I can't stand powdered because it leaves stains on my clothes and makes me sneeze, I also prefer liquid because I can use it to pre-treat stains. I use Gain liquid.

I know I am paying more per load but the pros outweigh the cons.

This post was edited by moviegeek on Mon, Oct 20, 14 at 12:09

We use the powdered Costco concentrate ... cheapest.

The trick for getting it to dissolve is to put it in first, right under the place the water will land. Run in a few inches of water, then add clothes.

I sometimes use Charlie's Soap, a detergent company based in North Carolina, that uses less detergent per load. I also use other dry detergents, but usually buy what is on sale, liquid or dry. I've often used Arm & Hammer dry detergent when my boys were living at home. There is another dry detergent that I sometimes buy, but the name escapes me now. It is very economical.

Teresa

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Yes, Tide HE (with Bleach when I can find it). Also Sears powder. Occasionally Fresh Start, it's not all that great of a detergent any more but I like the scent and it's OK on lighter-duty loads.

Cheer Powder for colors--no brighteners to fade colors.

No problem dissolving even in cold water.

We use the Sears powder that is "free" of perfume and add oxygen bleach when needed (whites, etc), and Charlie's Soap powder for our dark colors because it has no OBAs or perfume.

Persil megaperls. For all white and hot water loads, sheets, towels. Best I've found. I can't stand the smell of most detergents and won't use any fine powders. This is a granular, so no residue.

I only use powders. I "experiment" with different brands and type, including liquid and pods. I ALWAYS go back to powders. They are the cheapest per load, easiest to measure, and rinse much cleaner. Not to mention, that they clean much better than anything else. Persil (ordered online) and Tide with Bleach are the best cleaning detergents I have found. Powdered All is pretty good for a budget brand. I assuming that people find liquid more convenient? I am not clear why, though. Same with the pods. Last I checked, you should adjust your detergent dose by soil level, load size, water hardness, and water temperature. Having said all this, I hate to see powders becoming more scarce in stores. I hope this helps...

I use powdered 99% of the time. Tide "Original" he powder and Tide with Bleach he powder. Warm washes, hot washes, sanitize washes....powder, powder, powder. I feel it cleans better, and the inside of my wash drum always looks, feels and smells great (even looking under the rubber ring/seals)!

I also use the Kirkland brand powered detergent. It works great in my SQ and smells nice.

I am not a fan of liquid -- laundry detergent or dishwasher detergent.

I use powders ONLY!! For all the reasons cited here. I use Tide HE with bleach and Gain HE. I think the American people have been sold a bad bill of goods when it comes to liquids.

You can see that a lot of members use powder. Now it is your turn . Why don't you test Sun powder for us and report back on its cleaning ability and any problems you have. I have seen it at the Dollar Tree store for a very low price so if it is any good I would like to try it. My wife prefers liquids for our front loader. We used to use powder for our top loader.

Well, here is my experience, as one asked for it:

We recently took a trip to a state park and sat around a campfire. Of course our clothes smelled smokey, and I washed them in HOT in our normal Ecos liquid. (hot because we were around ticks and I always wash in hot to kill any stragglers). Hot should have taken care of the smell.

Removing the clothes from the dryer, they still reeked of smoke. So I washed them in the powder, in warm water and the clothes had no trace of smoke smell. Was it the second wash? Was it the powder? I can't say for sure- but all the washes I have done in the powdered soap- about 4 now, seem cleaner.

Another thing worth noting is that if I don't get my clothes to the dryer pronto, they develop a sour smell. With the powder I didn't have this issue. Sadly the reason I bought the soap- the smell, well it didn't linger. Probably a bonus for some.

I think I might change to powder. I used Ecos because it doesn't contain any optical whitening agents, scary stuff- but my clothes just don't seem as clean and fresh. I've been using it for 2 years now so I think it's gotten a fair try.

I've seen some weird powders in walmart- all written in spanish. "Foca" was one. I know ariel is highly sought after- when I lived in the UK detergents were based in two categories- biological (containing enzymes) and non-biological (containing no enzymes). Each brand would say so on the front of the package. Apparently each type was better for different applications- ie, removal of food or blood stains, etc. I never understood it, but I wish that in the US we had a way to know if a detergent contained enzymes as they were generally considered to clean better- which may be why so many people love Arial.

