# Tide Pods - why don't they spontaneously disintegrate? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [January 15, 2017, 4:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tide-pods-why-dont-they-spontaneously-disintegrate/777227 "2017-01-15T16:21:08Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 19\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Canadjun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/76d3ee/32.png) [@Canadjun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Canadjun)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2017, 4:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tide-pods-why-dont-they-spontaneously-disintegrate/777227/1 "2017-01-15T16:21:08Z")
I assume people know the product I am talking about, but just in case, see [Tide Pods](http://tide.com/en-us/shop/type/laundry-pods). I use Tide Pods for my laundry and they are quite convenient (no kids in the vicinity that might be at risk, so poisoning is not a concern). What I can not figure out is how they hold together before being tossed in the wash?? They definitely contain a thick liquid, not a powder. The instructions warn that they should be kept dry and they disintegrate fairly rapidly in the wash (I use front load washers so I can sometimes see them tossed around). Why doesn’t the liquid inside the pouches break them down before they are used? ---
**Author:** ![boffking](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/858c86/32.png) [@boffking](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/boffking)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2017, 4:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tide-pods-why-dont-they-spontaneously-disintegrate/777227/2 "2017-01-15T16:29:03Z")
WAG: The plastic dissolves in water, and the contents of the pod are not water-based. ---
**Author:** ![Canadjun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/76d3ee/32.png) [@Canadjun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Canadjun)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2017, 4:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tide-pods-why-dont-they-spontaneously-disintegrate/777227/3 "2017-01-15T16:34:13Z")
> [@boffking](#): > > WAG: The plastic dissolves in water, and the contents of the pod are not water-based. You’re probably right, but it then makes me wonder what the stuff is?! It has to be able to dissolve in water after the pod breaks apart and not leave marks on the clothes. ---
**Author:** ![donkeyoatey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e47c2d/32.png) [@donkeyoatey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/donkeyoatey)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2017, 4:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tide-pods-why-dont-they-spontaneously-disintegrate/777227/4 "2017-01-15T16:51:03Z")
The pods are a [polyvinyl alcohol film](https://www.yahoo.com/news/making-product-takes-lots-time-money-142418488.html). The product inside contains less water than pourable deterent. > [@](#): > > The film created another problem, though. Detergents, which mostly consist of water, would cause the pod to melt before it even gets into the wash. So P&G made a detergent that is 10 percent water — compared with Liquid Tide, which is 50 percent water. ---
**Author:** ![Canadjun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/76d3ee/32.png) [@Canadjun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Canadjun)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2017, 4:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tide-pods-why-dont-they-spontaneously-disintegrate/777227/5 "2017-01-15T16:59:01Z")
> [@donkeyoatey](#): > > The pods are a [polyvinyl alcohol film](https://www.yahoo.com/news/making-product-takes-lots-time-money-142418488.html). The product inside contains less water than pourable deterent. Cool! Thanks! I did attempt to google an answer to my question, but your google-fu is obviously better than my google-fu. ---
**Author:** ![Evan\_Drake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/b487fb/32.png) [@Evan\_Drake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Evan_Drake)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2017, 5:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tide-pods-why-dont-they-spontaneously-disintegrate/777227/6 "2017-01-15T17:01:41Z")
I assumed you were talking about **[Tetrapods](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tetrapod_(structure))**, invented in France, but popular in Japan ( along about 15,000 km of beautiful concrete coast ). ---
**Author:** ![Keeve](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/f07891/32.png) [@Keeve](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Keeve)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2017, 11:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tide-pods-why-dont-they-spontaneously-disintegrate/777227/7 "2017-01-15T23:42:12Z")
But even 10% is still genuine water. I imagine that the pods ARE dissolving albeit very slowly. If I am correct, then how long would that take? ---
**Author:** ![bob\_2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bob_2/32/3341_2.png) [@bob\_2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bob_2)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2017, 11:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tide-pods-why-dont-they-spontaneously-disintegrate/777227/8 "2017-01-15T23:50:29Z")
When I worked as a truck driver I used to do a collection from a firm that manufactured something similar. Naturally there were “KEEP DRY” sign on the cartons. A careless fork lift truck driver left 12 pallets of them out in the rain - large insurance claim and a new vacancy for a FLT driver. ---
