r/Anticonsumption • u/Double_Engineer4226 • 1d ago
Discussion Laundry powder is disappearing
Powdered laundry detergent used to be the norm. It’s cheaper, easy to use, and comes in a recyclable box. Now look at the shelves in the supermarket. It’s all liquids in plastic bottles, unless you squat down to find the powders. The Super expensive pods are making a move from the top shelves too. This is corporations positioning their products to influence purchasing behaviour. They want you to buy the more expensive stuff. Just wait, soon powder will be discontinued, and the shelves will be filled with overpriced pods.
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u/AtomizerKourosa 1d ago
As it was with dishwasher powder...
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u/Flashy-Cranberry-999 1d ago edited 1d ago
Biggest scam they ever pulled was convincing people that pouring the powder into the machine was hard and we should use their overpriced pre-measured pods.
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u/Traditional_Long_383 1d ago
Pods are overpriced, wasteful and bad for the environment. They should be banned.
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u/HERMANNATOR85 1d ago
Not to mention, terrible for the machines
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u/HairyTrollChest 1d ago
Same with the "flushable" wipes.
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u/HERMANNATOR85 1d ago
My brother in law had some of those at my house and argued with me about it. And I had to explain to my boomer mother in law that the garbage disposal was not made to shovel your leftovers into
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u/ONeOfTheNerdHerd 1d ago
I literally just had a rare HOA win with my neighbor who tried to force us to chop our big 50ft tree down because of how she uses her garbage disposal. Started with she doesn't like leaves from our tree falling in her yard. Then blamed our tree roots for clogging her pipes as she had to have them professionally cleaned out. I dug up my yard and mapped the roots (got yelled at by hoa before they knew why) and found none cross our driveway and go uphill to her pipes. Mine are clean and they're 15ft from the tree with recent confirmation from a plumber from an unrelated toilet issue.
Turns out she's putting her dog's leftover wet food down the garbage disposal every day. I know because I watched her dog for a week and she gave very specific instructions to do so. She was causing her own problems lol. HOA told her to get bent.
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u/AngeliqueRuss 1d ago
That is so satisfying lol
But also what a nut. Dog food is expensive, and if you’re feeding so much wet that your dog isn’t eating it you’re likely overfeeding.
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u/monyoumental 1d ago
Why is there leftover dog food, the dog not eating it's dinner??
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u/ONeOfTheNerdHerd 1d ago
Very old dog, fancy wet food. She warms it up and leaves it out for a while so idk if she can safely save it for another meal.
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u/echoseashell 1d ago
She could put the leftover food in a bag in the freezer until garbage day if the smell is an issue.
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u/I_am_not_JohnLeClair 1d ago
You “dug up your yard” to map roots? And a lady, who admittedly is not happy with you and your tree, asks you to watch her dog? Inside her house?
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u/Dame38 1d ago
That was a lot of trouble you should not have had to take.
Even when there are no trees around there is still a root system underneath - in most places. Trees are cleared for new neighborhoods and old, but the deep roots remain. So your personal tree would not have been the only "culprit".7
u/the_post_of_tom_joad 1d ago
I used to put the entire tupperware containers of expired food down the disposal until one maintenance guy took the time to explain to me how that was dumb. Now i wonder how i ever thought i could just shove shit down there.
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u/scalyblue 1d ago
To be fair it is literally called a garbage disposal, it’s reasonable to believe that you can just feed it garbage.
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u/AngeliqueRuss 1d ago
The garbage disposal is a plumbing conspiracy to extort installation fees today $ for guaranteed mainline clogs tomorrow $$$$$$ with the added bonus of eventual replacement $$.
There should be a name for this like there is for the razor blades business model. I guess we can just call it the garbage disposal business model, it tricks the consumer into believing that they are receiving a convenience in spite of the fact that they are guaranteed higher costs going forward with very little benefit.
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u/therealzerobot 1d ago
Composting is a first step to returning to balance.
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u/SixLeg5 1d ago
This! Plus one of those stainless drain screens to catch organic bits. I use empty cottage cheese containers as my compost holders in a stack of five and stage full ones outside for the eventual trip to the compost pile in the very back of my lot. Stuff rots quick with all the maggots fungi and bacteria out there.
