Washing Powder, Tablets or Liquid?

lisa701

Does powder work out more cost effective than buying tablets or liquid?

I've always bought powder thinking it would be cheaper but even though I buy shop own brand I'm still finding its one of my biggest expenses every month. Just wondering how I could make a few savings here - other than not doing any washing!

Meadows

Powder is by far more economical (depending on offers around) it is just more messy.
Also powder cleans better than the tablets, capsules etc.

If you find it expensive are you using too much?

Middy

I can't use powder as it leaves a film on the fabric and gives me a rash. That's why when I stay at hotels etc or other people's homes I have a bit of a rash from the bedding and towels.

I use liquid and about third-half less than the recommended amount.

kathie1101

Yes powder does definitely work out cheaper than the other two (unless there is a fab offer on the others of course). It is generally better for your machine than liquid (liquid can gunk up in your pipes).

A lot of people do overdose on powder without realising it. Make sure you use a measuring spoon/cup and I never use the dose that they say - I use a lot less. First I would try halving the recommended dose - if your clothes are coming out clean & fresh then I would try using a 1/4 dose of powder and the same amount of soda crystals (i.e 25g powder, 25g soda crystals). I find this combination gives me the best results, and I find that my whites stay white and my colours wash better too.

What I do is when I buy a new box of powder I stick say 2kg of it into a big tub, and then add 2kg of soda crystals to it, mix it up and then I use this as my powder - much easier to dose from the one sauce IYSWIM.

Oh and I don't stick to any particular make of powder any more (used to only use ariel or persil). I tend to buy whatever is on offer, but more often I get Aldi or Lidl's own brand. HTH

jenster

powder for me too

im lucky we have a makro near buy and they often do the very large boxes on offer

but like others have said and will tell you we use a lot less then the manufacturers recommend and IMO still the clothes are as clean

LadyDee

I use the "Easy" washing liquid from 99p shop (made by Jeyes). One scoop of soda crystals (cheapest is under £1 from Tesco) plus a scoop of Oxyclean from 99p shop. About half a capful of the liquid. I've never had poor results and each wash can only be a few pennies.

The reason washing machines get blocked with old soap etc. is because we are using low temperatues to do washing. Every few weeks, if you're never doing a hot wash the answer is to do one!

Also cut down on fabric conditioners. Not only does it shorten the life of the clothes by damaging fibres it's coating the pipes with a layer of grease.

lisa701

I go through 2 x 2.5kg boxes of powder each month, and always use less than the recommended dose. When I look at my spend on groceries its the highest out of everything at £8. I rarely use fabric conditioner because it really clogs up the dispenser drawer.

I tried both the Aldi & Tesco Daisy range but both brought me out in a really bad rash. Also tried the fancy washing balls but I never found they got the clothes clean.

Looks like I will have to try using less again and see how I get on. Wonder if I buy a better quality brand and use less I will get better results than doing the same with a cheap brand?

Edwardia

Powder.

Used to use Lidl's Formil, favourably reviewed by Which? Then after we went organic I started thinking about lessening our exposure to chemicals in household products.

So when I see Ecover on offer I buy it. I also use Arm & Hammer natural washing soda with it, which seems to soften our hard water and make the washing powder work better so I can use less.

As for fabric conditioner I'm using Ecover Under the Sun instead of Lenor or Comfort now.

I'm happy with stain removal, softness, whiteness etc and no overpowering conditioner stink.

sproggi

I buy 10kg bags of branded washing powder or crushed washing tablets from ebay, works out at around £11 to £13 a sack, depending on seller, if you were to buy 2 sacks at a time (50 and 100 sack pallets are available, but that would last me a lifetime!).
I transfer that powder into old sweet tins/tubs and use a shot glass full or less per load.

When I need some more, I will use the money that I have in my paypal from doing surveys, so in effect, free washing powder:T
plus Nectar points.
If I wanted to stretch it even further, I could use my Nectar or clubcard points and buy soda crystals to mix in with the powder and it would still be free.

Sproggi

redfox

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katieclampet

I always use powder (whatever is on offer) and use approx 1/4 recommended amount. Everything always comes out clean. I never use fabric softner, dont like the smell, or added chemicals. I also think its a bit of a marketing con.

katie