# Liquid detergent vs. powdered detergent
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/liquid-detergent-vs-powdered-detergent/811094
**Category:** Factual Questions
**Created:** [March 23, 2018, 10:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/liquid-detergent-vs-powdered-detergent/811094 "2018-03-23T22:14:59Z")
**Posts on this page:** 11
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@Ornery\_Bob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ornery_Bob)
#### Post date: [March 23, 2018, 10:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/liquid-detergent-vs-powdered-detergent/811094/1 "2018-03-23T22:14:59Z")
The maker of my “breathable” fishing waders recommends washing as needed, but to use a powdered laundry detergent and not a liquid.
There must be something in liquid detergent that’s not good for the ePTFE layer that makes these things work, so I’m wondering what it is and why powdered detergent doesn’t have it.
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### Author:  [@GaryM](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GaryM)
#### Post date: [March 23, 2018, 11:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/liquid-detergent-vs-powdered-detergent/811094/2 "2018-03-23T23:46:11Z")
Years back Gortex recommended Ivory Snow for washing their garments. Ivory Snow was/is soap rather than Detergent.
There are many Gortex specific washing products available at shops where the products are sold.
GaryM
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### Author:  [@DavidwithanR](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DavidwithanR)
#### Post date: [March 24, 2018, 12:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/liquid-detergent-vs-powdered-detergent/811094/3 "2018-03-24T00:28:08Z")
I thought it was liquid yes, powder no. Now I’ll check again.
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### Author:  [@DavidwithanR](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DavidwithanR)
#### Post date: [March 24, 2018, 12:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/liquid-detergent-vs-powdered-detergent/811094/4 "2018-03-24T00:30:49Z")
Yes, I have a breathable jacket that says liquid detergent is OK but not the powder. I assumed that powder must sometimes leave a residue that liquid doesn’t. Now I’m confused.
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### Author:  [@CookingWithGas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CookingWithGas)
#### Post date: [March 24, 2018, 12:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/liquid-detergent-vs-powdered-detergent/811094/5 "2018-03-24T00:46:00Z")
[Gore-Tex](https://www.gore-tex.com/support/care/washing-instructions) says liquid, not powder.
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### Author:  [@Bijou\_Drains](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bijou_Drains)
#### Post date: [March 24, 2018, 1:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/liquid-detergent-vs-powdered-detergent/811094/6 "2018-03-24T01:15:19Z")
nikwax is popular for cleaning gore tex and similar fabrics
[Welcome to Nikwax | Outdoor Innovation](http://www.nikwax-usa.com/en-us/)
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### Author:  [@Ornery\_Bob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ornery_Bob)
#### Post date: [March 24, 2018, 4:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/liquid-detergent-vs-powdered-detergent/811094/7 "2018-03-24T16:49:52Z")
Sorry guys, but my facts are straight, exactly as presented. I’m also not looking for product recommendations. I’d like to know more about the chemistry involved.
From the manufacturer’s website - [Simms Waders](https://repair.simmsfishing.com/za/SIM?PAGE=ABOUT_REPAIRS) “Waders should be washed by hand, in a bathtub, in cold water using a powder detergent.”
So, any help with the science?
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### Author:  [@dougrb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dougrb)
#### Post date: [March 24, 2018, 6:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/liquid-detergent-vs-powdered-detergent/811094/8 "2018-03-24T18:22:17Z")
Ask them [https://www.simmsfishing.com/contacts](https://www.simmsfishing.com/contacts)
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### Author:  [@ZurBob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZurBob)
#### Post date: [March 24, 2018, 11:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/liquid-detergent-vs-powdered-detergent/811094/9 "2018-03-24T23:19:51Z")
Perhaps something to do with the surfactant (anionic, nonionic, cationic) in the detergent that may differ in powdered vs liquid. Some treated fabric tends to not respond well when washed with detergent containing cationic surfactants.
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### Author:  [@Melbourne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Melbourne)
#### Post date: [March 25, 2018, 3:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/liquid-detergent-vs-powdered-detergent/811094/10 "2018-03-25T03:43:03Z")
> [@dougrb](#):
>
> Ask them [https://www.simmsfishing.com/contacts](https://www.simmsfishing.com/contacts)
I’ll be interested too. Perhaps they mean “wash with a laundry detergent”, not a “dishwasher, hand or floor detergent”.
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### Author:  [@Nametag](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nametag)
#### Post date: [March 25, 2018, 6:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/liquid-detergent-vs-powdered-detergent/811094/11 "2018-03-25T18:29:26Z")
Liquid detergents contain nothing but water-soluble, water-stable ingredients\*, and are therefore more surfactant than anything else. Powdered detergents do not have this limitation, and therefore contain builders, bleaches, and other ingredients to deal with water hardness and different types of dirt. As a result, or so says the conventional wisdom, while liquids excel at removing oil and grease, powdered detergents are the best at dealing with ground-in dirt, mud, and clay – which I’m guessing are more common on waders than oil or grease. In point of fact I see no particular ingredients that should make this true, but the detergent manufacturers and ardent laundry fans appear to agree on this.
\*I should say “Liquid detergents ought to contain nothing but water-soluble, water-stable ingredients,” as many liquid laundry detergents are loaded with crap that barely remains in suspension, doesn’t dissolve in water, and leaves a nasty film on clothes, pipes, and the inside of your washer.