Which is better -- liquid or powder laundry detergent?

I have heard that one is worse for washing machines but I can't remember which!Which is better -- liquid or powder laundry detergent?
Powder vs. Liquid


So you're probably wondering by now whether you should be using powdered or liquid detergent, and why.





What are the advantages of powdered detergent?


It's cheaper. In my experience, for any given brand of detergent, the powdered version has a substantially cheaper cost per load than the liquid version. To determine cost per load, divide the cost of the package (box or bottle) of detergent by the number of loads indicated on the package. I believe you'll quickly see that a load of laundry costs less with powdered detergent.


It's also easy to take with you, which is important if you use laundramats or friends' machines often, as I do. You can take a bunch of ziploc baggies and put one scoop of powdered detergent in each and take them to the laundramat and easily dispense them into the machines, and this allows you to take only as much as you plan to use. In contrast, with liquid detergents you'd have to take the entire bottle under most circumstances.








What are the advantages of liquid detergent?


Liquid detergents are pre-dissolved, so if you have problems with getting your powdered detergent to dissolve, a liquid detergent can resolve the problem. (Such problems can occur in locations with particularly hard water or in particularly cold climates where you can't get water warm enough to dissolve the powder.)


Liquid detergent is also convenient for pre-treating stains: just dribble a little of the detergent on the stained area before placing the laundry in the washer. (See the manufacturer's instructions for product-specific information)








What other considerations should I keep in mind?


A manufacturer recommended to a friend of mine, who called to inquire about a problem he was having with a product generating excessive suds, that he try the liquid version, and sent him a coupon for a free bottle of the product to try it. They suggested that the slightly different composition of the powdered detergent might simply be interacting badly with the specific mineral content of his house's water, and that switching to the liquid might resolve the problem. It didn't, but the argument is valid and it's something you may want to keep in mind if you have problems with sudsing but would prefer not to switch brands. Remember that this could also work in reverse - if a liquid is causing excessive sudsing, the powdered version might resolve it.





If nothing is going wrong, is there any reason I should choose either powdered or liquid detergent other than price?


No. They should clean equivalently.





How come so many people insist on using liquid detergents and swear it's better, when I use powdered detergent and my laundry always comes out clean?


I think it's a religious thing. Try not to worry about it.Which is better -- liquid or powder laundry detergent?
Liquid is better.
I prefer liquid laundry detergent because it doesn't cake on your clothes, but as far as if its bad for the washing machine, I have no clue.
If you live in a hard water area,answer is definitely liquid because it gives better results.
liquid is always better, it doesn't clog up the washer.
I prefer liquid. I like to start running the water, put the clothes in, then the detergent. If you put powder in before the machine fills up with water, you get powder caked all over your clothes. If you put liquid in before it fills up, it doesn't matter!
Liquid is better, it will not clog your washer.
I hate powder. we would always find bits of powder still on our clothes after we washed when we used it (even when we poured it directly into the water before we put the clothes in). so I'm all for liquid detergent now. I love the stuff that has a bit of fabric softener already in it.
both the same --just a preference