When it comes to doing laundry, one of the biggest questions is: should I use powder or liquid detergent? The answer is, there are pros to using both. Read through some of the pros, and decide which is best for you. 

Pros for powder laundry detergent

• Cost-effective
• Recyclable 
• Works well on outdoor stains

Cost-effective 

Powder detergent is more cost-effective than liquid detergent. To begin with, it costs less to manufacture because it takes less chemistry to build the product. This has resulted in packs of powder detergent often containing more detergent than its liquid counterpart. Additionally, powder detergent has a more stable cleaning agent than liquid detergent, meaning that it doesn’t lose its cleaning power over time. If you prefer to buy your detergent in bulk, powder is the way forward

Recyclable

If you’re looking to make your laundry more Eco-friendly than powder detergent is your best option. More often than not, you will find powder detergent in cardboard packaging. This is a lot easier to recycle as it is bio-degradable, therefore making it the environmentally friendly laundry detergent option. 

Works well on outdoor stains

For those tough outdoor stains, such as mud and grass, a powder laundry detergent will work much better than its liquid alternative. The main surfactant in powder detergent is linear alkylbenzene sulfonate, which is much harsher on stains, and therefore better at ridding your clothing of deep-set outdoor stains. 

Pro’s for liquid detergent 

• No bleach 
• Safe for appliances 
• Easy for stain pre-treatment

No bleach

Bleach is very effective at keeping your whites white, however it can be very damaging on your coloured clothing. Bleach is not found in liquid laundry detergents but can be found in some powder detergents. If you want to prevent your colours from fading, it’s best to wash them inside out and use a liquid detergent.

Safe for appliances 

 One of the benefits of using a liquid detergent is that it easily dissolves with the water in your washing machine. When using powder detergent, you may find chunks of undissolved, sludgy residue in your washer or your machines draw. This residue can lead to pipes being blocked and a broken washing machine. If you want to take extra precuations, without having to constantly clean your washing machine, liquid detergent is the safest option.

Easy for stain pre-treatment 

Both powder and liquid detergent can be used to pre-treat a stain, but liquid detergent is a lot easier to use. If you want to use a powder detergent to pre-treat a stain, you can add water to create a paste to rub over your stain. If you are using liquid laundry detergent, you simply have to pour a small amount of detergent over the stain and leave it for up to 5 minutes. 

Whether you prefer to use powder or laundry detergent both are effective at cleaning your clothes. If you still can’t decide which to use, why not just book your dry cleaning slot at the Laundryheap website or by downloading our free app. We are operational across the UK, Ireland, the Netherlands, UAE, Qatar, Kuwait and USA.