# A Poll About Tide (laundry detergent) **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [July 28, 2016, 5:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-poll-about-tide-laundry-detergent/761091 "2016-07-28T05:55:24Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Procrustus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/procrustus/32/2994_2.png) [@Procrustus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Procrustus)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2016, 3:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-poll-about-tide-laundry-detergent/761091/21 "2016-07-28T15:12:59Z")
> [@Amateur\_Barbarian](#): > > I have seen enough back to back comparisons of laundry products to convince me that Tide simply isn’t worth a huge premium. (As I implied above, there’s just too much hoo-rah and razzle-dazzle over the super-special ingredients formulated over 60 years ago for me to take it at face value.) > > If it’s just nickels to you, fine - spend away. Some of us use a quarter bottle a week and it adds up. We don’t use Tide, so I’m not here to beat their drum. Personally, I doubt there is much difference between brands, and never heard of any unique smell of Tide, or any other product. My only point is buy the detergent you like best. I realize some people really must watch every penny, and look for the best value. For the rest of us, buy what you like. How much can a “huge premium” be? Unless it’s something like $25 more per bottle, it’s not going to show up on my radar. ---
**Author:** ![Amateur\_Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/59ef9b/32.png) [@Amateur\_Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amateur_Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2016, 3:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-poll-about-tide-laundry-detergent/761091/22 "2016-07-28T15:22:22Z")
At Sam’s Club, a 225 oz. jug of Tide is $25.50. A same-size jug of All Free and Clear (what we use - I loathe scented products) is $14.50. Most retail sellers have a larger difference. [Amazon.com](http://Amazon.com) has Tide original at $20 for 100 oz., $35 for 150 oz. - note total lack of quantity discount there. All F&C 225 oz is $20.50, or less than half the price. So you can shrug and say it’s only 4-1/2 cents an ounce more, or you can recognize you’re probably falling for a very old “premium product” shuck and keep your $10. (ETA: and not walk around smelling like an Airwick factory. Yuck.) ---
**Author:** ![control-z](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/eada6e/32.png) [@control-z](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/control-z)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2016, 3:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-poll-about-tide-laundry-detergent/761091/23 "2016-07-28T15:24:15Z")
I am pretty indifferent to detergent, I buy whatever is on sale and seems decent. That is often Tide, but I haven’t noticed any change in the smell. ---
**Author:** ![Amateur\_Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/59ef9b/32.png) [@Amateur\_Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amateur_Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2016, 3:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-poll-about-tide-laundry-detergent/761091/24 "2016-07-28T15:25:26Z")
> [@control-z](#): > > I am pretty indifferent to detergent, I buy whatever is on sale and seems decent. That is often Tide, but I haven’t noticed any change in the smell. You’ve never noticed that Tide is significantly more expensive than even other “decent” products? ---
**Author:** ![Drunky\_Smurf](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drunky_smurf/32/449_2.png) [@Drunky\_Smurf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Drunky_Smurf)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2016, 3:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-poll-about-tide-laundry-detergent/761091/25 "2016-07-28T15:53:40Z")
> [@Amateur\_Barbarian](#): > > The stench of Tide is the very odor of consumer manipulation. No it isn’t. ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2016, 3:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-poll-about-tide-laundry-detergent/761091/26 "2016-07-28T15:55:58Z")
> [@Amateur\_Barbarian](#): > > At Sam’s Club, a 225 oz. jug of Tide is $25.50. A same-size jug of All Free and Clear (what we use - I loathe scented products) is $14.50. Most retail sellers have a larger difference. > > [Amazon.com](http://Amazon.com) has Tide original at $20 for 100 oz., $35 for 150 oz. - note total lack of quantity discount there. All F&C 225 oz is $20.50, or less than half the price. > > So you can shrug and say it’s only 4-1/2 cents an ounce more, or you can recognize you’re probably falling for a very old “premium product” shuck and keep your $10. (ETA: and not walk around smelling like an Airwick factory. Yuck.) As much as I love Amazon, it’s a terrible place to buy the type of stuff you’d get at the grocery store or Target. Target has 150oz Tide (HE) for $17.99 and 100oz for 11.99. No discount, but considerably cheaper than Amazon, though I didn’t check your prices for myself and I don’t know if you looked at Amazon Pantry. I don’t know what F&C is, so I can’t check those prices, but everything is listed on Target’s website. Just looking at some of the others, the cheapest I could find was Purex at $6.99 and Gain, in the middle for $14.99, all 150oz bottles. Often times I’ll stare at the selection at Target, do the math on my phone, and ultimately think “This (the big) bottle is going to last me at least a year, does it really matter if I get the one that cost $10 or the one that costs $18?” and for the and extra $8 over a year+, I’ll get Tide, I like it. ---