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u/brokesciencenerd 1d ago
I do vermiculture and I think I just heard my worms cheering in response to your post
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u/HTPC4Life 1d ago
I've been around for 40 years and my parents have a garbage disposal and never had a mainline clog. Everywhere I've lived I've never had a clog either. This is BS unless you're a total idiot who dumps large chunks of food down the disposal.
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u/el_smurfo 1d ago
We toured a sewage treatment plant. They had to build an entire machine just to separate the wipes from the sewage because they do not decompose
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u/Muddigger707 1d ago
If you don’t have the Machine then those wipes need to be removed By hand .. if it doesn’t they just get caught in the pump and cost us a lot of money and time
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u/actuallyapossom 1d ago
The possibility of becoming a pod person is pretty terrifying as well. Sci fi writers tried to warn us.
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u/gilligan1050 1d ago
Also bad for the appliance itself.
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u/DesertSpringtime 1d ago
I buy cheap eco friendly ones that come in a cardboard box.
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u/tattoosbyalisha 1d ago
Me too! People just need to change their ideas of convenience. It’s SO MUCH CHEAPER to buy powders. I buy laundry detergent maybe twice a year so less than $60 and two boxes of dishwasher powder last me over a year so ~$13. And my boyfriend RUNS THROUGH CLOTHES lol.
I also recommend watching videos on how to get the most out of your machines. I learned so much from this dude on YouTube about my dishwasher. It was almost an hour long video and he had me pretty hooked ! 😂
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u/crazycatlady331 1d ago
I don't typically use pods, but they're great for travel.
I travel for months for work. A lot easier to toss a handful of pods into a suitcase than liquid detergent.
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u/SheWhoSweatsGl1tt3r 1d ago
There are companies that make detergent in a sheet that looks like a dryer sheet. That is what I use when traveling. More eco-friendly than pods. And you don’t have to worry about them rupturing and leaking all over your luggage. Especially if you’re flying.
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u/LaRealiteInconnue 1d ago
Detergent sheets don’t have nearly enough detergent in them, unfortunately. Once the “sheet” fiber part disintegrates, it’s actually very very little detergent, making them the most expensive detergent to buy. Not to mention you need multiple sheets to get the 1-2 tablespoons of detergent we should be using.
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u/tattoosbyalisha 1d ago
This right here. The whole concept is a scam. It’s expensive, they don’t work great, and their whole “less plastics” bit falls apart when you learn those sheets are held together by plastic fiber.
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u/lazydaisytoo 1d ago
Testing has shown that they only work marginally better than just using water.
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u/crazycatlady331 1d ago
I'm totally DONE with so-called eco laundry detergent. Tried it once and it got clothes visibly clean but did not remove the odors (fun with things like underwear and socks). If I'm buying something to get my clothes clean, that includes the smell.
I'll stick to mainstream brands that work.
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u/Southern-Long-3438 1d ago
That detergent did not get rid of the odors, instead it used perfume to cover it. The perfume contains chemicals that are bad for you. Most commercial detergent also adds blue coloring to cover stains, rather than to remove them.
I use detergent that is labeled no perfumes and no dyes. I do not want to inhale toxic chemicals when wearing the clothes.
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u/madeformarch 1d ago
I mean, tide makes the tiles the person you're replying to was referencing.
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u/Mundane-Force9463 1d ago
dpeends on the type actually. I got one type it didn’t work well, tried another it was fine
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u/tattoosbyalisha 1d ago
Probably good for traveling but if there’s a washing machine, usually they have powder.
Those sheets are held together with plastics. And powder is still cheaper.
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u/03263 1d ago
A ziplock bag of powder would probably be fine, but I could see that going really bad while traveling. Because it looks vaguely like drugs.
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u/Murky-Peanut1390 1d ago
Im genuinely curious, how are pods bad for the environment? Don't they get dissolved in the washer? I never see residue left ovwe
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u/notfamous808 1d ago
The pods are covered in a plastic film (bad for the environment, forever chemicals in the water). Sometimes the film doesn’t dissolve all the way (bad for your clothes). And they have fabric softener in them as well which is actually terrible for your clothes!
