What’s the best type of laundry detergent? Pods, liquid or powder?

Ever wonder what ‘type’ or ‘form’ of laundry detergent is most effective when it comes to stain removal? Well we tested it and found that pods were best, followed very closely by liquid detergent, and then finally, powder.

Pods were able to remove 84% of stains, liquid was at 82% and powder was at 74%. We believe that pods came out on top because of the compartments; each cleaning ingredient can be more concentrated if packaged separately prior to use.

Hope is not lost if you are a detergent powder die hard! Tide Powder w/ Oxi beat out all of the ‘original’ recipe detergents. Sometimes you just need a little boost.

For this test we used mascara, lipstick, foundation, mustard, ketchup, chocolate sauce, grass, ink, and blackberry as our stains. We used base level Tide for each of the detergents to ensure it was as fair a test as possible. Each swatch was cleaned on the same cycle in the same water temperature with the same load of laundry.

[jemtebelle]

When he tossed the powder in the air 😂 I was both confused and delighted. Hahaha

[djfive-seven]

I use to use pods for 5 years but then switched over to powder and in my experience with powder is a bit better than with pods. Also I prefer the scent of powder more

[tkkc]

As you've stated in other videos, our clothes really are not that dirty. I have used liquid and powder of many different brands in that Miele set in the video with great results. I will say, the Miele ultra white powder has kept white towels and sheets white for years, not to say another brand would not do the same. I do think the European way of having detergent for color and for white/color fast has merit.

[basicallymid]

I love powder just because it's so easy to store...it lasts forever

[iGogIe]

Love Pods but they don’t dissolve sometimes and stick to my clothes

[SamsonVice]

I’ve only used liquid detergent my whole life and now I use Nellie’s laundry soda and it’s a tablespoon per load and I prefer it. I don’t have issues with most stains unless it’s grease, but at that point I just make a baking soda paste, let it set for a while, then wash it and it works out for me 🙂

[hajde]

I don't know if you've done a video on this yet, but can you talk about detergents that are marketed as being specifically for preserving dark clothing

[VeroniqueGagnonBilhete]

Is the Tide + Oxy formulation any different than using regular powder and adding your own Oxyclean as a booster?

[plugmejoe]

i love powder i had my powder detergent for over a year with half of it still left

[clothyoriginal]

The "experts" in Europe will tell you powder is significantly its a lot more popular than liquid here. Liquid would be seen as more "old fashioned" Its been recommended not to use liquid by the washing machine people and not to use on anything absorbent, to avoid buildup. I've experienced build up with liquid with cloth nappies, its the soap the detergent that stopped the nappies absorbing. When using liquid, i used to have problems with gunk and mold in my washer, since switching to mostly powders, I dont need to clean my machine as often. Still clean it once a month though just incase.
Also worth nothing than in most parts of Europe, front loaders are used 99.9% of the time.

[LateNughtSummer-loef]

Have you ever sniffed the powder? Before you say it bad for you, it smells good.

[ybunnygurl]

My Asko said two tablespoons of powdered detergent is best. After using up the liquid I had I'm a powered detergent lover now.

[MyMy-tvfd]

this is such a fun endless topic - I find powder works perfectly unless I over-pack the drum - my bad. Of course dirtier things have to have a pre-wash treatment of some sort - soak in strong detergent mainly

[Goldenwoodz]

I use the tide plus bleach powder. Which is essentially the same thing as the Ultra Oxi but stronger. More cost effective as it lasts a LONG time. I always recommend to buy a big bottle of your favorite scent beads to mix into the box of powder for a more fragrant wash with each scoop in every load.

[huyentrannguyen]

That‘s really interesting, because in Germany an independent quality control magazine determined that powder removes stains best, while pods are apparently really bad in comparison. They also compare different brands and usually store name brands come out at the top alongside Ariel.

[__edgr___]

Honestly, if you’re just an average Joe (doesn’t get their clothes too dirty) then it really doesn’t matter what you use.
I have used liquid, powder, and the pods.
I personally use and like the liquid better. However, the powder is good as well.
I had issues in the past with the pods not dissolving properly, but it wasn’t a common issue. I’d say maybe once every two months I get a bad pod that won’t dissolve properly.

[frannyfisher]

I like powder only because of the cardboard packaging. I wish manufacturers would consider packaging liquid in cartons

[gamingtonight]

I use sheets. They work out the cheapest and coincidentally the clean the best, in my opinion.

[sycamoresiren]

I'm definitely gonna upgrade to powder with Oxi! Once my current powder runs out... in about 3 years lol

[oreotookie]

I wonder what those little sheets do. I got some on sale that were highly rated. They don’t seem to clean as well as my liquid detergent, but they do a pretty good job.