Which is best, liquid detergent or washing powder?

[Northern Mary]

Which do you prefer washing liquid or washing powder and which brands?

[Macladd]

I prefer powder, liquids do not seem to cut the mustard on stains. I can't be faffed with tablets of any description.

Powders I like are Persil Colour, and for whites it has to be Daz. I primarily choose powders on smell. Persil Colour has a great fresh smell and Daz reminds me of "Tide" (a brand in the USA)

If I have to use a liquid then its the liquid version of Persil Colour, and Daz liquid for whites.

Powder amounts can be easily adjusted to suit the load, you don't need any devices or contraptions to dispense it, there are no fiddly plastic wrappers and wash for wash they clean your clothes better (I think) than liquids or tablets. I can also stamp on the box when its finished and shove it in the cardboard recycling.

[Sponge]

I used to exclusively use powder, but then I bought a few garments that recommended the use of a liquid, so I switched. I had to 'order' a dosing ball off the internet (I forget if it was Persil or Aerial, but it was free) however, it took nearly a month to arrive! I haven't noticed any difference in the cleaning results and I'm now a convert and will continue to use liquids. It has the added benefit of keeping the powder drawer clean. (My last machine was a bugger to clean and ended up rather nasty.)

As for brands, I usually buy what's on offer, but usually named brands. I also use three types of liquid, depending on what I'm washing - sensitive, biological or coloureds.

I use liquid softner in the drawer, again, usually brand names and whatever's the best price/on offer.

[j1974]

I tend to choose my detergent by scent!

I'm a HUGE fan of Morrisons Cyclon 2in1 Liq in "summer blossom" scent. It smells very old fashioned, like Ariel from the 1980's.

I use it for my coloureds and bedding and the scent really does last, although it doesn't soften as good as a seperate softener. I don't like bedding to be softened though, preferring the starchy feel.

I use the cheapest brand name powder I can get, solely for whites, usually Daz Original (really not keen on citrus scented detergents) or Surf Tropical. I do find powder cleans whites better than liquid detergents.

I only ever use Lenor softener. I tend to go for the "summer breeze (yellow one)" scent.

[Northern Mary]

i only use Persil colour liquigel for my colours and persil bio liquigel for my whites and i use blue lenor softner. i have tryed cheeper brands but found that they never clean as good as persil does i buy mine in big 7.5ltr bottles from makro.

[corksta]

I have always used Ariel powder. However, with the arrival of my new machine I thought I'd give liquid detergent a go in an attempt to keep the drawer clean. So, I purchased some Ariel bio liquid and I have to say I'm impressed. It seems to work great and the smell is fantastic.

I always use Comfort Pure or Original softener.

[Loreli]

I have used liquid for years and find its ok - I tend to go for whatevers on offer at Asda, my local supermarket.

Asda's own brand - bio and colour seem fine and are alot cheaper than the others and I can't say I've noticed any difference with the cleaning. Using Persil at the moment, because it was on offer, but can't say I've noticed any difference in results. Compared to the cheaper Asda ones.

Tried 2 in 1 (as the advert says - save money) but prefer to use fabric conditioner, can't say I was impressed with the softness from a 2 in 1.

[Whitegoodshelp (Andy)]

Tried 2 in 1 (as the advert says - save money) but prefer to use fabric conditioner, can't say I was impressed with the softness from a 2 in 1.

I've never understood the logic of introducing a softener into the wash detergent when the whole purpose of the rinses is to remove all the detergent. "Proper" fabric softener is usally introduced on the last rinse. They clearly must work to a point, but you can't beat specialised products that have a specific job to do. Getting one product to do more than one job often results in some compromise somewhere.

[Northern Mary]

Im surprised to find looking around the net about Ariel powder is recommended over liquid I thought powder would block your machine especially if you live in a hard water area like me.

[Whitegoodshelp (Andy)]

I've never been a fan of liquid detergents. I could never understand why we needed them. Since their introduction there's been a big increase in washing machines suffering build up of gunge, blockages in pressure systems, rotting, and smells. This is due to the fact that (as the article mentions) "liquid detergents do not and cannot at this time contain a bleaching agent (nor is it ever likely to) so the bacteria doesn’t always get killed in the machine. This can congeal and for a rather smelly mass which is not good for your nose or your machine."

Tablets are gimmicky, pandering to people's bone-idleness. I don't think you can beat good old detergent that needs measuring out. Everything else seems to be mostly marketing and gimmicks.

[jojo1474]

i prefer powder as it is easier 2 measure i use bold 2 in 1 the crushed silk and jasmine and the matching lenor softner 2 get clothes soft

[Sponge]

I've never been a fan of liquid detergents. I could never understand why we needed them. Since their introduction there's been a big increase in washing machines suffering build up of gunge, blockages in pressure systems, rotting, and smells. This is due to the fact that (as the article mentions) "liquid detergents do not and cannot at this time contain a bleaching agent (nor is it ever likely to) so the bacteria doesn’t always get killed in the machine. This can congeal and for a rather smelly mass which is not good for your nose or your machine."

