@JohnQ118 Cleaning: Reportedly yes, though not better than an average laundry detergent. Leaving loads of perfume in your clothes, reportedly also yes.

@JohnQ118 I’ve tried a different brand; similar to pods, always double the recommended amount. Or in the case of sheets, triple.

Personally I think a box of Oxy-clean powdered detergent is a lot more economical (is there such a thing as a store-brand version, or would that just be borax). They’re relatively light (I mean, it’s still a 5 lb. box) but for the same work, you’d need to lug a bottle that’s 4x heavier. The big drawback is that they clump up after awhile and clumps don’t dissolve as fast (and can stick to clothes). The workaround is to melt the lump in a cap of water beforehand. (Presto! Your own bottle of detergent!)

@werehatrack yikes! I don’t want that. thanks.
I bought the Tide ‘Free & Gentle’ no perfumes but only tried one of them, seemed OK.

@pakopako Thanks for the tip. I have a box of the Costco Kirkland ‘Oxi Powder Laundry Booster’ (11 lbs), but it’s not detergent. I add it along with the detergent in some loads.

@JohnQ118 According to testing by JeevesNY on YouTube, laundry sheets in general are “overpriced garbage.” I don’t believe he’s tested this brand specifically, but none of the ones that he’s tested have been worth it at all. Generally any good performance people see is because our clothes are often not very soiled and plain water does the bulk of the cleaning anyway.

@JohnQ118 @pakopako Oxiclean is different from borax, although both are good additives to detergent, as JohnQ said.

@Strannahans I actually watched the link expecting to get Rick Rolled, and actually appreciated the way the info was presented.

@actionPacked I should have explained what the video was. It’s a dry cleaner explaining that laundry sheets are physically too small to carry an effective amount to clean anything. To match the cleaning effectiveness of the lowest amount you’d need to clean a load of laundry, you’d need to use six sheets. That assumes that the sheet is 100% cleaning material, when some of it is obviously the binder to help it keep its shape. He doesn’t mention this brand, but says that all sheets are bad.
In the comments, people said that, because they’re so portable, they’ll take some on trips to clean laundry in sinks

@Strannahans I literally clicked on the link to add this video to the comments section, glad somebody beat me to it!

He has given a good review to the Tide EVO tiles, which are constructed differently to actually deliver more detergent, and are also portable. Apparently they’ve released a free and clear version of those, for people who are like me and can’t have any added fragrance to their detergents.

@Granite_Grizz Maybe cut ‘em into bits for smell magnitude control? Forget about the cleaning claim and only assume smell benefit.

@stazja01 Oh, ick, that would be sub-optimal.

@craigthom In contrast, Tide rules the roost.

FYI, for those who like knowing weird stuff, Tide was the first general use synthetic laundry detergent.

Development of Tide Synthetic Detergent

@craigthom and for those who prefer unscented

@zippyus Here’s the image you requested for “a family enjoying arm and hammer power sheet cake, 1950s magazine ad”

/showme 1950s housewife putting arm and hammer power sheet cake into a top loader washing machine, magazine ad.

@zippyus Here’s the image you requested for “1950s housewife putting arm and hammer power sheet cake into a top loader washing machine, magazi…”

@mediocrebot @zippyus Can they do it with pizza?

@rpstrong I feel like no matter how I answer, the Detroit and Sicilian mafias will come after me.

@mediocrebot @zippyus Those brownie sheet cakes sure look delicious. Can I lick the mixing bowl?

@mediocrebot @zippyus If she had red hair I would swear she was Lucy.

@hammersmn say more

@abkoll @hammersmn the secret is to throw it in the dishwasher (or use store brand Cascade powder in a cycle before detergent)

https://rhondadort.com/2021/07/23/cleaning-vintage-linens-and-quilts/

@abkoll In a Nutshell:
Unless it’s in powder form and includes enzymes (which generally can’t be put into a liquid), it probably doesn’t have the cleaning power to clean all of the greases, oils, proteins, etc. found in dirty clothes. There are some liquids that have the enzymes, but there don’t have most of the enzymes.
r/laundry leans into two thoughts: Recovering your long neglected (or poorly laundered past products), when it’s time to do a [SPA DAY][1], and ensuring that the detergent you are using has at a minimum, [lipase][2] for regular washings.

