Tide Pods Vs Liquid

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How We Compared Tide Pods Vs Liquid

Customer Reviews

Product Testing

Team Experience

Tide Pods Laundry Detergent Soap Pods, Original, 3 Bag Value Pack, HE Compatible, 37 Count (Pack of 3)tide detergent, 100 Oz
Tide Pods Laundry Detergent Soap Pods, Original, 3 Bag Value Pack, HE Compatible, 37 Count (Pack of 3)tide detergent, 100 Oz
Best for whites


Yes
Best for cold water


Yes
Best for colors



Yes
Best for price per use



Yes
Best for the environment


Yes
Cleaning Kings' ChoiceYes
Read our Review
Read our Review

Buy on AmazonBuy on Amazon

Introduction – Tide Liquid Vs Pods

When it comes to doing your laundry, we all want the same thing: clean and fragrant clothes. But reaching that goal is not always as straightforward as people might have us believe. Making decisions on machine settings and load times might make a big difference to your laundry, but there’s nothing that impacts a laundry load more than the detergent you choose to wash your clothes with! 

Some people prefer class Tide Liquid Detergents, while others prefer Tide Pods for faster, better results. But which one is best? Why do people prefer one over the other? At Cleaning King, we want to help people make the best possible decision for themselves. So if you’re ready to find out which product you need, this guide has everything you need to know to make your decision.

But before we start, what exactly is the difference between Tide Liquid Detergent and Tide Pods? Tide Liquid Detergent is exactly what it sounds like—liquid washing detergent that usually comes in a bottle that you then measure out in cups to get the right amount of detergent for your laundry. Liquids are the most common type of laundry detergent because they are typically cheaper, easily accessible, and they work well with washing machines (unlike powder detergents that can often cause clogs in machines). 

On the other hand, Tide Pods are an innovative and popular product from Tide that is starting to replace liquid detergents in a lot of people’s homes. Tide Pods are small dissolvable containers full of pre-measured liquid detergent that you put into your machine to clean your clothes. However, unlike Tide Liquid Detergent, Tide Pods cannot be used to handwash fabric and will only work with a washing machine. 

But that information is not enough to get into the specifics of why people prefer one over the other. To be able to help you make the right decision, we will need to get into the particular pros and cons of each product.

Our Reviews - Tide Pods Vs Liquid

Tide Pods Review

If you’re the kind of person who always seems to have problems deciding how much detergent to use for each laundry load, you’ll love the convenience and accessibility of Tide Pods. Gone are the days of using too much or too little with these small but mighty products. Unlike traditional free-use liquid detergents, Tide Pods are pre-measured units of detergent contained within a special film that dissolves in the water. Tide Pods make doing your laundry mess-free and easy, so it’s no wonder people love using them. But that’s not the only great thing about them! Tide Pods are made with Tide’s strong and effective detergent that you can depend on for clean beautifully fragrant clothes.

Tide Pods are also light and small, so it is easy to store a large quantity of them under the sink or on a shelf without the bother of dealing with a bulky and heavy bottle of liquid detergent. And because Tide Pods are their own containers, there’s very little mess or waste at the end of the laundry cycle. 

But Tide Pods are far from perfect, which explains why some people still choose to stick to classic liquid detergents. Tide Pods are more expensive than liquid detergents when counting how much it costs to clean one load of laundry. Additionally, because Tide Pods are pre-measured, you will still have to do some extra calculations to figure out how many pods you need for a larger-than-average load. You also cannot use Tide Pods for small loads of laundry or to handwash delicates.

Stand-out features include

  • Convenient pre-measured units of laundry detergent for easy laundry loads
  • Easy to store and without the risk of leakage or mess
  • More expensive to use than liquid detergents
  • Tide Pods are a choking hazard for children

Tide Pods Range

Tide Detergent Review

Most of us are already familiar with how to use liquid detergents. It is likely the product our own parents used to wash their laundry, so does that mean there’s nothing new to know about liquid detergents? Not at all! There’s a reason why people still turn to liquid detergents, and the biggest reason why is that it is double purpose. Not only does liquid detergent work for a classic laundry load, but liquid detergents can also be used as stain removers and spot cleaning. Tide Liquid Detergent has an effective concentrated formula that makes it effective against all kinds of stains. 

Beyond the dual-purpose and effective formula of liquid detergents, people feel more comfortable using liquid detergents because they are easy to use without a learning curve and they are readily available almost anywhere in almost every scent you can think of. Additionally, liquid detergents are usually cheaper than Tide Pods, which makes them the best option for budget-conscious households.

However, Tide Liquid still has its disadvantages. If you are not a laundry pro, it is easy to add too much or too little to your laundry load and end up with greasy clothes or poorly cleaned clothes. And if you are particularly bad at measuring how much you need, you may end up wasting even more money if you need to repeat cycles. They are also the least environmentally friendly laundry product to use because they are always stored in plastic bottles that are very rarely allowed in recycling programs.

