Put to the test: Laundry detergent packs
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Colorful, pre-measured laundry detergent packs are all the rage these days. They're convenient, but do they get your clothes clean?
Consumer Reports tested packs from Tide, All, Arm and Hammer, Ajax, Purex and Dropps.
Some of the packs are quick to dissolve in water. But that can be a problem if you have wet hands.
There's also a safety concern. The American Association of Poison Control Centers recently issued a warning about pack detergents after receiving more than a thousand reports of children being injured or sickened by them.
"As with all household cleaners, it's important to keep them out of children's reach," said Dan DiClerico of Consumer Reports.
As for how well the packs clean, Consumer Reports used swatches soaked with tough-to-remove stains like wine and grass.
The swatches were washed with a full load of towels, then inspected by a machine that analyzed the results.
Only one pack detergent - Tide pods - cleaned well enough to earn a Consumer Reports' recommendation.
They cost 22 cents per load and you can use them in both front- and top-loading washing machines.
However, another Tide detergent - a powder - did an even better job of cleaning. It's Tide Ultra Plus Bleach for about the same price, but it can only be used in high-efficiency washers.
If you have a conventional top-loader, Consumer Reports says consider powder laundry detergent Ultra Up and Up from Target. Testers say while it did not clean as well as the Tide detergents, it costs half the price.
Because of the dangers laundry detergent packs pose to children, Tide says it will add a safer double latch on its plastic containers. Even so, all laundry detergents and household cleaners need to be stored out of sight and out of reach of little ones.
If the worst happens and your child ingests any part of a detergent pack, they can get sick very quickly. So call the poison control helpline right away.
Consumer Reports tested packs from Tide, All, Arm and Hammer, Ajax, Purex and Dropps.
Some of the packs are quick to dissolve in water. But that can be a problem if you have wet hands.
There's also a safety concern. The American Association of Poison Control Centers recently issued a warning about pack detergents after receiving more than a thousand reports of children being injured or sickened by them.
"As with all household cleaners, it's important to keep them out of children's reach," said Dan DiClerico of Consumer Reports.
As for how well the packs clean, Consumer Reports used swatches soaked with tough-to-remove stains like wine and grass.
The swatches were washed with a full load of towels, then inspected by a machine that analyzed the results.
Only one pack detergent - Tide pods - cleaned well enough to earn a Consumer Reports' recommendation.
They cost 22 cents per load and you can use them in both front- and top-loading washing machines.
However, another Tide detergent - a powder - did an even better job of cleaning. It's Tide Ultra Plus Bleach for about the same price, but it can only be used in high-efficiency washers.
If you have a conventional top-loader, Consumer Reports says consider powder laundry detergent Ultra Up and Up from Target. Testers say while it did not clean as well as the Tide detergents, it costs half the price.
Because of the dangers laundry detergent packs pose to children, Tide says it will add a safer double latch on its plastic containers. Even so, all laundry detergents and household cleaners need to be stored out of sight and out of reach of little ones.
If the worst happens and your child ingests any part of a detergent pack, they can get sick very quickly. So call the poison control helpline right away.
