Is Tide worth breaking the budget?

[ceecee]

I use Tide exclusively. It cleans better than anything else I've tried.
We wear scrubs at work and my boss bought the staff some that were dark blue (we wear them once a wk) after a few months we noticed some were really faded and mine still looked new. The ones that were most faded were washed in Arm & Hammer in cold water. I use warm water, I don't know what the difference is but they are totally different colors now and hers look really old after only 3 months.

 

[pixiewings71]

I'm like you --- usually buy the store brand or whatever happens to be on sale. However, last week, the new Tide Pods were on sale so I bought a small bag (14 pods). They are AMAZING.... they got my clothes super-clean and the smell was wonderful! For the price of the small bag of Tide Pods, I would have spent the same amount on store brand or sale detergent and it cleaned the same amount of laundry. I'm switching over to Tide Pods from here on out --- now, I just have to find coupons for them!!!! LOL!!!

I got a free sample of these yesterday, I'm going to take them when we go to Vegas next month and I'm going to make sure I have some packed for all our vacations from here on out! Good luck on the coupons!

What do the pods have in them that the regular Tide doesn't?

Costco has them for .25 per pod (90 count for $23).

I have been spending less than $23 per YEAR for laundry soap. I was thinking these would be great for our Disney trips though....just take some pods and not liquid soap.

Dawn

I spend less than $50/year on laundry detergent, I'm not sure exactly how much but with 4 people doing laundry I think that's a huge savings. I love making my own detergent!!

We exclusively use powder tide from Costco (the biggest box you can get). I believe it costs around $30 for the box.

That being said, I have a front loading HE washer. I just put in 1/4 of the directed amount of powder. Clothes are very clean, and one box usually lasts about a year for us.

Warning, using non HE powder in your HE washer may void your warranty. My washer is coming up on 8 years old (past warranty). I have done this since the beginning and had NO troubles. YMMV.

I make my own fabric softener and dryer sheets.

How do you make your own softener and dryer sheets? I've used white vinegar as a softener and I've soaked a microfiber cloth in regular softener to use in the dryer, just wondered how you make yours.

I guess you all have heard about people actually stealing Tide by now. Can you believe this?

http://starcasm.net/archives/148202


I do use it, but only when it's on sale. The main reason I don't always buy it is because I have not found it any better than any other kind that I have tried. If it were, I would buy it all the time.

 

[MrsPete]

No consumer product is worth breaking the budget. However, you likely didn't mean it literally. If you meant, "Is it worth a splurge?" then you have to make up your own mind whether you think it's better.

I used to make the homemade detergent, and it was GREAT for whites; however, it bleached out colors. I quit making it though when I bought my HE washer; I'm not sure whether it's safe for the machine, and I wasn't willing to risk the machines.

 

[MrsPete]

How do you make your own softener and dryer sheets? I've used white vinegar as a softener and I've soaked a microfiber cloth in regular softener to use in the dryer, just wondered how you make yours.

I like store-bought fabric softener with its nice smell. However, I cut it half-and-half with white vinegar (and use a skimpy amount). It works well, and half-and-half works great.

 

[mims6219]

Tide pods contain 3 ingredients: detergent, stain remover and whitener. I absolutely love them also! I don't think they are expensive because I no longer us a laundry additive like Biz or color safe bleach. I still use a stain stick on some stains but all my laundry is whiter and brighter.

 

[left210]

I do not use Tide because of the price but wanted to share this story. We were helping a family who lost their home in a recent tornado. We were able to save some of their clothes but they were covered in mud. The Tide Loads of Hope trucks came to this town and we took bags of these mud covered clothes to be washed. One pair of pants were white and completely covered in mud. We laughed and said if they come clean then we will be true believers in Tide. Well guess what? They were spotless. They were not pre-treated but rather just thrown in with the whole load of clothes given to the workers. We were truly amazed.

 

[MEM]

We use Tide-free and I would say it is definitely worth the price. I have tried most of the fragrance-free detergents on the market and Tide is the best. We still make our own powdered detergent but only DH uses that.

 

[marie1203]

We use tide free and clear because of allergies and it works great I usually put less than recommended and everything still looks bright.

 

[MAYNARDS99]

Consumer Reports has rated Wisk liquid with stain spectrum technology as their #1 laundry detergent. It works GREAT!

I was glad to switch, it is less expensive. It bothered me that Tide is always changing their products. I would find one I liked and then POOF it was gone or my store would not have it for sale. For instance, I used to use Tide with bleach powder, but my Walmart no longer sells it. I'm not going to switch stores just to buy detergent.

 

[JAMIESMITH]

We use Gain. It's not much cheaper than Tide, but it cleans just as well and smells better.

 

[pixiewings71]

I like store-bought fabric softener with its nice smell. However, I cut it half-and-half with white vinegar (and use a skimpy amount). It works well, and half-and-half works great.

