, or something like that, so it will help to minimise fading).

I use a baby weaning pot as my scoop for powder and I only noticed the other day that means I've only been using half the dosage, and I've never had an issue with whites coming out dirty.

@user10497432

can you put powder straight in the drum like you do with gel? My powder drawer doesn't work.

Yes I do. I never use the drawer

We switched to a liquid when ds(18) was a baby thinking it would be kinder for his skin. Within a few months the machine smelt terrible and I couldn't shift it. Switched back to power and never had that problem again.

Same here. Laundry liquid doesn't contain bleach, which is why the washer started to smell. As soon as I started using bio powder the washer stopped stinking and DD's eczema disappeared.

Interesting comments made about bleaching. I've used powder exclusively for two years on all washes and not seen any impact to dark wash. Also never had a case where the powder doesn't dissolve. I'm in a hard water area if that makes a difference.

I use Persil non bio

Tru Earth sheets: https://www.tru.earth/
They're less messy than powder or liquid and take up almost no space. I'll probably keep some liquid around for pretreating stains.
I used to love Daz for whites, but couldn't find it in the shops anymore.
In fact it was one of those laundry threads recommending Daz that first brought me to MN

I have always used powder , cheaper, greener , easier to dose the right amount .

To pp asked if it can go straight in the drum , yes I had to for a while years ago when the front of the draw fell off everytime I opened the sodding thing .
I put the powder in then the clothes .

Powder for light clothes, liquid for dark.

Powder, the grittiness of it keeps the pipe into your machine clean, like an exfoliator.

Powder, liquid & tabs clog your pipes up & you can choose how much powder to add.

Powder, the pods clog up my Machine at 30 and it stinks.

This explains the causes of smelly washing machines really well, and why powder is the best detergent to use.

ecoballs or tru earth sheets

No to ecoballs. They don't kill any bacteria or mould in the washing machine. I used ecoballs and my daughter's eczema got worse.

@FourTeaFallOut They act in place of soap

Powder for whites
Liquid for colours and darks

Liquid only ever since my drain got blocked up by powder

@crispinglovershighkick

Tru Earth sheets: [[https://www.tru.earth]]/ They're less messy than powder or liquid and take up almost no space. I'll probably keep some liquid around for pretreating stains. I used to love Daz for whites, but couldn't find it in the shops anymore. In fact it was one of those laundry threads recommending Daz that first brought me to MN

Savers always seems to have offers on big boxes of Daz. i use washing up liquid for stains, works well, also Elbow Grease spray, which can also be used on surfaces. also available from Savers, very useful shop.

i dislike pods for several reasons, not least the number of children made ill by biting into them.

Powder for whites and (usually) a bio colour gel for colours and darks. Agree that powder is so hard to get hold of at the moment. It’s really frustrating! I had to buy some liquid/gel the other day and my things are nowhere near as sparkling as they are with powder. Aldi own brand gunks my machine up so I don’t use that. My favourites are Tesco and Morrisons own brand but having seen recommendations for Daz on this thread I might try that as it’s usually one of the few I can find left in the supermarket.

Should add that my machine never smells.

@JimMorrisonsleathertrousers

I must admit I do love pods. But I think powder is the most economical.

I do however have trouble finding powder that is a) suitable for colours (as most of them contain oxy bleaching agents) and b) is ecologically friendly.

Surely the powders clearly branded as for colours are perfectly fine?

@LampLighter414 but none of them are eco friendly!

Surely the powders clearly branded as for colours are perfectly fine?

Yes, they are. I use Arial bio for whites and Fairy for colours. Both powders.

@RampantIvy

Surely the powders clearly branded as for colours are perfectly fine?

Yes, they are. I use Arial bio for whites and Fairy for colours. Both powders.

Both those powders contain bleaches though. Powders for colours don't have bleaching agents. Non bio powders still have bleaches, they just don't contain enzymes

Pods release micro plastics into the water system, so really bad for the environment.