These days you can choose how your detergent comes, I prefer liquid as you can control how much you use and can concentrate it on a stain. Powder sometimes created gunge in the soap drawer, pods aren't economical for a small load and tablets sometimes don't dissolve properly and leave a residue. Which is better value or works for you? I take tablets for traveling and use half a tablet to save money on detergent which does work for me.
We used the pods for a while, but it soon became apparent that there was a nasty smell associated with them, I guess when the casing breaks down in the wash? Either way, we ended up switching back to liquid and our clothes are smelling nice and fresh again and it's a better value overall anyway.
I normally use the liquid as I can only get the scent that I like that way. But, I did try the pods for my mother as she was older when they first came out and it was so much easier for her to them than to lift a heavy bottle. We used Tide and they smelled great. The only time that it didn't go well is if you didn't use hot water and the plastic pods don't melt completely.
I usually buy a laundry detergent liquid from the health food store. It is free of nasty chemicals and has only a very light, natural fragrance. I recently read an article about the toxicity of laundry detergents, and how these poisons get absorbed directly through the skin. My preferred way of washing my clothes is still by hand, but the problem is that I don't always have the time for it. Though, I still wash all of my underwear by hand with a mild, natural soap.
I use powder. It's the most readily available here and it seems like you get more for what you are paying for, while using less than you would with liquid. I try to get the kinds with the least amount of chemicals in it because chemicals just really bother my skin and they are not good for the environment. Unfortunately, there are no all natural detergents here. I sometimes use black soap because it is all natural. I have gotten soapnuts from Amazon before and I really liked how they work, but it is not always ideal for me to buy them because they are quite expensive for me to buy.
I usually prefer to use powder over anything else as it is really economical. I believe that the powder and all other detergent have almost the same effect on clothes. I think it is really no need to keep switching between different detergents to know about their quality.
I only use powder detergent on my clothes. I like the abrasiveness of the powder, that abrasiveness makes me feel like my clothes are really getting clean. I've used liquid detergent in the past, but for some reason I don't feel like my clothes are as clean. I have yet to use the pods. To test them out, I wouldn't mind using them in conjunction with powder if I have something that is really dirty, like a small area rug that needs to be washed.
I got a good deal on laundry pods on Amazon, so I used them for a few months. I wasn't impressed. Sometimes the pods did not dissolve all the way and the clothes had grains of soap on them, and I had to rewash. I had to use two for large loads of laundry, so I wasn't saving money either. I like liquid far better, and will continue to buy it.
Most often than not prefer using pods - they are simple and less messy - but they can be expensive and my family is on a tight budget. Powder is the cheapest by far but I hate the residue it leaves on clothes and in the machine. So typically I use liquid - I can get it relatively cheap using coupons and sales and it's easy on the machine as long as you clean it regularly.
