Which washing powder is better: liquid or dry?
Every day the choice of detergents for washing machines becomes richer, which makes it extremely difficult for the consumer to decide. Manufacturers try to outdo each other in various innovations and inventions. To stay informed and not get confused in the variety of detergents, let's figure it out: is it better to use liquid or dry powder for washing?
Advantages of liquid product
One of the practical advantages of liquid products is the cost-effectiveness of their use. As a rule, such powders are sold in capsules that dissolve when washed. This results in the entire product being used, while regular powders remain partially in the dispenser. Or you can purchase the powder in a bottle or other container and add it to the dispenser tray/drum at your discretion.
In addition, when using liquid powder, laundry does not need conditioning. Its components are already included in the product. At the same time, you are freed from purchasing additional products and receive linen with a pleasant light aroma. For For young parents, the main advantage is the absence of allergic reactions that children can be susceptible to, and which are very often caused by dry powders. The product not only does not contain allergens, but is also sometimes available without phosphates in the composition (of your choice).
Important! In addition to the above advantages, liquid powders also have the ability to not leave whitish marks on your clothes, as happens when washing with dry powders. Liquid-based products are more gentle, due to which the fabric is exposed to less chemical attack.
The nuances of using a liquid product
Liquid powders are suitable for both machine and hand washing, since they contain components that do not cause allergies or irritation. In addition, they easily dissolve in water from 30 to 60 degrees, so you don’t have to burn your hands with hot water when hand washing: the gel will dissolve even in lukewarm water.
Due to its gentle composition, the liquid powder does not leave white marks on colored fabrics or streaks on dark ones. Plus, if you put a stain on something, you can simply wipe it off with gel. However, as mentioned above, liquid powder does not contain aggressive detergents, so it is better to rub stains together with a stain remover.
Keep a bottle of product or a box of capsules can be anywhere. The capsules are airtight and the containers seal well, so it is completely safe, even if there are children in the house.
However, in addition to the advantages, there are also several disadvantages. For example, price. Liquid powders are not cheap, and spending a lot of money without knowing whether the product will work or not is risky. But the market is full of powders from various manufacturers and volumes, which affects the price category. If you want to try it, find a smaller container and try the product to decide.
Prepare a home remedy
Some housewives prefer to use liquid powder, however... made independently. Yes, this is quite possible, and it will cost you several times cheaper than buying imported goods in a store. So, in order to make your own liquid detergent, prepare:
- any soap, preferably a larger bar;
- bucket with a volume of 20 liters;
- pot;
- kitchen grater;
- baking soda;
- sodium tetraborate;
- any essential oil.
Let's start manufacturing. To begin, take a bar of soap and grate it all off, then put the resulting mass in a saucepan and cook the mixture over medium heat until the soap is completely dissolved in the water. Next, remove it all from the heat and set it aside.
Now take a bucket and add soda (a glass), tetraborate (half a glass), fill half with boiling water and pour in the liquid with dissolved soap. Stir the resulting solution and fill it with boiling water until the end. After this, cover with a lid and leave to infuse and cool for a day/night.
When the soap has cooled, do not forget to add essential oil for scent, and then pour the product into separate sealed containers with a lid. This makes it easier to store the powder. It takes half a glass of product to wash.
Advantages and disadvantages of washing gel
So, let's systematize the data on the pros and cons of gel powder in order to finally understand whether it is worth buying or not. It is worth noting that some people prefer to use proven products in any case, and for some, habit is very important. However, if you still decide to choose a product, then here are the characteristics of the liquid gel. Advantages.
- Economical consumption. In order to wash the same amount of laundry you need much less gel than regular powder. Therefore, one container of liquid chemicals will last much longer than a package of dry ones.
- Rinsing. Dry powders are difficult to wash off from clothes, can settle on fabrics and cause irritation on the skin. This will not happen with gel powder, as it instantly dissolves and goes away with the water when rinsing.
- Safety. The liquid powder is completely hypoallergenic and does not cause any reactions.
- Storage. Packaging of gel powders is much more airtight and more convenient than cardboard packaging of regular powder. Nothing will spill accidentally, that's for sure.
- Gentle composition. Dry powders are concentrates of aggressive detergents. They destroy fabric covers and lead to fading. In this regard, liquid powders are more gentle on clothing.
- Low temperature. To wash an item with dry powder, the water must be hot. With gel this condition is not necessary. You can even hand wash the item with warm water, and the product will perform its functions perfectly.
Flaws.
- Efficiency. Yes, gel powders take care of clothes very carefully, but because of this they may not always cope with heavy stains. Sometimes you can't do without dry powder or stain remover.
- Price. Liquid household chemicals, due to their wide range of advantages, are much more expensive on the market. However, as you can see, you can make it yourself. Therefore, this paragraph applies only to purchased funds.
We have introduced you to the main features of using washing gels. However, each housewife has her own priorities and wishes for detergent. Therefore, the choice of detergent for a washing machine depends entirely on who will use it.
What to choose?
In fact, it is better to have both dry and liquid products at home and use them depending on what you need. For example, if you wash children's clothes or are allergic to chemical compounds, it is better to use gel. If the stains are serious, or the fabric is cotton or linen, take a dry product, only it can remove these stains and these fabrics.
As for the cost, of course, you need to focus on it, but you can always find something more or less suitable for your wallet. And a liquid detergent actually has more advantages in washing than a dry detergent. From efficiency to ease of use.
If your doubts are still not cleared, do a test and use both remedies in turn. Evaluate the effect and decide what is more comfortable for you.
Interesting:
4 reader comments
Thank you!
Now I know exactly which one I will buy!
Everything is described in detail and is clear.
And they didn’t answer what is safer for a washing machine...
Dry powder, my master recently changed the bearings, dismantled the entire machine almost to the ground, clearly demonstrated that liquid products leave sediment inside the drum.