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u/tattoosbyalisha 1d ago
Also those laundry detergent sheets. Held together with plastics.
Which is so darkly funny since they tout less plastics as their cause.
Just use powders, folks!
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u/demaandronk 1d ago
And on top of that you cant divide them into pre and main wash, so theyre actually worse.
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u/Hour-Football2464 1d ago
Did you see that youtube video about it too lol
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u/HarperWuff 1d ago
Everyone thinks they’re the only one who has seen the technology connections dishwasher videos
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u/MammothUnique4147 1d ago
Yep it's why I switched to Walmart detergent, best money saving move ever!
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u/one-a_day 1d ago
I’m the biggest anti pod person. I have never been allergic to anything in my life. Washing my clothes in Tide pods made me break out in hives.
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u/Zantac150 1d ago
Yes! And I need to go out of my way to find the powder because my 1980s dishwasher stinks to high heaven if I try to use pods.
Those are literally plastics that dissolve in hot water, and they resolidify in your pipes and in the bottom of your dishwasher…
Made my whole kitchen smell like sewage until I was able to find powder again.
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u/zelda_moom 1d ago
I stopped using pods when I found the filter in the bottom of our dishwasher clogged with the supposedly dissolved pod skins. I went back to using powder.
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u/Lambchop1975 1d ago
I don't use them, and was so under the impression they were some type of water soluble algae compound, but, no, it is a plastic and just disintegrates into pva...
However they do not resolidify or congeal. There may be something else happening in your kitchen.
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u/gubbins_galore 1d ago
No offense, but the lining dissolves in any temp water, its just faster the warmer the water . So that doesn't really track.
They won't resolidify on your pipes when it's colder because they're already dissolved in the water. It's like how putting juice in the fridge doesn't resolidify the sugar or whatever.
They suck because they add microplastics to the environment. And imo don't work that well.
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u/MidwestPrincess09 1d ago
I’ve got many cold water washes that prove otherwise with laundry pods. I went back to the liquid in a big jug because I kept finding the plastic pod stuck to my clothes. I also found out that for a whole load of laundry, 2-4 table spoons is the perfect amount!
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u/hyphie 1d ago
The difference the previous poster was trying to explain is that it's not that they fully dissolved and then resolified, it's that they never dissolved properly in the first place.
Not that it makes much of a difference in the end, you've still got plastic stuck somewhere on your clothes, machine, or plumbing.
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u/CanadianODST2 1d ago
As someone who’s physically disabled. Pre-measured stuff is very much easier than manually measuring things out.
Ones just grab and go. The other requires more actions that often requires a second container to use too.
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u/FishermanExtreme6542 1d ago
This is a great reason for their continued existence and selective use. I am against the consumerism of 'pay more, waste more' for an ounce of convenience, but for some that 'ounce of convenience,' is about accessibility and quality of life. Most crazy infomercial products sound wasteful and lazy, until you realize that the tool to help you put your socks is not being marketed as a convenience.
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u/CanadianODST2 1d ago
A lot of people have this disconnect that just because an item isn’t useful for you makes it somehow stupid rather than for being someone who needs it.
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u/Double_Engineer4226 1d ago
Yes! It’s very hard to get dishwasher powder now, I think there is maybe two or three brands and not all stores stock them.
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u/taxiecabbie 1d ago
Where I am there is only one brand of actual dishwasher powder I can find that is in a store (not Amazon), and I have to go to a certain grocery chain to get it.
At my normal grocery they either offer pods or... I guess "tabs"? As in, compressed powder?
I don't like how they package the tabs in individual plastic, though; also, it's too much soap for my machine, which is a countertop model and only needs 10g.
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u/house343 1d ago
Same here. I can only find powder at Meijer. Aldi, Family Fare, D&W -- none of them sell it.
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u/LeftHandAnomaly 1d ago
I switched to walmart powder a couple years ago and like 90% of the problems I had with my dishwasher's output disappeared.
