I know that some people will say powdered detergent, since it can often be found at cheaper prices. Is it the better value over all though? I seem to have trouble getting it to dissolve well, which means sometimes I have to redo a load. In that case, I'm really not saving any money at all, so I think shopping for good deals on liquid laundry detergent is the better option. At least it is for me. What about you?
I ride the bus, so what I buy got to be transportable as well as good. I went window shopping for something simple to carry on the bus that works good at home too. I paused at Walmart, saw pods...picked up a package of Arm & Hammer that had 72 packets for just 8.72 well that's a big bargain. Reading the label of the detergent, I began to have hope. Good price, good brand name, easy to transport and seems label wise very good, so I bought it. Now I use Arm & Hammer exclusively, for it does the job well. So far no one has been able to beat Walmart prices. Every household has different cleaning priorities, so best to read the label to see if it will work for you. Good luck in finding your detergent. Coupons available at this site too, so take a bit of time to search here as well for coupons.
I use liquid laundry soap since I don't like that the powder sometimes has large clumps that will get in the washer before you notice them. They can be hard to break and dissolve so you have to wait longer before putting clothes in. I guess I never noticed the price difference between powder and liquid so I am not sure about that. I always buy the largest available in whatever brand is on sale or cheaper. I just bought Arm & Hammer at Target the last time I was in there because they had it on sale. I was able to get the largest jug which does 170 loads for $11.99. Target also had a deal that if you bought two of them you would get a $5 gift card for your next visit. I have never used this brand but I have heard that it works good.
It's funny that everyone is talking about Arm & Hammer. My new washer requires High Efficiency laundry detergent, and I didn't want to experiment with pricey brands. So, I too bought the Arm & Hammer (on sale) to give it a try. Like @Krissttina Isobe said, good brand, good price (and I'm glad you found something that's not too tough to transport as well). Like @morgoodie, I bought the liquid. I like it. It works well, and it smells nice and fresh. That was a nice deal you got, getting a gift card too.
I actually have no problem using the powdered variant because they just melt on the washing machine or basin, so that's what we buy. If you have a hard time melting it then you can simply crush the powder using mortar and pestle before dropping it on the tub or basin.
I think the price is the same, so I don't really see the big deal - when looking at price alone. However, though, when it comes to value, it's debateable which one wastes more water and energy. Anyway, I wouldn't really care about energy and water costs. Perhaps I could just factor these problems into my budget as being something expected and necessary.
Here in our place the price for powder and liquid detergents are almost the same, you just need to add a few bucks for the liquid though. But as far as getting the job done is concerned, I think liquid detergents do the trick well than powdered detergent. If you take a good look, you might spend quite a bit more when buying liquid detergent but I think I'm actually saving a few bucks with this kind of detergent since I do not buy frequently unlike when I was using powdered detergent.
@moneymania That's way more work than I want to do, especially if I can just pour in some liquid and go. Time is money, as they say. @Kimika To me, a few bucks is kind of a big difference. A few bucks here, a few bucks there, and it starts to add up (at least for me). If you feel that the liquid goes further, it sounds like that might be the better value after all. That's not just my bias talking either, ha ha. I do think I use less liquid overall than I used to use when I bought the powdered soap.
@thisnthat, I see, to each his own then, lol. In my opinion, they will all dissolve just the same, only the powder will take some time to completely dissolve. I will still stick with the powder since they are cheaper.
To be honest, i think they are all relatively the same, which can be easily displayed by the similar prices as well as the chemicals.
@moneymania Oh, of course, each person has to do what they think is best. I was just stating why I choose the way I do. I would definitely use whatever is cheaper as long as it worked well for me. Do you have a favorite brand? It also might make a difference what kind of water you have, hard or soft. When I lived up north, any detergent seemed fine. Since I moved south, it seems like the water here just doesn't dissolve the powdered soap very well (and I don't want to spend the time to make it work or have to buy extra, different, water).
@thisnthat, I'm not really sure what kind of water we have, but we buy Pride, it's a local brand. I know we used to buy Tide, but it's more expensive, so we switched to Pride. Ariel is also a good brand, but it's even more expensive than Tide and Pride.
@thisnthat Well back when I was still using powder detergent, I think I was using a lot since I always buy detergent since my container gets empty fast. But now, I think I've been buying not that frequently, I don't run out of detergent that fast even though the liquid costs a bit much than the powder, it's still okay since I think I do save quite a few bucks using liquid than powder.
@moneymania I have heard people mention Ariel, but I'm not really familiar with it. I know a lot of people like Tide. I always thought it was too pricey. Yeah, I don't know anything about Pride, but we have some local brands that seem to be decent as well. @Kimika That makes sense. It's the savings in the long term that really matter, I think. Powder might look cheaper, but it might not be over time if you end up using more of it per wash load. I guess it depends on the cost by volume as well.
For me, It doesn't really matter what detergent I am using. As long as I have bleach for my whites, I am fine with any detergent. The main purpose of detergent is to make water wetter. Those companies may claim that their product is better than others because they have this active ingridient added. It really doesn't matter. I find it best to clean whites when you soak them with bleach and detergent overnight. For colored, I use a lesser amount of detergent and more water. No special thingy to make it more colorful.
Yup, come to think of it, I might end up using a lot more if I keep on using powder. And I like the way liquid detergent cleans my clothes. I mean, I used to have that bit of a stinky smell when I was still using powder.
One thing I should add is that when we're shopping for good deals on laundry detergent, we should also be aware of any recommendations made by the manufacturer of our washing machines. I have read that in some instances, the warranty may be voided if you don't use the proper detergent. In this case, it's not about powder or liquid, it's about making sure you see the little High Efficiency logo on the bottle. Some state that you need to use high efficiency soap in your machine. I wouldn't want to take a chance. Even if it says "for all machines," check for the logo (it has a lower case "h" and "e").
Before I became a detergent producer, it's Areal powdered detergent that I prefer using in washing my clothes. It's a mild detergent to fabrics but quite powerful in removing stains and dirt from clothes. It's also very affordable compared to other detergents in the market. But now, I have learnt our family business of detergent production and it's very effective if not more in removing stains and dirt from clothes. So as result of this, I wouldn't be leaving my own products and go and patronize another company's products, it's not a wise decision, rather I'm looking to advertise my own detergent products in order to get a good number of customers patronizing my brand.