I’ve converted to Tide powder with Ultra Oxy, washing clothes in hot water, letting them soak for 2 hours once they’ve churned a little bit, and adding citric acid during the rinse cycle (to ensure the detergent is washed out). I’m using 90% less detergent and my clothes are 200% cleaner.
[1]:

[2]:

@abkoll @hammersmn i go through so much laundry i can’t imagine having tome to let each load soak for 2 hours

@hammersmn Thank you! I appreciate the tips

@abkoll @mbersiam If I didn’t transition to 95% WFH, this would never work for me. If I get started right away in the morning, I’m lucky to get three loads done in a day.

I’ve got an old-school Whirlpool Estate washing machine (top load, nothing fancy), that I’m able to pause anytime during a load. After filling with hot water (usually on the small or medium level) and detergent up to level 1 on the scoop, I let it agitate for about 5 minutes with the laundry, and then pause the cycle. I set a timer for 2 hours, restart when alerted. This gives the detergent TIME in HOT water to do it’s thing; I’m still doing the agitation afterwards.
Once the cycle is done, I set the dial back to “Rinse”, add a tablespoon of citric acid, and let it rinse a second time. Citric acid is acidic (crazy, I know), and it helps neutralize the alkaline processes of the detergent. It’s CRAZY how much more detergent this pulls out of the clothes, and makes the towels fluffier, clothes hang better, etc.
I’m also a wool ball convert for the dryer, so I’m in the process of eliminating all of the greasy feels that come in a normal load of laundry with dryer sheets.

#1 - people use too much damn detergent. They make those scoops/lids big to sell more product, not to get your clothes cleaner. And if you are filling that scoop/lid halfway full, you are wasting detergent, and you’d need multiple citric acid rinse only cycles to get all the detergent out.

r/laundry is a rabbit hole. You’ll amazed at some of the “spa day” results - clothes that people thought were clean (previously laundered) now contribute to the ‘spa day soup’ - dishtowels are a favorite.

@dkrupps i like that they dont leave detergent build-up and i think the scent is more mild compared to tide pods. I want to use them longer to really have a better opinion but stuff is clean and its less environmental waste so im okay with it so far

@timwoody actual treatment from marathon runners: use menstrual pads or tampons.

Because pads use absorbent and comfortable diaper technology, they will stick to your body without chafing. Tampons may require tape to keep them in place.

@pakopako @timwoody And menstrual pads can also be used as bandaging.

@pakopako @timwoody
As a [many years previously] former distance runner, we just used vaseline on any rub spots to avoid rubbing skin raw, and didn’t give 2 shits about having/getting sweaty pits.

I would think that any kind of pad would be too bulky and increase the risk of chafing.

@Pufferfishy
FYI:
https://www.ufinechem.com/do-laundry-detergent-sheets-contain-microplastics.html\

Draw your own conclusions…

@PhysAssist I didn’t see that link, but the info I pulled up said the sheets are marginally better than “typical” micro-plastic-bearing substances, but the materials may still present some problems for some water treatments plants despite being deemed “degradable”.

It also said you’re likely to get more “typical” microplastics from washing a polyester sweater than you are from the sheets themselves…

@Pufferfishy
Thanks, and that makes sense.

I mainly bought them to add whatever amount less macroplastic to the environment that these entail [i.e.,vs. the jugs liquid detergent comes in].

@Aetherwizard they might - these are still “candy sheets” and not a solid bar of soap or a clothes-drier cloth; they are brittle and will break apart. You would have to give them enough room that they’re not crushed and become powder that would have to be brushed off your clothes.

@Aetherwizard I use used dryer sheets for stuff like that

@Aetherwizard @dpease

Which is what we also do for anything we store in our basement to prevent mildew- which otherwise develops despite a constantly running dehumidifier.

@Aetherwizard @dpease @PhysAssist Dryer sheets contain a lot of things that aren’t healthy for you but also I think the scents are horrible and extremely hard to get rid of. I don’t understand why people think they’re a good way to scent things. Bars of soup are much better!

@Kyeh

I know that you have some valid points, but in our perpetually damp basement environment, I’d worry that the soap would get too goopy and mess up what we’re trying to protect.

We only use dryer sheets in luggage and other gear stored there for long-term protection, and have not found anything else that protects as well.

I probably shouldn’t have used the catch-all “anything”.

Although that probably further validates your point of their non-safe [unhealthiness] for humans as well.