(Product Review) Tide Pods vs Homemade Laundry Soap

A few words on laundry.

Way back {here} I did a post on homemade laundry detergent.

We've gotten a lot of emails regarding this post, mostly about my opinion on the efficacy of my soap, and questions about its consistency (it's pretty liquid-y!)

So, I jumped at the opportunity to do a product review on Tide Pods and be able to compare the two!

I still use it, the price is right, after all.

In fact, my son did a little science fair experiment on it a while back, and here are his results:

(homemade detergent didn't get the stains out nearly as well, and the shirt was dull and dingy!)

Now, while I do love the price, and really its performance on a regular day-to-day basis, I do find my home-made stuff lacking in a few ways.

First, I do miss the amazingly clean, fresh smell of store-bought laundry detergent.  Especially on my towels.  Homemade detergent doesn't smell bad, it just doesn't smell on garments and linens...and I miss it!

Second, as you can see on the picture above, it doesn't do a fantastic job on crazy stains.  Our clothes are clean, but not necessarily sparkly clean.   It does well on minor things, but I always seem to find myself dumping in more than I should, just because...just in case...well, it's homemade!  

And thirdly, as crap(happy)py as this may sound, I live in a tiny rental in a beach city (ps I LOVE where I live!) and I have to use coin-operated laundry machines that are not in my house.  (are you astonished?  I didn't think I'd be able to function without my W/D!) So, my 5-gallon bucket of homemade detergent is in my garage around the corner, and it refills my recycled laundry container every couple of weeks, which I have to lug back and forth from the laundry room, along with my 5 loads of laundry, quarters, dryer sheets, key to the laundry room, vinegar, etc!

I know, I know, cry me a river!

But, I have recently found a solution to all three of my homemade-laundry soap woes.

Tide Pods

get excited for Tide Pods!

First...they make my stinkin' laundry smell good again.  They come in a few different scents, I personally enjoy the Spring Meadow and the Ocean Mist scents.  I love opening the door of the washing machine and breathing in that good, clean smell!  

Second...Just one pac removes more stains than 6 caps of the liquid bargain brand.*  That one tiny thing packs a powerful punch, and my favorite shirts are just as bright and white, even just using that one teeny, tiny pac!  It's a 3-in-1 detergent that cleans, brightens and fights stains!  {actually, the only 3-chamber unit dose on the market}

and...

Third...I realize that not all of you have the same laundry woes as I do.  In fact, most of you probably don't, but everyone can use a little more space in their cupboards, and can afford to simplify a little, and rely on quality products.  I have thoroughly enjoyed only tossing a handful of Tide Pods on top of my basket on my trip to the laundry room, and am amazed that that little pac can do such a great job at removing my tough stains.

Have you tried Tide Pods?

I love them!

and in conjunction with Tide Pods,

I'm excited to announce a sweepstakes for a $100 Visa Gift Card!

And to win, Tide Pods just wants to hear from you!

What's your favorite outfit to stand out in?

leave us a comment and automatically be entered to win.

Rules:

No duplicate comments.

You may receive (2) total entries by selecting from the following entry methods:

a) Leave a comment in response to the sweepstakes prompt on this post.

b) Tweet (public message) about this promotion; including exactly the following unique term in your tweet message: "#SweepstakesEntry"; and leave the URL to that tweet in a comment on this post.

c) Blog about this promotion, including a disclosure that you are receiving a sweepstakes entry in exchange for writing the blog post, and leave the URL to that post in a comment on this post.

d) For those with no Twitter or blog, read the official rules to learn about an alternate form of entry.

This giveaway is open to US Residents age 18 or older. Winners will be selected via random draw, and will be notified by e-mail. You have 72 hours to respond; otherwise, a new winner will be selected.

The Official Rules are available here.

This sweepstakes runs from 11/1 - 11/25.

Be sure to visit the Tide Pods brand page on BlogHer.com where you can read other bloggers’ reviews and find more chances to win!

* Based on stain removal performance of 1 pac of Tide Pods vs. 6 doses of the leading liquid bargain brand base variant in a standard top loading machine.