**Author:** ![SpoilerVirgin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/4491bb/32.png) [@SpoilerVirgin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SpoilerVirgin)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2016, 4:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-poll-about-tide-laundry-detergent/761091/27 "2016-07-28T16:31:34Z")
I use unscented Tide. Years ago I did have a bottle stolen from the laundry room (I think I was using the scented version at the time) so now as soon as I get a new bottle I write my name and apartment number on it very prominently in Sharpie. I was also once the victim of a Tide-reselling scammer. She came to me with a sob story about living in a shelter and needing basic supplies, and then had me buy her a big bottle of Tide. Afterward I realized that she just wanted it to resell. It was a good lesson for me. I watch a lot of Intervention, and shoplifting, with intention to return or resell is one of the most common ways that addicts get money to buy their drug of choice. ---
**Author:** ![levdrakon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/49beb7/32.png) [@levdrakon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/levdrakon)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2016, 4:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-poll-about-tide-laundry-detergent/761091/28 "2016-07-28T16:53:18Z")
I used to use Tide because I liked the regular scent, was brand loyal, and had also read a consumer reports article that rated it highly. But then, it just got more and more expensive and I just couldn’t bring myself to pay three times the price. It’s just not that good and they advertise the hell out of it and I just don’t feel like paying for the advertising. So, haven’t used it in years and can’t vote on the scent poll. I didn’t know it had become a black market commodity though; that’s interesting. ---
**Author:** ![erysichthon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/d07c76/32.png) [@erysichthon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/erysichthon)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2016, 4:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-poll-about-tide-laundry-detergent/761091/29 "2016-07-28T16:59:49Z")
I’ve always found the Tide smell to be overwhelming and unpleasant, and I know I’m not the only one. The reports of Tide-induced rashes don’t surprise me at all. A massage therapist I used to see had a rule that clients weren’t allowed to show up for their appointments wearing clothes washed in Tide. > [@Doctor\_Jackson](#): > > The reason the media didn’t mention that “fact” is because smell had nothing to do with Tide becoming a de facto street currency - unless you mean the smell of money. The real reasons behind the rash of Tide liquid laundry detergent thefts are outlined in the linked article. > > 1. Tide is the most expensive liquid laundry detergent (more on that below) > 2. Tide is by far the most popular liquid laundry detergent > 3. Tide liquid laundry detergent has a very low profit margin when bought through normal channels > 4. Shoplifting carries much lighter criminal penalties than breaking and entering or mugging > 5. Stolen laundry detergent is virtually untraceable I’ve heard the same thing about those Gillette five-blade razor cartridges (which I don’t use). I’m told that if you buy them through eBay, you are almost certainly buying shoplifted goods. ---
**Author:** ![teela\_brown](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/d9b06d/32.png) [@teela\_brown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/teela_brown)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2016, 5:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-poll-about-tide-laundry-detergent/761091/30 "2016-07-28T17:24:39Z")
> [@erysichthon](#): > > I’ve always found the Tide smell to be overwhelming and unpleasant, and I know I’m not the only one. The reports of Tide-induced rashes don’t surprise me at all. . . . Me, too. ISTM that Tide had a mild pleasant smell many years ago, but now they’ve changed it and ramped it up. Phew! At our house, we use an unscented generic, and if I want the laundry to have a faint clean smell, I tip in a little Woolite. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2016, 5:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-poll-about-tide-laundry-detergent/761091/31 "2016-07-28T17:31:35Z")
Have you noticed that Tide detergent (as well as other P&G brands) isn’t sold in metric sizes or in Imperial sizes (pints, quarts, gallons) but instead is sold in decimal ounce sizes. So the bottles are 75oz, 100oz, 150oz and so forth. It seems a weird half-step on the way to the metric system. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2016, 5:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-poll-about-tide-laundry-detergent/761091/32 "2016-07-28T17:49:47Z")
Maybe I don’t get my clothes very dirty or something, but I buy the cheapest stuff (often Purex) and my clothes are clean after being laundered, even though I throw everything together in one big load. ---
**Author:** ![Frank](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Frank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frank)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2016, 6:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-poll-about-tide-laundry-detergent/761091/33 "2016-07-28T18:25:41Z")
Tide is what they use to clean jet fuel off of a [racetrack](http://espn.go.com/blog/playbook/dollars/post/_/id/417/undefined). ---
