Asklemmy

TechnologyConnections did a study claiming that the big name powders are enshitifying their products to push you to the more expensive pods.

They promote a full strength powder

https://youtu.be/DAX2_mPr9W8?is=nuoOIO-4qsa9wAZh

I avoid pods due to microplastics.

The problem with the question is us, the consumers. When is the last time you sat down to read the instructions in great detail? A cursory look at the recommended temperature maybe and off we go. Meanwhile a labcoat has produced the greatest formula to clean everything at room temperature. If only we used this much water and these many spin cycles. But no one read the back of the container.

Where I am at, people tend to not do a hot cycle or if they need it they go to a launderette. The liquid works okay on clothes in a cold cycle. But bed sheets and towels start smelling if they don't get at least a 40C/100F cycle every once in a while. And I do that one on powder because it was the only one that wasn't designed to be for cold wash only. So to summarize this extremely boring anecdote: it depends where you are, what your machine is like, and probably on local water quality as well. Or: we'll never find a good answer here that satisfies the demands of the scientific method.

In my personal experience, both for dishwashers and laundry, powder does a better job.

The comments here are interesting. There's a very important detail you left out, and everyone is just assuming in their responses.

OP, what are you trying to wash? Laundry, dishes (in a dishwasher, or by hand), or something else entirely?

There's a guy on YouTube that covers this. Powders can contain bleach and cleaning agents in the same mix since they are dry. This gives the best of both worlds. With liquids, the two interact and break down the coach resulting in a poorer result. Pods can keep the components separate but why pay the extra? Something like that anyway. Personal experience is that liquids leave a funky buildup over time that you just don't get with powders.

Powder has the advantage of not going bad. Liquid on the other hand can.

Liquid is supposed to be concentrated, if you use too much and don't rinse enough you won't really remove smells/bacteria. As others mention, it is best to read manuals and instructions. If you don't use enough your clothes will smell like the worst thing in the wash.

I hardly see powder for sale in any shops where I live, so liquid gets the convenience points.

When I do see powder, I buy it because it is useful for setting the delayed start on my washer. I used to do pods, but they are awful, especially the pods filled with liquid. The water is so hard where I live, maybe that had something to do with it.

It all depends on the quality of the product you buy. I tested good brands powder and liquid and they're both good. Liquids are easier to refill in the machine. Powders are a bit better in value.

I just use laundry detergent strips. Much more compact, works fine.

Hey, it's me, the body wash guy from the other post.

So as it turns out, washing powder for dishwashers and washing machines are functionally the same base ingredients with dishwashing powders containing a higher ph and powdered bleach. I've been experimenting with this and have a recipe for each that does an amazing job.

Unfortunately, my recipe for these does currently use other branded products in the form of Roma Soap and Zote Bar Soap, but this is primarily for convenience as they already meet my expected ratios. Hit me up if you want the recipes, they're unreasonably good for how cheap they are.

I've heard before that powders/solids are generally easier to mix than liquids, because you can just have all the active parts go when water is added.

With liquids (or really water-based solutions), there's already water in there, so you have to design the reactions, so that they only start when a certain water concentration is reached, which is a lot more fickle and limits you in what you can do.

I could imagine that giving powder an advantage, but I also don't have scientific evidence. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

I switched years ago to using Nellie’s Laundry Soda and it’s been great for us. Significantly cheaper per load, cleans well, doesn’t overpower you with fragrance, doesn’t gunk up the soap tray in the washer with the slimy residue, and is easily vacuumed up if it spills.

It’s like $90 for an 800-load bucket that weighs 26.5 lbs (12 kg) from Costco. You use 1 Tbsp (15 mL) of powder per normal load, and 2 if it’s a large or really dirty load. I almost always just use 1 and never had an issue.

Our last bucket lasted almost 2.5 years, and we are a larger family with a lot of laundry. Bought our current bucket last November, so should be good until like February 2028. I have a small plastic container on the washer and then refill it from the big bucket once every couple months.

Also stopped using fabric softener entirely and found out it’s really not needed.

Finally, I have rediscovered how awesome bleach can be for laundry, and it is also very inexpensive, so definitely recommend looking into that, too.

I tried buying a box of borax for some ant control, but accidentally ordered a case. So I toss some in to every load or laundry these days and it’s really helped my results. I swear colors are brighter and the scent is fresher.

It depends on the brands. Some wash better, some leave better scent, some have built in softner, etc. So maybe the product class alone is not enough to judge.