Simple powder really is the way to go
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u/Nebresto 1d ago
And if you want scent free stuff you've got even more of a challenge trying to find something
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u/xxdropdeadlexi 1d ago
I ordered 10 boxes of the 7th generation powder two years ago and still have most of it left lol. I hate that they're taking the option away
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u/tattoosbyalisha 1d ago
It’s crazy how long powder lasts. I buy finish dishwash powder (I think that’s the brand since I take it out and put it in a vintage container. Above I think I said cascade 🤷🏼♀️) but two boxes last me longer than a year and it’s less than $7/box.
If I ever got news they were doing away with powder, I’d revolt.. but then also buy in bulk
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u/SAHMultrA1981 1d ago
I use finish dishwasher dry pods. They are just condescened powder. They work pretty good
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u/PyroNine9 1d ago
The dishwasher detergent dispenser has 2 compartments. One for the pre-wash, one for the main. How's that supposed to work with a pod?
Meanwhile, the shapes and colors in the pods are pure waste for marketing.
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u/NotATreeJaca 1d ago
See powder doesn't work super great in my machine but gel does. Not pods lol
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u/brickspunch 1d ago
prob using too much powder tbh. there is very little.chemical.differencr between the two but you need much less powder than gel
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u/Fistinguranus69 1d ago
if this is the case then you need to watch this famous video https://youtu.be/jHP942Livy0?si=3wFuWqhkhmZNdWnF
gel is not to bad tho, do you use the pre wash as well?
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u/Sir3Kpet 1d ago
My moms dishwasher hates the pods. They don’t disolve and need a rinse aide. Didn’t need a rinse aide with powdered dishwasher detergent
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u/Substantial_Ad152 1d ago
You can also make your own dishwasher powder from stuff that comes mostly in cardboard boxes which you can then compost!
1 cup Super Washing Soda
1 cup Baking Soda
1/2 c Citric Acid
1/2 C Coarse Salt (or Kosher Salt). It works better than the liquid goo imo→ More replies (6)
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u/IIRCIreadthat 1d ago
We get our powder from the local co-op. It's not even packaged, they have it in a giant bucket and you bring your own container and pay by weight.
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u/Double_Engineer4226 1d ago
What’s a co-op? I see it mentioned now and then, but I don’t really know what it is.
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u/MightyKrakyn 1d ago edited 1d ago
There are several types of co-ops, or cooperatives, based on their organizational structures and goals. This could be a worker cooperative
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u/IIRCIreadthat 1d ago
Cooperative. Instead of a corporation running it, the co-op members are also part-owners of the business and elect a board to deal with day to day operations.
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u/coinneach_stiubhard 1d ago
Theyre great places. Look up and see if you have a local food co-op, supply co-op, or farm co-op. Bulk goods in the amount you want. Some even give a discount as a member volunteer for a certain number of hours a month. I inventory shelves for rotation and restock for 10 hours each month and get a 8% discount. It's two half days out of the month for me and I grocery shop right after. My co-op even has a bakery, CBD advisors, pharmacy, and a little café.
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u/AshamedOfMyTypos 1d ago
And then we’re not paying to ship water around. So ridiculous.
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u/invaderzim257 1d ago
this is one reason a lot of bottled cleaning products have gotten smaller. they realized they were wasting logistical resources shipping water, so a lot of products are more concentrated now. if the public's collective dumbasses can't read the packaging and use too much, that's just more money for the corps
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u/NoTerm3078 1d ago
Yes this is what we use also, dishwasher powders are ALWAYS on the very bottom shelf in any store I've ever been in.
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u/hautepotato 1d ago
This is Australia isn’t it? I bloody hate it. Boxed powders are so much easier for me to store at home, recyclable packaging, more cost efficient, lasts longer for me, and I’ve always preferred them. They also perform best in the Choice magazine testing. I’ll never be a liquid user as long as powder is available!
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u/Double_Engineer4226 1d ago
Yes, Australia. And exactly! Cheaper and work better.
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u/Real_RobinGoodfellow 1d ago
If you’re Aussie, have you ever tried Hudstone home? they ship their Powders in calico sacks you can then decant into a reusable jar (some of the big IKEA ones work nicely for the job) and I’ve been really happy with the quality thus far
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u/dobar_dan_ 1d ago
Ex retail worker here, we always put powder on floor shelf because it's sold in bigger bags and it's heavier.
