Dry Laundry Detergent Vs. Liquid Laundry Detergent
When liquid laundry detergents were introduced in 1956 in the U.S., we'd come a long way from lye-and-lard soap. Ever since then, people have been debating whether dry or liquid laundry detergent is better for cleaning clothes and which type of detergent has fewer harmful environmental impacts. But the answer might well depend on the needs of the user. Does this Spark an idea?
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Efficacy
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Both liquid and dry laundry detergent clean well, but many cleaners think liquids tend to work better on grease and food stains, while powders are better on tough soil and dirt, according to Cleanfax Online. Pre-treating stains, which can save rewashing clothes that didn't get clean the first time, is easier with liquid detergents than with powders.
Shelf Life
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Some ingredients such as bleaching agents and surfactants (sudsing agents) are more stable in powders, so dry laundry detergents have a longer shelf life, although powders must be protected from having moisture introduced in high-humidity areas. Powders also are not subject to freezing, which can change the consistency of liquid detergents.
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Dissolvability
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Some powders must be dissolved in warm water, which uses more energy than washing laundry in cold water. Liquids dissolve better than powders in both warm and cold water. Dry detergents may not dissolve completely in your washer and leave a powdery residue on your clothes, making it necessary to wash them again.
Measuring
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The caps on liquid laundry detergent bottles can be confusing and difficult to read, making it easy to use too much detergent, which can foul your washing machine and even promote the growth of mold and mildew if you are using double or triple concentrated liquid detergent. The scoops in packages of dry detergent are usually easier to read. Even when people can read the markings on the caps of liquid laundry detergents, they often use more detergent than they need because not everyone has yet become accustomed to the very small amounts of concentrated liquid is required to clean a load of clothes.
Water and the Environment
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Non-concentrated liquid detergents are as much as 80 percent water---water that must be shipped from the manufacturing plant to the market. Double and triple concentrated liquid detergents help to reduce this waste. Dry detergents are usually packaged in cardboard and liquids in plastic. The former degrades more readily. Liquid laundry detergents have more surfactants than dry detergents do. Surfactants are harmful to aquatic ecosystems.
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References
- Photo Credit Laundry Soap image by Tabitha Little from Fotolia.com
