Doing laundry seems the most daunting task out of all home chores. Indeed, it is. It looks even worse when the detergent you are using is not giving the best results.
Those days had gone when there was no choice other than picking a powdered detergent for laundry. Time has changed, and now there are better and more options available. Liquid and powdered detergents are the best product for laundry. But which one is better?
Well, the answer to this question is not that simple. Both the liquid and powder detergents have their pros and cons. To get the greasy stains out of your clothes, a liquid detergent would work better. However, if your clothes are all muddy, you should go for a powder detergent.
We will discuss these two major types of laundry detergent in this article. Mentioning all the pros and cons will make the process of selection easier for you.
Are Liquid Detergents Better than Powder?
We cannot judge these detergents on a single criterion and consider any of these as a winner. When we look up to several criteria, we found that where liquid detergents work well, powder detergent goes bad and vice versa.
Therefore, in simple words, we can say that you should use the type of detergent based on your needs. There are several pros and cons for both the liquid and powder detergent.
Why is Liquid Detergent Better?
It is Convenient to Use
Liquid detergents are more convenient to use than laundry detergent. They come in a plastic bottle with a handle that makes them easy to transport. You can easily measure the liquid with the bottle’s cap and pour it into the washer.
Measuring the powder detergent is always a pain. You have to use a measuring cup for this purpose, which becomes messy. Chances are higher that powder gets waste more by winding up on the floor. It also comes in some cardboard packaging or sometimes in bags. On getting wet, the cardboard box starts getting tear off and ultimately turns into chaos. Plastic bottles do not have such issues.
Liquid Detergent is Safer for Washing Appliances
Liquid products are always safer to use. As liquid detergent easily gets dissolved in water, it doesn’t call for any problem as long as you adhere to the recommended amount. Exceeding the recommended amount can definitely lead to a disaster.
Powder detergent, on the other hand, can be bad for your washing machine. They usually form clumps that remain undissolved. These clumps are likely to get stuck in the holes or the septic system of your washer. This lead to failure to drain and many other problems.
Liquid detergents are better than powder ones in terms of safety. However, choosing the powder detergents with a “safe for septic system” label can save you from such disasters.
Water Temperature
No matter at what temperature of water you are washing clothes, liquid detergent easily gets dissolved. Normally you do not see any issue of dissolving for liquid detergents.
However, powder detergents demand hot water to dissolve completely in water. In cold water, they form clumps. This becomes a problem when you have to wash certain clothes that demands to be washed in cold water. This causes a big issue in high-efficiency machines.
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Less Detergent Residue on Your Clothes
Filler plays an important role in the formulation of laundry detergents. It is essential in distributing the active ingredients. Liquid detergents contain water as filler that lets the detergent dissolve readily in water. As detergent gets completely dissolved in water, it cleans the clothes more effectively. Nevertheless, it does not leave any residue behind on the clothes.
In the case of powder detergents, you will see white residue on your clothes. This is because detergent does not get dissolved in water effectively. This leaves the clumps behind that form residue on clothes. Powder detergent does not dissolve better, mainly due to the filler sodium sulphate.
To get your clothes washed well without getting their color fade, liquid detergent is the right choice.
Liquid Detergent is Better for Greasy Stains
Alcohol ethoxylate is one of the most important ingredients to be found in Liquid detergents. It has the power to deal with oil and greasy stains. If you are a person, who gets more in contact with oily and greasy stuff every day, then the liquid detergent is the right choice for you.
Liquid Detergent is Ideal for Stains Pretreatment
Some stains are so stubborn that they do not get away with machine wash only. Pretreat solutions can be sold separately, detergent works as better as those pretreat solutions.
In order to pretreat the stains, you need to apply the detergent to the clothes in liquid form. Powder detergent needs to be first converted to paste by mixing with water, and then it is applied. This becomes a hectic and inconvenient process.
However, with the help of a liquid detergent, you can simply pour the detergent on the stain. Leave the cloth for a while and then wash it as you regularly do in a washing machine. Liquid detergents are also the best choice for hand washing.
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Pros and Cons of Liquid Detergent
Pros
- Liquid detergents are great for greasy and oily stains.
- They work best as a pre-treater as liquid detergent is already in the form of paste.
- Liquid detergents easily get dissolved in the water despite the temperature of the water. This is really beneficial in saving energy.
- Since it has a liquid composition, this type of detergent does not interfere with the septic system of a washer.
- It is convenient to measure and use liquid detergents.
Cons
- Liquid detergents are sold in plastic bottles, making them non-recyclable.
- They are quite expensive when compared to powder detergents.
- Since they are sold in bottles and water adds to the weight, liquid detergents cost a lot for transportation.
Why is Powder Detergent Better?
Recyclable Packaging
Liquid detergent is sold in plastic bottles, while powder detergent is packed in cardboard boxes. Plastic cannot be recycled, which is why it is a threat to our environment. On the other hand, cardboard boxes weigh less and can be recycled. This makes powder detergents a good choice.
Less Expensive
You can see the clear difference between the prices of liquid and powder detergent. Powder detergent, despite the brand, is always cheaper than liquid ones. There are several factors that play a role in making this price difference.
Firstly, the chemistry of powder detergent is far more simple and easy than that of the liquid detergent. The second is its packaging. Powder detergents come in cardboard boxes, which are light weighted and at the same time eco-friendly. This decreases the transportation cost of powder detergent, making it cheaper.
Ideal for Muddy and Outdoor Stains
Alkylbenzene sulfonate is the main active ingredient in powder detergents, unlike liquid detergents that contain alcohol ethoxylate. Therefore, powder detergent is ineffective against greasy stains. Rather, it is the right choice to get rid of muddy and grass stains. So if your main concern is to get the mud out of your clothes, get the powder detergent without any second thought.
Read More: Soaking Clothes In Detergent: What You Need To Know
Has a Longer Shelf Life
If you are used to buying stuff in bulk, then powder detergent will be the right choice for you.
When things are mixed with water, they start losing their strength. The same goes with liquid detergents; they lose the ability to clean stains over time since they are prepared with water. Therefore, it is good to buy one bottle of detergent at a time.
Pros and Cons of Powder Detergent
Pros
- Powder detergents are always cheaper than liquid detergents.
- Powder detergents are sold in a package that is environmentally friendly and recyclable.
- Overall, the weight of powder detergents is lighter than the liquid detergent.
- They have a longer shelf life than liquid detergents.
- Some specific chemicals in powder detergents make them ideal for muddy stains.
Cons
- Powder detergents are likely to leave white soap residues on clothes. This requires another cycle to get clean clothes.
- Powder detergents contain a compound called sodium sulfate, which interferes with the septic system of washing machines and destroys them.
- It is difficult to pretreat stains with powder detergents as you have to make paste yourself.
In Conclusion
Both liquid and powder detergent is good to do laundry at home. Which type of detergent you should go for mainly depends upon the type of stains you usually get and your budget.
If you want a more budget-friendly detergent, you should go for powder detergents. For muddy and outdoor grass type stains, this will be the right choice for you.
However, if you can afford a bit expensive detergent, which is ideal for removing greasy stains, you need to look for a liquid detergent.
All the advantages and disadvantages of these types of detergents are mentioned in this article. Now that you have made it to the end of this article, I hope that you have made the right decision for yourself.
Happy Cleaning!