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2016, 6:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-poll-about-tide-laundry-detergent/761091/34 "2016-07-28T18:29:10Z")
> [@Doctor\_Jackson](#): > > It’s expensive because it costs more to make and being the market leader means they don’t have to find ways lower the cost. Not exactly. It’s expensive because they’re the market leader, and because they’re pricing it as high as they can go, without dinging their sales unduly. This is actually a good thing from P&G’s perspective, as higher prices are pretty consistently equated with higher quality in the general public’s minds. So it’s a win-win situation and a sort of virtuous circle. That said, they have to keep up with their competitors and stay in the top tier performance wise, or people will notice, and their market leader position might suffer. I wouldn’t be surprised at all to see a new Tide variant or reformulation come out with great hoopla, because of the introduction of Persil and their current perch on top of the CR rankings. Actual product cost doesn’t have a damn thing to do with any of this, other than they need to make sure that they price their product above cost so that they make a profit. Personally, on my clothing, I don’t notice much difference between the cheaper types and the top-tier detergents, but it does seem to make a marked difference on toddler/small kid clothes. ---
**Author:** ![levdrakon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/49beb7/32.png) [@levdrakon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/levdrakon)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2016, 6:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-poll-about-tide-laundry-detergent/761091/35 "2016-07-28T18:46:08Z")
> [@bump](#): > > That said, they have to keep up with their competitors and stay in the top tier performance wise, or people will notice, and their market leader position might suffer. I wouldn’t be surprised at all to see a new Tide variant or reformulation come out with great hoopla, because of the introduction of Persil and their current perch on top of the CR rankings. Persil? Interesting. When I lived in Germany there was a brand I liked even more than Tide, and I think that might be it, but can’t remember for sure. I’ll have to try it, if it isn’t as expensive as Tide. ---
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2016, 7:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-poll-about-tide-laundry-detergent/761091/36 "2016-07-28T19:04:29Z")
> [@levdrakon](#): > > Persil? Interesting. When I lived in Germany there was a brand I liked even more than Tide, and I think that might be it, but can’t remember for sure. I’ll have to try it, if it isn’t as expensive as Tide. Yep, [Persil Pro-Clean](http://www.persilproclean.com/us/en.cky.html). It’s a German brand manufactured by Henkel, who also makes Purex, and with a recent acquisition, Sun, All, Sunlight and Wisk. It’s comparable to Tide in price- has to be, or else people will perceive it as inferior. ---
**Author:** ![SaharaTea](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e9a140/32.png) [@SaharaTea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SaharaTea)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2016, 8:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-poll-about-tide-laundry-detergent/761091/37 "2016-07-28T20:05:31Z")
I like the Tide [Cold Water formula](http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/news/2014/10/doing-laundry-in-cold-water-will-save-you-loads/index.htm) because I wash a lot of things in cold water. But I’d certainly switch if I found a less expensive brand. ---
**Author:** ![somepumpkin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/7feea3/32.png) [@somepumpkin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/somepumpkin)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2016, 8:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-poll-about-tide-laundry-detergent/761091/38 "2016-07-28T20:28:49Z")
> [@Amateur\_Barbarian](#): > > There are many good unscented detergents much cheaper than paying for the Tide name, which is largely built on its (original) FUCK ME THESE CLOTHES ARE CLEAN CLEAN CLEAN stench. Buying unscented Tide is sort of like buying unflavored Coke. Ha! I’m an unscented Tide user and your post cracked me up. I’ve no apology to make for my choice of detergents, i was just tickled by your unflavored Coke comment. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2016, 8:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-poll-about-tide-laundry-detergent/761091/39 "2016-07-28T20:54:09Z")
> [@somepumpkin](#): > > Ha! I’m an unscented Tide user and your post cracked me up. I’ve no apology to make for my choice of detergents, i was just tickled by your unflavored Coke comment. 🙂 Unflavored Coke was still preferred by two out of three vs. unflavored Pepsi. ---
**Author:** ![control-z](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/eada6e/32.png) [@control-z](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/control-z)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2016, 9:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-poll-about-tide-laundry-detergent/761091/40 "2016-07-28T21:13:48Z")
> [@Amateur\_Barbarian](#): > > You’ve never noticed that Tide is significantly more expensive than even other “decent” products? Not at Sams Club in bulk quantities. Of course their brand selection is limited. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-poll-about-tide-laundry-detergent/761091.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-poll-about-tide-laundry-detergent/761091.md?page=3)