Stand-out features include

  • Tide Liquid can double as a stain remover or a spot cleaner for fabric all around the home
  • Liquid detergents are typically cheaper to buy in bulk compared to other laundry detergent products
  • Always reliable and is easily distributed in water for a thorough wash

Detailed Comparison – Tide Pods Vs Liquid

Tide Pods vs Liquid Detailed Comparison

Now that we know more about each individual product, we can more accurately compare them to help you make a decision on which product is best for you. For this comparison, we’ll be focusing on three things: ease of use, affordability, and effectiveness.

Ease of use

When we talk about ease of use in relation to laundry detergent products, we’re really interested in two things: how easy is it for a complete beginner to learn to use? And how easy is it to get the same results every time you do a load of laundry? 

Liquid detergents have been around since around the 1950s, so it is easy to assume that they’re easy to use because they’ve been around forever, right? That might not be totally the case. While Tide Pods may seem like a strange product, they are actually very easy to learn to use. And when you get used to the mess-free and convenient nature of using Tide Pods, it might be hard to go back to liquid detergents that are harder to measure for each new load of laundry.

And when it comes to getting consistent results every time you do a load, Tide Pods win again. Because each Tide Pod is pre-measured with the exact same amount of product, you can easily replicate good results for each new load of laundry. Unlike Tide Pods, you will need to measure out exactly how much Tide Liquid you’ll need for your laundry.

For this round, Tide Pods are the better product.

Affordability

When we choose what product we use for our laundry, it is important to keep your budget in mind. You will always have to replace the product you buy, so you need to think long-term in terms of what works best for your household budget.

Tide Pods are more expensive than Tide Liquid. That is because Tide Pods come in pre-measured units and you thus cannot adjust the amount to fit your laundry load perfectly, meaning you will often have to be strategic about how much laundry you do at once. 

On the other hand, Tide Liquid is easy to adjust to the amount you need. So if you only need a little bit for a small load, it is easy to conserve the liquid detergent you have on hand. Other than that, you also save a little bit of money you might spend on a stain remover. Tide Liquid can be used to remove stains and spot-clean clothes in a way Tide Pods cannot, so you do get more bang for your buck when it comes to Tide Liquid Detergent. 

When it comes to affordability, Tide Liquid Detergent takes the win over Tide Pods.

Effectiveness

Before we start talking about the effectiveness of these two products, it is worth noting that Tide products are brilliantly formulated and effective across the board. The brand is dedicated to engineering products that make cleaning easier, so you know you will not get a bad product whichever you use. But the question we want to tackle is “Which one is more effective for you?”

When used correctly, Tide Pods work incredibly well to clean even heavily soiled clothes. However, Tide Pods have been known to have issues before where they do not dissolve properly in the water and you end up with a half-cleaned load of laundry. But when it works correctly, it is very effective.

Tide Liquid, on the other hand, is formulated to be more powerful than ever compared to similar products from other brands. It is the most powerful liquid detergent on the market and is thus a great product for people who need a lot of cleaning power for their clothes.

When it comes to effectiveness, these two products are pretty neck-and-neck, but we will give the win to Tide Liquid because of its fool-proof usage.

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How to Use Tide Pods

We all know that Tide Pods are marketed to be easy-to-use, convenient, and perfect for laundry beginners everywhere. But if this is your first time using laundry detergent pods or if you still have some trouble setting up the perfect laundry routine with Tide Pods, this is the only how-to tutorial you’ll need to become a Tide Pod pro.

Determine how big your laundry load will be

Before we can help you choose the right number of Tide Pods for your laundry, you’ll need to know how much laundry you’ll be doing. Directions for using Tide Pods usually assume that you will be doing an average load of around 6 pounds, so if you are doing a larger-than-usual load or a very small load, the formula will be different.

Figure out how many Tide Pods you will need

The number of Tide Pods you will need for your load of laundry will depend on your load size. Two Tide Pods per one average load size is the recommended number according to Tide’s own guide. One Tide Pod will work for smaller loads, while larger loads can use three to four depending on how soiled the laundry is.

Get the right number of Tide Pods to add to the washing machine

Use clean and dry hands to take out the appropriate number of Tide Pods for the laundry. It is important to add the Tide Pods to an empty washing machine. If you don’t, the Tide Pod may not dissolve properly because it will not be exposed to enough water and it will result in a half-washed load of laundry. Tide Pods are made to be dissolvable in both cold and hot water, but if you are washing your laundry with very cold water, it might be worth pre-dissolving the Tide Pods to avoid any streakiness. Make sure to close the container of Tide Pods before putting it away again.

