Comments on: Tide: Why You Get Fewer Loads than Promised

By: Adam

Adam — Mon, 23 May 2011 17:10:41 +0000

Tide is still up to something. I just bought a larger bottle of HE Tide from Sam’s Club and noticed that there are actually 3 lines on the clear cap. However, line one is a partial line and is completely covered up by a sticker. Some things never change.

By: Sar

Sar — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 02:40:16 +0000

Has anyone found the “2x concentrated” claim to be a bunch of hooey? I’ve been using Tide for a long time. If they really changed it to be more concentrated, shouldn’t it be thicker? It definitely is not, if anything it is less thick. I feel really shafted by P&G.

By: Sharon

Sharon — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 15:01:00 +0000

I too, make my own laundry detergent, using the same recipe as a previous poster,
[Grate 1 bar of Fels-Naptha
1 cup of Washing Soda (Arm & Hammer) NOT BAKING SODA!
1 cup of Borax]

but I cover the soap in a pan with about 2 or 3 inches of water, and heat on the stove over low heat till the soap dissolves, (about 5 minutes), then stir in the Washing Soda, and the borax, stir till dissolved. You can add some essential oils or soap fragrance oil at this stage if desired, I use lavender, or fresh rain, or a mixture of peppermint and eucalyptus. Then put 4 1/2 gallons of hot water in a 5 gallon bucket, and pour the soap mixture, while stirring, into the water. Cover, let sit overnight, and it will thicken to a gel-like consistency. I scoop out about slightly less than a 1/2 cup for my large capacity whirlpool, and it works great. Low suddsing, good for the HE machines, better for the environment, no plastic jugs, or crazy chemicals. You can purchase the ingredients at most grocery stores, or order on line from soapsgonebuy.com.
It costs around 4 cents per load….

By: Sara

Sara — Sat, 06 Feb 2010 23:51:20 +0000

Eh, I don’t think it’s too much to ask for consumers to read the directions. Obviously, if you use more than one serving of detergent per load, you’re not going to get as many loads — just like if you pour more than one serving of cereal into your bowl, you won’t get as many servings as the box says. At least Tide is nice enough to give you a measuring cup with a line for one load. If you’re too stupid to fill it to the line rather than filling it all the way to the top, it’s your own fault.

By: Mike

Mike — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 16:36:53 +0000

That’s pretty interesting. Usually I pay attention to tricks like that, but I don’t buy the detergent in my house so that probably is why. However, I do completely fill that washing machine, so I’m probably using the right amount by filling that cap. And when I put less clothes in I don’t use a full cap. Honestly, I don’t even know if there are fill lines in that cap. I never look, haha. I’m going to now though.

It’s always interesting to see the different ways companies try to trick people into buying their stuff or buying more of their stuff than needed.

Edgar replies: Mike, you are absolutely using more detergent than is required, maybe double the amount needed.