Friday, March 16, 2012

Review: Tide Pods

UPDATE: Please click here to read my post on how Tide Pods made us itchy & gave my toddler a rash.

What is it?

Tide Pods laundry detergent.

How does it work?

As the name suggests, the detergent is packaged in individual pods. You just toss one into the washer with the clothes as you would any other detergent.


Why is it good (or not)?

I tried a pod with a load of brightly coloured clothes & it did the job. It was easy, but the time saved by tossing one pod in, as opposed to measuring one scoop or cup of detergent seems too minimal to justify the expense. I like to adjust the amount of detergent I use depending on what I'm washing. These pods don't allow that.

Tide Pods are also not really a very environmental option compared to powdered detergent. They're heavy, since they're liquid inside a membrane, plus they take up a lot of space--the containers are round. Being able to fit less detergent per box, per truck, per shipping container means more fossil fuels have to be burned to move this stuff from the factory to you.

As Tide Pods contain both a brightener as well as a stain remover & some surfactants I'm not sure about, this detergent wouldn't be suitable for washing cloth diapers. There also doesn't seem to be an unscented variety, so you're stuck with whatever Tide thinks your clothes should smell like--not a great option for those with allergies or sensitivities to artificial scents.

Where can I get it?

I've only seen online so far, though I'm sure they'll be in every store that carries laundry soap if they aren't already.

How much does it cost?

$20 for a package of 77 pods.

*I received a free package of 14 Tide Pods from Procter & Gamble & was asked to write about them through their blogger outreach program.

7 comments:

  1. We used tide pods for the first time to wash linen. This morning my daugher woke up with rash all over her body and face. We had to take her to the emergency room. Luckily she is ok now. We took off all the sheets and clothes we washed to tide pods and re-washed them using what we used before.

    ReplyDelete
  2. I have been using tide pods for a while. The other day I washed my clothes and after I took them out of the dryer I noticed a piece of plastic melted in the groin area of my boxers. Thinking nothing of I pulled the plastic off and wore the boxers. The next day the skin around my scrotum area was hard like leather. After research I found this may have been caused by the not properly dissolving. I just put some ointment on there today and hopefully this cures cause this painful. Put the pods in the machine first then the clothes.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. My son popped a tide pod in our laundry and my fiance wore a pair of undies unaware that there was detergent in them... we left for the store and while inside he started saying that his groin area was burning like fire... get to the car and he immediately takes off his underwater to find his scrotum BURNED, red, swollen, and lumpy... it was almost an hour before we got home and now he cannot even put water on the area to wash it without nearly passing out or vomiting from the pain... did the ointment help or do I need to get him to an emergency center???

      Delete
    2. Are u infertile now. This just happened to me as well

      Delete
    3. Same thing just happened to me. It is such an annoying pain that doesnt go away. Always going to put the pods in wash first and go back to regular detergent going forward it's cheaper and not that difficult anyways.

      Delete
  3. Wow your article very informative. Thanks for sharing such a useful post.

    ReplyDelete
  4. We bought a new washer which came with Tide pods so I used them Also made the mistake of buying more at the store, but failed to buy the Free and Clear. Broke out with a rash, began taking Prednisone for 5 days and the rash and hives persist. It is worst at nights. Have washed all my bedding, night clothes, towels and underwear in All which I have used for years. Am on the 2nd cream ordered by Drs. assnt. Best thing that helps is cold packs.

    ReplyDelete

Thanks for commenting! (I've had to enable comment moderation on older posts to thwart spammers, so your post may not appear right away.)

LinkWithin

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...