After every swatch has been washed and dried, I use the spectrometer to quantify any remaining stains and compare the results.īased on this extensive testing, I’ve created a definitive ranking of laundry detergents based on how well they’ll clean your clothes. Finally, I wash the swatches in a normal cold-water cycle with the same control load of laundry, changing only the detergent. Then I let them sit for 24 hours, because the longer a stain marinates, the more difficult it will be to get out. My usual process is to stain identical white cotton swatches with notoriously hard-to-clean substances like tomato sauce, lipstick, foundation, grass, and chili oil. With the help of my trusty spectrometer, a device that measures color, I’ve tested more than 60 popular laundry detergents to assess how well they handle common stains. As part of our day-to-day operations, I present all things related to laundry, textile care, and stain removal on TikTok and Instagram, where I share industry secrets, laundry-care tips, and my favorite products the years, I’ve tried countless laundry detergents - and even gone so far as to submit many of the most well-known brands to rigorous testing. Four years later, I am a fourth-generation dry cleaner and a big laundry nerd. Right out of school I went to work as a construction consultant focusing on high-end build-outs that’s when my dad, the managing director of luxury dry cleaner Jeeves NY, noticed that our clientele was similar and asked if I’d be interested in joining the family business. ('Scripps').įollow John on Twitter more consumer news and money saving advice, go to The Strategist Photos: RetailersĪs a mechanical-engineering major, I never expected to become a laundry expert. That counterfeit stuff? Use it at your own risk, so you don't waste your money.ĭon't Waste Your Money' is a registered trademark of Scripps Media, Inc. If the tub doesn't have any legitimate branding, it's probably isn't Tide either. If the detergent comes in an unsealed container, it's likely not Tide. No one knows, but there sure is a lot of it for sale. So is it counterfeit? Could it be real Tide, but intended for industrial use or possibly a third world country? Or is it just cheap blue soap? 'That's my concern if it has some type of ingredient or additive that could be harmful to my skin,' she said. Sgaraglio is now not sure what to do with the giant jug of detergent, having no way of knowing what's in the detergent. Some counterfeiters even sell their products in orange containers printed with the Tide logo. Much of the Tide products sold on Facebook and other sites are counterfeit. 'P&G does not sell or authorize anyone else to sell products in 5-gallon buckets to the general public.' In the past, P&G has responded to similar reports with the following statement: Proctor & Gamble, Tide's parent company, is now looking into Sgaraglio's purchase.

That left Sgaraglio wondering if what she had bought was actually Tide. The bucket doesn't say Tide detergent anywhere - just has some coded numbers on the sticker. While it does have an orange lid like real Liquid Tide, that is only connection. Unfortunately, the jug didn't inspire that much confidence. So she ordered a jug from a nearby seller, met him at a nearby strip mall, handed over $25, and ended up with five-gallon bucket filled with. 'Since I've been looking,' she said, 'I've seen it advertised between $25 and $35 for five gallons.' Some sellers on Facebook are advertising five-gallon buckets of Tide for less than half the supermarket price. So Sgaraglio was thrilled to stumble upon discounted Tide on Facebook Marketplace. She loves Liquid Tide but says prices for the top-rated detergent are insane.Ī three-quarter gallon jug can cost between $12 - $17 in most stores.

Tide laundry detergent on sale