Tide Laundry Pods Review

Tide Pods Laundry Detergent Capsules
Austin Kirk/Flickr

When was the last time you got excited about your laundry? Probably never! But the new Tide Pods aim to change that. Do they deliver?

How the Tide Pods Work

The Tide Pods are a single-use pod with three chambers: The large one contains detergent and the smaller two have stain remover and brightener. The formula inside the Tide Pods is only 10 percent water, which helps keep them small. There are three chambers so the detergent, remover, and brightener stay separate until you’re ready to wash.The pod is made of a film which magically disintegrates when it comes in contact with water of any temperature, including cold. So if you’re one of the 40 percent of Americans who washes laundry in cold water, the Pods will still work for you.

The Pods are also heat resistant, so if you leave it in the trunk of your car, you won’t come back to a gooey mess. The Pods are available in three scents: Spring Meadow, Ocean Mist, and Mystic Forest.

How to Use Tide Pods

Place the pod at the bottom of the drum of the washing machine before you put in any clothes, regardless of whether you use a front-loading machine or top-loading machine. You don’t have to measure, so there are no drips or spills. Because the pods contain stain remover, there’s no need to pre-treat clothes.

Are Tide Pods Effective?

We were very pleased with the Tide Pods and appreciate that they’re so portable. I'm personally a huge fan of the Pods because of their convenient size. The average load of laundry weighs 7 pounds, according to Tide. If you live in an apartment building laundry machines in the basement, or if you have to cart your clothes to a laundromat, the portability is a great benefit. Much easier than lugging a 5-pound bottle along with an oversize sack of laundry. We like that we don’t have to measure or pour anything out with the Pods. You simply throw it in the machine and you're done. Our clothes post-wash were clean and fresh-smelling.

Are the Tide Pods Right for You?

Tide Pods will save you approximately an hour over the course of the year. That may not sound like a huge amount of time, but it does add up!

The Pods are also environmentally friendly. Heating the water for the laundry is the number one use of energy when it comes to washing clothes, so the ability to use these in cold water is a great energy saving benefit. The packaging is also significantly smaller and lighter than with traditional detergents, so the Tide Pods use less fuel and energy when shipping.

The price of the pods is a bit higher than liquid detergent, but it may well be worth it. An impressive 97 percent of consumers reported satisfaction with the time, effort and excellent results with the Tide ​Pods compared to only 68 percent of other consumers, reports the company.

This review was based on a free sample.