Here is a link that might be useful: Foca

I have a supply of Foca, use it on occasion in my non-HE machine.ÃÂ It requires a fairly large dose, produces more suds than is suitable for an HE washer, but rinses well.

I think powdered deter gets wash cleaner. I have a "water-hog" top-loader. I have very sensitive skin. I am very old. I think liquid detergents leave a waxy (plastic) film on everything, including my laundry tub. I think powder rinses better. I use Tide With Bleach powder on my husband's whites. I use Tide Free & Clear powder on our towels and sheets. I use liquid or powder All Free Clear on most all of my laundry and am now trying liquid Arm & Hammer for sensitive skin for my laundry. I used to love powdered Arm & Hammer "Clean Burst" and will try that again in the future when my stash goes down. I use Cheer powder for my husband's darks and sometimes liquid Vaska because neither have optical brighteners. I think Tide powders clean laundry better than anything else but I think it takes a toll on fabrics because of its cleaning power. I am constantly wishing powedered Tide Free Clear didn't make me itch but I think it does even tho' it's hard to tell if it's my bath soap or laundry detergent that bothers me. Someday before I die I hope to discover the PERFECT laundry detergent and the PERFECT bath soap for me.
I also like powdered laundry deterg because it has oxy bleach in it and I don't have to add any. Every time I add my own oxy bleach I itch. We shouldn't have to add anything to a good laundry detergent but the marketing world has us hooked. If Cavimum likes Charlie's Soap again, maybe i should try it again. If you can afford powdered Tide With Bleach you should just watch the dirty water that results.
I agree that all detergent products should state whether they contain enzymes or not. Every since xhappyx said the enzyme(s) in Tide made her itch where her skin is damp, I have the same problem. Liquid All Clear has no enzymes, powdered All Clear does.

Consumer Reports says powdered Tide With Bleach cleans best in HE side loaders and powdered Tide Free Clear cleans best in top loaders. Lots of luck. Hope you don't become obsessed with this issue like I have.

@patann - which brand and type oxygen bleach irritates your skin? I use the perfume free version of OxiClean ( has green lid) and am using Biokleen brand ( no perfumes) after seeing it at Whole Foods . Neither bothers our skin.

I'd just like a list of laundry detergents that don't have optical whiteners in them!

Regarding waxy feeling on clothes, I used to get this on my washer, too when I used a liquid fabric softener. I switched to using vinegar in the fabric softener dispenser, and my clothes and tub no longer feel waxy. They feel soft and clean. They do smell vinegary when wet but this magically disappears in the dryer. I have no idea why vinegar works as a fabric softener but it does! In a pinch I will use some ecover liquid softener, HIGHLY diluted. Thanks for your reply :-)

Cavimum, I used Ecover liquid and the OxiClean that is not perfume free. I thought the OxiClean had too many fillers in it for most people a while back.

By the way, I'm using Dr. Bronner lavender bar soap and liking it so far. Couldn't make Cetaphils work for me.

I have Samsung front loaders, was told that using powders would be less likely to develop odors in the machine. I have followed that advice and only use Sears he powder in them. I love the Sears powder it is a very good cleaner and the smell is simply fresh nothing heavy at all. I buy it when they have the sale price which is close to half off. It takes me forever to go through a box. I use one of the included scoops per load.
I have never had any type of odor in my machines which I have had for a few years now. I love my Samsung set and the Sears powder, great combination.

I learned about the Sears powder here on the laundry forum years ago.
I have never put any liquids in the machine. The only thing I will use if I need to is bleach and vinegar, I think I have used liquid bleach a few times.

I've got a small box of Sun, it's not good at removing stains but it seems to do a good job on plain 'ol dirt. I use it for rugs and the like. And yes, the smell of the "Fresh linen" or whatever it's called is great. Very light and clean.
I love Tide w/bleach powder and regular Tide powder for whites and diapers. Powder seems to clean the diapers much better than liquids and doesn't leave a strong scent after they're dried. Most things in my house get washed in liquid, I have probably 25 different liquids so I hop around from scent to scent. I don't like to use powders on my everyday clothes because it seems to make them look worn out pretty quickly but I do love Cheer and Gain powders for towels/sheets/uniforms as well.