Thank You for this!! I may give this a try!

Consumer Reports has rated Wisk liquid with stain spectrum technology as their #1 laundry detergent. It works GREAT!

I was glad to switch, it is less expensive. It bothered me that Tide is always changing their products. I would find one I liked and then POOF it was gone or my store would not have it for sale. For instance, I used to use Tide with bleach powder, but my Walmart no longer sells it. I'm not going to switch stores just to buy detergent.

I had the same issue, I'd find a Tide (or Downy) product I really liked and then it would be gone.....I switched softeners because I don't like the way Downy smells now......

 

[rdevine10]

I like store-bought fabric softener with its nice smell. However, I cut it half-and-half with white vinegar (and use a skimpy amount). It works well, and half-and-half works great.

Here are links to the recipes I use. I do it not only to save money but its WAY better for you and your body too (less chemicals). (I use a sulfate free, paraban free conditioner)

http://thefrugalgirls.com/2010/10/homemade-fabric-softener.html

and for dryer sheets I use the recipe below with a cut up old terrycloth baby changing pad cover. (I use my own homemade fabric softener not the ecover)

http://www.liverenewed.com/2011/06/how-make-homemade-dryer-sheets.html

Love being green, and honestly, my clothes smell AWESOME and works just as well as Downy, which I used for years!

 

[herdtoDisney]

We use tide free and clear because of allergies and it works great I usually put less than recommended and everything still looks bright.

Same here. I nearly always use less and my clothes are clean and bright-and I have work uniforms that get soil, ink and sweat (ugh, yeah) on them. I've tried a couple other cheap 'free' detergents and even the homemade one and they just didn't get the yuck out of my uniforms. Tide-free always does, and with not needing to use so much, a bottle lasts my family of 7 for some time!

Myself and my oldest DS are allergic to the scents in detergents, and i'm allergic to fabric softener as well-I never use it. So Tide-free and an occasional spritz of Static Guard spray makes for a budget laundry here.

 

[eatatmidnight]

It is not worth breaking the budget, IMO because Tide, even the free and clear, aggrivates my dd moderate to severe eczema. We only use All Free and Clear and Downy in the white bottle.

 

[robinb]

I wonder if the pods work so well because you are using the right amount of detergent instead of too much detergent. I remember a conversation a few months ago about how poorly designed the capa were on the liquid detergent containers and how people were inadvertently using too much detergent. I suspect that detergent that is not rinsed out properly could cause clothes to be dingy.

 

[pixiewings71]

Here are links to the recipes I use. I do it not only to save money but its WAY better for you and your body too (less chemicals). (I use a sulfate free, paraban free conditioner)

http://thefrugalgirls.com/2010/10/homemade-fabric-softener.html

and for dryer sheets I use the recipe below with a cut up old terrycloth baby changing pad cover. (I use my own homemade fabric softener not the ecover)

http://www.liverenewed.com/2011/06/how-make-homemade-dryer-sheets.html

Love being green, and honestly, my clothes smell AWESOME and works just as well as Downy, which I used for years!

Thank You!!

I've used vinegar as a softener, I need to actually run a few loads through the washer with vinegar to clean it out. I like using it but I also like my clothes smelling good. lol I'm going to try this!

I wonder if the pods work so well because you are using the right amount of detergent instead of too much detergent. I remember a conversation a few months ago about how poorly designed the capa were on the liquid detergent containers and how people were inadvertently using too much detergent. I suspect that detergent that is not rinsed out properly could cause clothes to be dingy.

Good point, it's also probably why some people have allergic reactions, if the soap doesn't wash out that will irritate skin as well.

 

[LAH LAH]

Absolutely!

 

[poohguys]

Yes. We were at DS's School Science Fair tonight and one of the kids tested to see what got stains out better-stain stick, bleach or Tide. The Tide worked best! If it is a cost issue buy cheaper detergent for the stuff that is not a big deal-towels, sheets etc. then use the Tide for just your clothing.

 

[Colleen27]

For me Tide is worth it. I've tried a bunch of other brands and made my own, but what I found was that Tide is the only one that really cleans well with cold water. Everything else performs noticeably better in warm water, and the energy cost of heating the water eats up the savings of buying the cheaper soap. And since our clothes really take a beating - DH is a roofer, DS plays football, and the girls love gymnastics on the grass and playing in the gardens - more cleaning power is something I'm willing to spend a little extra on.

 

[kim929]

I just read a that good housekeeping tested the detergents to get the best one and Tide won.
The best was powders Utltra Tide plus bleach
Ultra tide powder

Second was Gain dazzle and shine w/bleach

best value l
liquid was Up and Up 2x he
powder Walmart great value.
It did say that the value ones did miss some stains