“Powder or Liquid Detergent? Find out which facilitates in a hassle-free cleaning while ensuring a smooth running of your appliance!”
Detergent is an essential part of the laundry, and finding the right detergent that suits your needs is equally important.
No doubt there are a plethora of brands of detergent available in the supermarket or online. And all of them promise to make your laundry clean and fresh while being safe for appliances.
It is obvious for one to fall easy prey for all these tall claims. Hence, it is crucial to decide which one to use and why, for the different types of washing machines.
If you want to know which is right for your laundry – powder or liquid detergent, keep reading below. This article will address the powder vs liquid detergent debate and will help you know how to get your clothing and fabrics as clean and fresh as possible.
Did you Know that the Right Detergent always Matters?
While both powder and liquid detergent get your job of cleaning clothes done, they have their pros and cons. One must always remember that both are not ideal for all the washing machines and fabrics.
A powder detergent is highly effective on stains like mud, clay, etc. Being a cost-effective option, it can save money per load as well. When considering the kind of stains, a powder detergent is a suitable option.
Liquid detergents, on the other hand, can help you with getting rid of greasy or oily stains easily. It contains alcohol ethoxylates as one of its ingredients, which is more effective on greasy stains.
Choosing the right detergent always matters because you cannot wash all kinds of fabrics with one single type of detergent. For some fabrics that are too delicate, it is advisable to wash them using powder detergents. Liquid detergents, being mild usually, are good and preferable for washing soft and delicate fabrics.
Cleaning tip: Using a non-HE detergent in your high-efficiency machine can result in creating more amount of suds and longer cycle times. This might not rinse the dirt off completely from your clothes.
Powder Detergent Vs Liquid Detergent. Which is Better?
Let’s decode which type of detergent is suitable, based on the type of washing machine.
Detergent for Automatic Washing Machines:
While many presume that using a liquid or powder laundry detergent does not make a huge difference, it actually does.
The automatic washing machines that most people use these days often come with clearly mentioned instructions like the type of detergents recommended for use. Some machines will easily wash your clothes or fabrics using liquid detergents. However, other washers might not perform the same, as they are only designed to use powder detergent.
With a handful of pros, there is one drawback of using powder detergents. They may sometimes leave a white residue on the fabrics that are hard to deal with and might even require a rewash. The upside to liquid detergent is that it will dissolve completely and quickly in the water no matter what temperature you’re using in the wash. It does not stick to your clothes or leave any detergent stains like powder detergent.
Detergent Preferred for Hand Washing
When you prefer hand washing over machine washing, both the detergents are feasible and work well. However, liquid detergents are much better because of the ease of handling. Moreover, it is not harsh on your hands too. Using powder detergent while machine washing is a cost-effective option and equally good. To curb the white residue problem or detergent stains, it is best suggestible to use a lesser amount of the detergent. Make sure you let the wash cycle run for a longer time as it allows the detergent to mix well in the water.
Important Note: Check out the best washing machine detergents (power or liquid) HERE.
Benefits and Drawbacks of using Powder Detergents
Here are some of the pros and cons of using powder detergent for your laundry:
Pros
- They are cheaper than their liquid counterparts
- They work better on outdoor stains
- They come in a highly recyclable packaging
- They are more stable than liquid detergents and have a longer shelf life
Cons
- Using too much detergent can leave ugly residues on the clothes, and you will need another cycle to wash off those stains
- They do not dissolve better in cold water. Hence you should use a warm cycle and this will eventually result in higher electricity bills
- The powder detergent may affect your septic system, especially if you have an aerated system
Benefits and Drawbacks of Liquid Detergents
Here are some of the pros and cons of using liquid detergent for your laundry:
Pros:
- Extremely reliable to get rid of stubborn spots and stains
- Helps in deep-rooted cleaning of oily stains
- It is more convenient. You just have to pour out a small amount of liquid detergent into the washing machine
- It mixes better with wash water, i.e., works well in water of any temperature – cold, warm, or hot
- Good for delicate fabrics
- It is safer for appliances
- Ideal for hand washing
- Does not leave any residue or detergent stains on the clothes
Cons:
- Liquid Detergents are expensive than powder detergents
- They are not stable for longer periods of time
- They do not come in an eco-friendly packaging
- Heavy for transportation as they come packed in plastic bottles
Cleaning tip: Every time when you load the washer, please ensure that there is enough room for clothes to move freely in the drum or impeller. When the washer gets tightly packed with clothes, it may restrict the movement, not allowing the detergent to completely dissolve. Hence, see to it that you put the bulky items first, then load your laundry so that it will get evenly distributed. Another important thing that one should always avoid doing is packing down clothes in the washer as this will hinder the movement.
Frequently Asked Questions
If you are someone living in an area with hard water, it is obvious for one to notice that the laundry is not as fresh and clean it should be. A liquid detergent has ingredients that can resist hard water. Hence, it works well in both soft and hard water. When using a powder detergent in hard water, the ingredients in it become attached to the minerals in the water, not guaranteeing the cleaning of clothes. This means that you’ll have to use more detergent powder to get satisfactory cleaning results. Switching to a laundry detergent is always the best option as it works better with hard water.
When used properly, both the HE detergent and regular detergent clean clothes effectively despite having different formulations.
Here is how laundry detergent works to get the dirt out of your clothes:
During the wash cycle, the water and detergent get turned by the agitator of the washer, creating suds. This process breaks the stains apart and then releases soils
Stains, soils, and dyes released during the process get suspended in the water. They do not get redeposited on clothes
This keeps the clothes clean, fresh and make them look their best
No. There is no need to use both power and liquid detergent as well, as they both are detergents.
Powder detergents contain ingredients that may not dissolve completely in the wash. This could create blockages in your septic system or even clog the drain hose, further interfering with the washer’s ability to fully drain. Liquid detergent, on the other hand, does not cause septic issues as such provided you are using the recommended dose as mentioned on the product packaging. However, if you still choose to use a powder detergent, make sure you check the label to see if it is septic safe or not.
Powder detergent is comparatively cheaper than its liquid counterpart. On average, it will cost you about 10 to 20 rupees per laundry load. The packaging of powder detergent using lightweight cardboard boxes keeps the product weight and the transportation costs lower, hence, lower consumer costs. Liquid detergent is more expensive to transport because it contains water and packaged in heavier plastic bottles. It becomes more expensive for consumers to buy and may cost around 10 to 35 rupees per load. An average family doing about 300 loads per year chooses powder over liquid detergent, can save up to 5000 rupees annually.
Using too much liquid laundry detergent can damage your high-efficiency washing machines. Overdosing can cause over suds often resulting in leakage.
Conclusion
Now that you have a fair idea about the laundry detergents for washing machines, why wait! Explore the options, choose the best and be an expert 😉 After all, happiness is the smell of freshly-washed clothes.
If there’s anything that you’d like to add to this or you’d want us to know, please post them in the comments section below.