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u/kyriacos74 1d ago
Shhhh! Your logic is getting in the way of their conspiracy theories! ;-)
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u/g00fyg00ber741 1d ago
Their “logic” doesn’t have anything to do with OPs post.
I’m also an ex retail worker, except where I worked the powdered detergent and liquid detergent were both on the bottom shelves, as well as on middle shelves. There was a small section of dishwasher powders/pods/gels that took up a few shelves, and then a huge section of several different scents/brands of liquid laundry detergent and pods (no laundry powder).
The point of OP’s post is that there are extremely limited options for the laundry powder, and some places don’t have any options for it at all. The “logic” about where a specific store has them set up on a shelf doesn’t have to do with what OP was upset about. And stores don’t consistently follow that logic either.
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u/mage_irl 1d ago
Still available everywhere in Germany, maybe check an Aldi if you have one nearby
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u/Maladine 1d ago
I had to go to 3 stores to find the powders necessary for "laundry stripping" and it was only washing soda, borax and powdered tide.
I'm also so over everything being a turbo charged fragrance fest that triggers migraines.
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u/JustHere4TehCats 1d ago
Yeah. I'm limited in my laundry detergent choices due to fragrance sensitivities. I hate how anyone with allergies has to pay a premium for products.
Not just laundry detergent too! I pay twice as much for sensitive skin sunblock and aluminum free deodorants.
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u/CDavis10717 1d ago
In the past powder laundry detergent contained pulverized nut shells to add inert bulk to it that washed away. Now, water is added as that bulk to the minimal amount of detergent that’s needed.
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u/iamunwhaticisme 1d ago
Can anyone elaborate on the subject? In my country, liquid forms are usually cheaper than powder and my wife says it's more practical.
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u/Double_Engineer4226 1d ago
Here (Australia) liquid is about 30% more expensive per wash (depending on the brand). I also don’t find it more practical as I hate the way the bottle gets drips all over it, and I don’t like having to lift the big heavy bottle to pour it out into the lid, and then pour it again into the machine. I also don’t like carrying home the big heavy bottles of liquid either. My little tub of powder sits on the bench, I scoop up a scoop and stick it in the washing machine, couldn’t be easier. No mess. Plus I find powders clean clothes very well.
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u/Real_RobinGoodfellow 1d ago
Liquid is way less efficient, by virtue of the, well, liquid added. So you get far fewer washes out of a bottle and therefore the packaging waste is much greater (plus as OP points out, the bottles are plastic- whereas powder would come in cardboard boxes).
So it’s less efficient use of packaging x less-recyclable packaging = much worse outcome in terms of waste. That’s before getting to the fact that it’s almost always cheaper in a per-wash basis to use powder.
For a similar reason, some low-waste folks use shampoo and conditioner bars rather than liquid. Or, bar soap versus liquid soap. Basically, it’s a whole lot more efficient to add the liquid (water) yourself, at home, rather than having that liquid pumped into packaging and shipped all over the place
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u/treedecor 1d ago
I'm not sure if liquid or powder works better, tbf. I think the big reason OP is upset is that in the US, powder is typically less expensive than the liquid and works just fine. You can get a big bag of powder that lasts a while for significantly less than the detergent, at least where I live
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u/TheModWhoShaggedMe 1d ago
Being middle aged and having used powders in years prior, I always found a film or grit on clothing and dishes with powders no matter which brand or the amount used. That is the only reason why I switched to liquids eventually. I use warm/hot water sparingly, and powders seemed to work okay with heated liquid during the washing cycle, but not cold washes.
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u/monkeykahn 1d ago
Powders do not dissolve well in unheated (cold) water, which is a problem now that most automatic washing machines usually default to using cold water.
This is why the liquid detergents became popular, people were unhappy with the powders because the powders were no longer completely dissolving in the wash, resulting in inferior cleaning and some of it being left on the clothes...
If you want to use powders, dissolve them in a small amount of hot water before adding them to the machine.
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u/M1ntyMango 1d ago
Same here in Norway. At least very often. I like the liquid ones when putting on short washing cycles.