Tablets are gimmicky, pandering to people's bone-idleness. I don't think you can beat good old detergent that needs measuring out. Everything else seems to be mostly marketing and gimmicks.

I've just been reading your blog and it recommends using different products for different clothes, e.g. light or dark. Use products like Daz for whites as they contain bleaching agents. You then go on to say, and above too, that liquid detergents don't have these bleaching agents - would that include liquid Daz?

It's just that I recently bought some liquid Daz (prior to reading your blog) for just my whites, was it a waste of money?

As far as measuring powder vs liquid - I don't think one is easier than the other. The devices supplied free by the manufacturer's all have graduation marks on them, whether they're for liquid or powder.

Many of my 'technical clothes', e.g. the breathable, wind-proof, water-proof, Berghaus, Karrimor type clothes, recommend the use of liquids. It was my understanding that powders sometimes don't dissolve or rinse out enough and can therefore effect their (the clothes) performance. (Also don't use fabric conditioner with them.)

[Whitegoodshelp (Andy)]

Thanks. The article you mentioned You don’t just use one detergent do you? was written because even I as a repairman didn't realise until relatively recently that some of these different laundry detergents are better at washing whites but at the expense of fading colours and other detergents are better at caring for coloureds but at the expense of not doing as good a job on whites. The thing is that most people just use one and if what I say is true - maybe they should buy two types and alternate between them according to what you are washing.

My understanding is that no liquid detergent contains bleaching agents because of the technical difficulties in adding them in liquid form. It's possible this information is outdated but I haven't heard any different recently. Check the ingredients to see if there are any bleaching agents.

[Sponge]

I've just checked the Daz website and it says:

What are the differences between the different types of Daz detergents?

All Daz products are biological (i.e. they contain enzymes). Daz is available in powder, tablet and liquid form. Daz is great for your whole wash giving you brilliant whites and brilliant cleaning on your colours. For best results you should separate your whites from your colours when washing and to keep your coloured clothes vibrant for as long as possible we recommend Daz Liquid as it contains no bleaching agents, making it a better, more gentle choice for colours

Guess I'll be buying the powder next time.

[Whitegoodshelp (Andy)]

Thanks for that. It confirms what I advise in my blog entry You don't just use one detergent do you? I can only assume the reason that laundry detergent manufacturers don't make this much more clear to users is because it means admitting that each product doesn't do a 100% all round job, and that picking only one type of detergent (either containing bleaching agents or not containing leaching agents) involves some sort of compromise.

As all detergent manufacturers make both types of detergent you'd think it would be in their interest to get us to buy both types. However, buying both types won't mean using more. You would use the same amount at the end of the day but just shared between two products. The only way it would cost more is if someone never separates their laundry into whites and coloureds and suddenly starts doing so therefore creating a few extra washes.

It clearly isn't a major problem or people would be very unhappy with their laundry results. However, it's quite probable that a substantial percentage of people are (ignorantly) content with their washing detergent, which seems to do a decent job. They may simply not realise that (depending on which type of detergent they use) either their whites don't stay as white as they could for as long as they could do, or their coloureds gradually loose their colour and don't stay looking as good for as long as they could.

For those that want the best whites and the best coloureds, you really need to consider stocking two types of detergent.

[Greenhils]

I first looked at this site as I was disappointed at the results I was getting from Persil liquid, both white and colour varieties. I took the advice and swapped to "big box" Ariel. Very pleased with results, also started washing more at 60 whenever possible. Since then I have swapped to big box Daz for whites, much cheaper than Ariel and better results. I have to say that my electricity bill has increased quite a bit since starting the 60 degree regime. I have a fast forward programme that reduces the time from 2.30hrs to 1.30hrs but am not sure if this cuts down on the washing time or number of rinses, since the machine is in the cellar I can't really monitor it. Does anyone have the answer! Greenhils

[Whitegoodshelp (Andy)]

I'm glad you found better results by experimenting with a change of detergent. I wouldn't go as far as using 60° "whenever possible" though, although it is a good idea to wash bedding and towels at this temperature (Which temperature should you wash bed sheets at?

This would kill any bed bugs. Also these days it is essential to do a maintenance wash at high temperature, probably at least every several weeks.

This is particularly important if you mostly use low-temperature washes, especially now that detergent manufacturers are recommending 30° washes. In my experience, low-temperature washes combined with using liquid detergent or other detergent without any bleaching agents (such as colour-friendly detergents) can damage your washing machine - what causes washing machine smells and gunge?