Add your clothes to the washing machine and choose your machine settings

Once you’ve added your Tide Pods to the empty washing machine, you can now add your clothes on top. Once you’ve closed the door to your washing machine, you can now select the machine settings for this load of laundry.

When the load is done, you’ll be able to assess whether your Tide Pods did their job as planned.

Conclusion – Tide Pods Vs Liquid

In this article, Cleaning King broke down everything you need to know about Tide Pods vs Tide Liquid to help you make a decision on the best laundry products to use. Laundry is a very serious business, and setting up a routine that you can rely on will make the chore so much more manageable even in a busy household.

When considering the factors of ease of use, affordability, effectiveness, and environmental impact, the best laundry product to use from Tide is Tide Pods. Tide Pods are the clear winner because they are easy to use and convenient even for people who have never done their own laundry before. That’s because doing laundry with them is as easy as tossing them into a washing machine with your clothes. Say goodbye to messy liquid detergent when you make the switch! Even though they are small, Tide Pods pack a serious punch with a three-in-one formula that cleans, removes stains, and brightens clothes all at once.

Other than effectiveness and convenience, Tide Pods are also great for the environment. Because they use a dissolvable film, there is very little waste leftover from doing your laundry with Tide Pods. Additionally, Tide offers pods in recyclable containers so that your environmental impact stays low. 

With all this considered, Tide Pods are the clear winner in this head-to-head battle.

FAQ's - Tide Pods Vs Liquid

How do Tide Pods work?

Tide Pods are an incredibly innovative product from Tide that makes laundry easier, mess-free, and more convenient. Each Tide Pod has three components to make it an all-around powerful cleaning product, made with detergent, stain remover, and a brightener to make it the ultimate laundry product. 

In the unit itself, these three ingredients are kept separate by a thin but strong film. But in water, the film dissolves completely and allows the three components of each Tide Pod to do their job. Sound completely crazy? That’s what makes Tide Pods so special! They have completely revolutionized the way we do laundry. 

How many Tide Pods should I use per load?

Tide’s website recommends that per average load, you should use two Tide Pods to get the best performance out of the product. An average load is around 6 pounds or a load that fills up half the drum of the washing machine. Anything more than that would be considered a large load and would require at least three Tide Pods. For small loads less than 6 pounds, you can either use 1 Tide Pod or use Tide Liquid to make sure you get the right quantity for your clothes. If you find that you are using too many or not enough for your needs, you can always experiment with the quantity until you find the right formula.

Help! My Tide Pods are not dissolving. What should I do?

Tide Pods not dissolving is a common problem many people have. If your Tide Pods are not dissolving properly in your washing machine, there might be two explanations for this phenomenon. 

The first possible reason why your Tide Pods are not dissolving is that there is a mistake in the way you are using Tide Pods in your washing machine. To dissolve properly, Tide Pods need to be exposed to as much water as possible. That is why Tide recommends that you add them to the bottom of an empty washing machine before you add clothes on top. If you add the laundry pods to the top of the clothes, they may end up buried without properly dissolving.

The second possible reason why your laundry pods are not dissolving is that the water in your washing machine is too cold. This is especially true during the winter when the water can be too cold to dissolve the Tide Pod’s film. If you are washing clothes during the winter, you’ll get better results if you pre-dissolve your Tide Pods in some warm or hot water and use the solution like a typical liquid detergent.

How are Tide Pods made?

The technology behind Tide Pods is closely guarded, especially since many competitors have attempted to duplicate the innovation of the product. That means we do not know exactly how they are made, but we do have some ideas based on the ingredients of the product.

We know that Tide Pods contain three components: a detergent, a stain remover, and a brightening liquid. These three components are then wrapped in a dissolvable film made from polyvinylalcohol, which is made to dissolve even in cold water. 

Where do Tide Pods go after use?

Tide Pods are made to dissolve upon contact with water, so when they work correctly, they completely disappear into the water and your clothes. However, they don’t always work perfectly as we have talked about in this article. Whether it’s a user error or the wrong water temperature, we know that around 15,000 metric tons of polyvinylalcohol (that makes up the Tide Pod’s film) makes it to treatment facilities in the United States every year.

Do Tide Pods expire?

Yes, Tide Pods do have an expiration date. They have a shelf life of around fifteen to twenty months before they become unsafe to use. Not only will they probably not work correctly after they pass their shelf life, but they may also leave disgusting streaks in your laundry afterward.

Do Tide Pods work in cold water?

Tide Pods have been tested and reformulated to make sure they can dissolve even in cold water for cold water machine settings. However, some people still face some difficulties dissolving Tide Pods when the water in their machine is too cold. In situations like these, we would recommend putting the Tide Pods in a small bowl with some hot water to dissolve them a little bit and encourage them to dissolve completely in the washing machine.