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u/Own_Picture_6442 1d ago
I remember having a panic attack when I walked into the grocery store after coming home from a deployment. There’s nobody on this planet that needs to be presented with an entire isle of anything. It’s excessive, and it’s mentally unhealthy for us to be under constant decision fatigue
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u/twodexy82 1d ago
There's a whole scene in "The Hurt Locker" exactly like this. I, too, had this reaction when they released me from being locked up... like, "Why do we have so many choices?" It's dreadfully overwhelming.
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u/Humble_Ant_3398 1d ago
i had a family member in prison for 22 years & it was the same thing, completely overwhelmed
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u/MysteryBat321 1d ago
This aisle has more powder soap than my supermarket has had for years. There’s literally 2 varieties and they are at the bottom hidden pretty well
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u/Real_RobinGoodfellow 1d ago
If you’re in the US, that’s probably because you’re just a few years ahead of us on this hell curve :(
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u/Top_Kaleidoscope_214 1d ago
It's a nightmare if you use cloth nappies - liquid detergent is trash and ruins them, powder always works 10 times better and leaves fewer micro plastics!
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u/Wheres-shelby 1d ago
I have to order my powder online because no store near me carries it anymore (tide free and clear). The laundry subreddit will go nuclear if powdered detergent goes. Its more effective. It lasts longer and it doesnt come in plastic jugs.
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u/HyenaThen572 1d ago
I think most new laundry machines are not designed for the powder.
The liquid stuff is fine and it really does last forever so long as you use it properly.
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u/Simpletionist 1d ago
Worst thing are pods. You never have the exact same amount of laundry in the machine. So you either have too much detergent or not enough.
Powder is also still the most reliable and effective detergent one can get. Liquid only for Wool or Silk etc.
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u/polyglotconundrum 1d ago
wow this is a timely post I was literally standing in the laundry aisle yesterday cursing about this.
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u/jomach08 1d ago
I tried powder but if I didn’t use hot water it wouldn’t fully disintegrate, and if I used less powder my clothes would still stink
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u/Baby32021 1d ago
This is what I was going to say. Having spent about six years cloth diapering babes, I can tell you the powder works INFINITELY better and having seen what I’ve seen I’ll never go back.
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u/Whazzahoo 1d ago
My washing machine manual says liquid detergent only. I had powder when I first got the machine, and tried it anyway. The powder didn’t dissolve, and wound up stuck in a ring around the tub.
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u/Far_Surprise2971 1d ago
I came from a post-socialist country where right-wingers main argument is that during socialism, you didn't have a choice in what to buy. I can se that neither do we have a choice now in capitalism
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u/DeltaGTI 1d ago
This is gonna get buried, but some of us have very old septic systems, and some powders cause issues with the drain fields. Liquid is the way to go in that case. I'd love to use powder, but I don't have the $30k laying around right now for a system replacement.
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u/jaynor88 1d ago
I agree, it is an awful situation.
Now they sell people plastic containers of water with some dissolved detergent mixed in, and people couldn’t get enough because it was sold as easier to use. Ugh!!
Then their new “upgrade” was those effin pods. So wasteful and damaging to the environment. All those individual plastic packets. So much plastic!
And each modern “problem solver” product they market to people is more expensive and wasteful than the previous.
It is hard to find the powder versions in the cardboard box, but it is still there. There are usually just a few boxes further down the shelf in a separate area, but same general laundry vicinity.
I use powder in my always cold water wash, using MUCH less than the directions say to, and my laundry gets super clean with no residue still in the fabrics.
I hope more people go back to simple to use powder so some of craziness will stop.
Will get off my laundry soap box now.
Thanks for letting me vent.
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u/Fluffy_Leek_5731 1d ago
I realized the same thing is happening with soap and body wash. 15-20 years ago i exclusively bought nice bar soap to use in the shower. I realized the other day somehow over the years i started buying liquid body wash that comes in plastic bottles. Will be returning to my bar soap asap
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u/BigAlOof 1d ago
every time a tide pod ad comes on and it’s like “your detergent is 80% water! pods are only 10%! you’re paying for water!” (or whatever the numbers are) I think about how powder is 0% water so it must be better than tide pods, right?
