What happened to washing powder tablets?

michbright

valk_scot wrote: »

The move towards lower temperature washes of 30'C and 40'C has caused the move back towards big box powders. Tablets don't dissolve so well at low temperatures and can leave streaky marks. Using liquid detergent at low temperatures can promote the "gunging up" of pipes and machine inners with that black mouldy stuff you find in the dispenser drawer, especially in hard water areas. Big box powders don't have these problems.

I have soft water and can use anything in my machine even at 30'C but I like big box powders because it's easier to adjust the dose to the exact amount you need. And they're cheaper per wash on average, especially if you find a good offer. You do need somewhere to store it though, I admit.

I have to say that I've been using tablets for a while now and recently switched brands, only to find that the second box of tablets didn't disolve at all, even when mixed with warm water. The only way I could get them to dissolve was to break them up with my hands. I emailed in a complaint and was sent a letter, explaining that it could be my washing machine (clogged up inlets, which is rubbish because the whole drawer unit was recently replaced) but they still sent me 2 vouchers, which more than covered the cost of the box of tablets and a freepost envelope to return one or two of the tablets for analysis.

I used to use powders too, but now don't have the space to store big boxes and my 2 year old loves getting into the box and spreading it everywhere, so not very economical in the end, really

lilykim

I use either Wilkinsons non-bio or ones I can get from Poundland. I do a 30 degree wash and have no problems getting rid of stains. But I must say none of us does manual work or plays sports, so no real heavy staining.

asparagusnextleft

I stopped using tablets a while back when I went to buy some one day and there were none on the shelves - I bought a pack of liquitabs instead, fully intending to go back to the tablets but to be honest I much prefer the liquitabs. With the tablets you would sometimes get residue on your washed clothes but there's none of that with the liquitabs. I buy Asda's own to keep the cost down.

Stopped using big box powder years ago after it clogged up the washing machine and there was water pouring from the drawer onto the kitchen floor!

A._Badger

asparagusnextleft wrote: »

I stopped using tablets a while back when I went to buy some one day and there were none on the shelves - I bought a pack of liquitabs instead, fully intending to go back to the tablets but to be honest I much prefer the liquitabs. With the tablets you would sometimes get residue on your washed clothes but there's none of that with the liquitabs. I buy Asda's own to keep the cost down.

Stopped using big box powder years ago after it clogged up the washing machine and there was water pouring from the drawer onto the kitchen floor!

You might encounter a long term problem with liquids, if some reports are right. It's said that don't contain the bleaches used in solid tablets, so allow the build-up of black, slimy gunk over time.

A._Badger

michbright wrote: »

I have to say that I've been using tablets for a while now and recently switched brands, only to find that the second box of tablets didn't disolve at all, even when mixed with warm water. The only way I could get them to dissolve was to break them up with my hands. I emailed in a complaint and was sent a letter, explaining that it could be my washing machine (clogged up inlets, which is rubbish because the whole drawer unit was recently replaced) but they still sent me 2 vouchers, which more than covered the cost of the box of tablets and a freepost envelope to return one or two of the tablets for analysis.

I used to use powders too, but now don't have the space to store big boxes and my 2 year old loves getting into the box and spreading it everywhere, so not very economical in the end, really

.
If you can get Persil tablets, these still come with the net bag which you put inside the wash. They dissolve quite quickly while Aerial (put in the dispenser draw) doesn't and neither do the own brand types I've tried.

As it happens, I marginally prefer Aerial, so when I use that I do what you do and break the tablets up inside the drawer, which seems to work well enough.

totallybored

michbright wrote: »

I have to say that I've been using tablets for a while now and recently switched brands, only to find that the second box of tablets didn't disolve at all, even when mixed with warm water. The only way I could get them to dissolve was to break them up with my hands. I emailed in a complaint and was sent a letter, explaining that it could be my washing machine (clogged up inlets, which is rubbish because the whole drawer unit was recently replaced) but they still sent me 2 vouchers, which more than covered the cost of the box of tablets and a freepost envelope to return one or two of the tablets for analysis.

I used to use powders too, but now don't have the space to store big boxes and my 2 year old loves getting into the box and spreading it everywhere, so not very economical in the end, really

I would never have thought of putting the tablets in the drawer, I always assumed they went straight in the machine with the clothes as when they were first introduced they came with a bag thing.

I also put dishwasher tablets straight in the machine too since the little door for them broke and they work fine chucked in the cutlery basket too.

KxMx

Funny you should mention this, Poundland tablets dissapeared months ago here and were replaced with boxes of powder. Been buying them for years and suddenly they go!

asparagusnextleft

A._Badger wrote: »

You might encounter a long term problem with liquids, if some reports are right. It's said that don't contain the bleaches used in solid tablets, so allow the build-up of black, slimy gunk over time.

I believe running the machine on a boil wash every so often solves any problem with build up within the machine. It's actually written in the manufacturer's instruction to do this so I've always done it (towels get washed on the hottest wash). Apart from the drawer clogging up, I've never had a problem.