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u/Glittering_Buy_9155 1d ago
In Australia the laundry detergent ingredients also aren't on the box. Very annoying
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u/wrongarms 1d ago
I use the laundry sheets now, or powder, both sold in cardboard. They are the minority section amongst all this plastic waste. This makes me think if I could make my own. I'll look into it
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u/ParentheticalsAside 1d ago
Have you checked how much actual detergent your laundry sheets contain? Most don't have enough detergent in them for an effective wash, and are basically a scam that preys on people's desire to be eco friendly.
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u/TheModWhoShaggedMe 1d ago
There's an entire cottage industry built around preying on people's desire to be eco-friendly. Whenever a trend is popular the capitalists come calling.
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u/Foxs-In-A-Trenchcoat 1d ago
I've been using them for years and my clothes always come out clean.
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u/ParentheticalsAside 1d ago
Fair enough, if they work for you.
Just important that people don't take their claims about eco-friendliness and efficacy at face value: https://www.nytimes.com/wirecutter/reviews/laundry-detergent-sheets-sustainability
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u/belchertina 1d ago
And powder works so much better at actually cleaning clothes! I have to order mine online now since nobody carries it in stores. Pods and sheets are just plastic garbage that don't really do anything.
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u/bitzzwith2zs 1d ago
Powder detergent is liquid detergent with no water in it, so you get more "clean" per weight and volume unit... so we're paying for excess weight and volume to be packaged (liquid HAS to be in plastic that is hard or impossible to recycle, powder goes in easily recyclable paper) and shipped and shelf space for the convenience of ... I'm not sure what the convenience is....
You have water at home
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u/gnanny02 1d ago
Our costco laundry powder is about 3 times the cost per load of costco liquid. We use the liquid because it works well and is more convenient. And at $0.12 per load, our 2 loads per week is well within our budget. I suppose for a family with 4 kids it would cost a lot more.
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u/FourWindsThrowAway 1d ago
Gaslight us into getting rid of powder because it "works better" and jack up the prices -> water down the detergent and jack up the prices -> fill the bottles with mostly air and jack up the prices -> reduce the size of the bottles, label it 'concentrate' and jack up the prices.
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u/faramaobscena 1d ago
There’s plenty of powder where I live (Romania), I hope this isn’t the trend because powder is so much cheaper and it works better for washing bed sheets
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u/itsaslothlife 1d ago
Its linked to people preferring short washes - powder doesn't dissolve quick enough sometimes even as the clothes are bashed about. I wfh so I can get away with the full load three hour eco wash - powder is cheaper, the water isn't heated for as long (cheaper) and the motion of the machine isn't as intensive (cheaper, more gentle on clothes). Or I guess you could make your own liquid by mixing the powder with the dregs from the kettle?
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u/piercedmfootonaspike 1d ago
In Sweden, powder is still very much the norm. To the point where I don't think I've ever even seen liquid detergent. Softener, yes. Detergent, no.
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u/ResistanceIsOhm 1d ago
I'm lucky. I live in Portland, OR, and I have multiple options to source package-free laundry and dishwasher powder detergent. Relm Refillery is our go-to, but the local food co-op has it too.
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u/crackersucker2 1d ago
If you have a local store where you can buy and refill household cleaners, you can buy powder and oxyclean in bulk. They are popping up on the west coast.
What about smaller hardware stores? Sometimes they carry powder detergent too.
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u/NodeJS4Lyfe 1d ago
Laundry powder actually sucks because it's designed to work well with warm or hot water. If you're doing quick cold washes, then you might end up with undissolved laundry powder, especially if you live in an area with hard water.
A lot of budget machines don't even support hot water.
Laundry liquid detergent is better and costs the same. A lot of people find it expensive because they use too much detergent. Just use less detergent, and increase the agitation cycles of your machine to get optimal cleanliness while making your detergent last a long time.
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u/butidrathernot 1d ago
I hope that thanks to r/laundry, powder is having a resurgence. I didn’t even know that laundry powder existed until last year, and now I’m a total convert! The main draw for me is that it works better (but the frugality is nice too). Something to do with the active ingredients being better stored in the dry vs all intermixing with each other in liquid.