**Author:** ![Canadjun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/76d3ee/32.png) [@Canadjun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Canadjun)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2017, 12:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tide-pods-why-dont-they-spontaneously-disintegrate/777227/9 "2017-01-16T00:41:22Z")
> [@Keeve](#): > > But even 10% is still genuine water. I imagine that the pods ARE dissolving albeit very slowly. If I am correct, then how long would that take? Takes me several months to get through a container of 72 of them, and I haven’t noticed any issues with the last few in a container. So, it has to be d–n slow ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2017, 1:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tide-pods-why-dont-they-spontaneously-disintegrate/777227/10 "2017-01-16T13:16:05Z")
Heat’s probably got something to do with it. Try dropping one in a pan of room-temp water and another in a pan of almost boiling water. Good bet one will fall apart in seconds, the other in minutes. ---
**Author:** ![lazybratsche](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ba8739/32.png) [@lazybratsche](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lazybratsche)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2017, 1:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tide-pods-why-dont-they-spontaneously-disintegrate/777227/11 "2017-01-16T13:33:24Z")
> [@Keeve](#): > > But even 10% is still genuine water. I imagine that the pods ARE dissolving albeit very slowly. If I am correct, then how long would that take? At concentrations as low as 10%, most of that water is going to be tightly bound to the detergent. After all, detergent molecules work by having a hydrophilic end to bind water, and a hydrophobic end to bind greasy things. At some sufficiently low concentration, the water in the detergent solution will reach a steady state where there will never be enough available to associate with and dissolve the PVA film. ---
**Author:** ![ftg](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ftg/32/2801_2.png) [@ftg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ftg)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2017, 1:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tide-pods-why-dont-they-spontaneously-disintegrate/777227/12 "2017-01-16T13:37:18Z")
> [@LSLGuy](#): > > Heat’s probably got something to do with it. Try dropping one in a pan of room-temp water and another in a pan of almost boiling water. Good bet one will fall apart in seconds, the other in minutes. A lot of people wash clothes in cold water which is usually well below room temp. And in many areas of the country the cold water temp in the winter is _quite_ chilly. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2017, 2:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tide-pods-why-dont-they-spontaneously-disintegrate/777227/13 "2017-01-16T14:11:37Z")
Good point. :smack: I use similar pod-based packaging for my dishwasher detergent but not for my laundry detergent. So I’d unconsciously substituted one for the other while thinking about the OP. Dishwashers wash using very hot water. Clothes washers not so much. Thanks. :smack: ---
**Author:** ![AlsoNamedBort](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alsonamedbort/32/3213_2.png) [@AlsoNamedBort](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AlsoNamedBort)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2017, 3:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tide-pods-why-dont-they-spontaneously-disintegrate/777227/14 "2017-01-16T15:43:07Z")
> [@ftg](#): > > A lot of people wash clothes in cold water which is usually well below room temp. And in many areas of the country the cold water temp in the winter is _quite_ chilly. I used one of those PODs (not Tide, a store brand) in cold water once. It didn’t dissolve fully, leaving a plastic residue on my clothes. Re-rinsing in warm water got rid of it. So temperature still has an effect. ---
**Author:** ![Keeve](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/f07891/32.png) [@Keeve](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Keeve)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2017, 4:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tide-pods-why-dont-they-spontaneously-disintegrate/777227/15 "2017-01-16T16:10:11Z")
> [@lazybratsche](#): > > At concentrations as low as 10%, most of that water is going to be tightly bound to the detergent. After all, detergent molecules work by having a hydrophilic end to bind water, and a hydrophobic end to bind greasy things. At some sufficiently low concentration, the water in the detergent solution will reach a steady state where there will never be enough available to associate with and dissolve the PVA film. Thank you. Chemistry was never my strong subject. I always forget that a solution is not merely a very heterogeneous suspension, but that there are interactions on the molecular level. ---
**Author:** ![Canadjun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/76d3ee/32.png) [@Canadjun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Canadjun)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2017, 5:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tide-pods-why-dont-they-spontaneously-disintegrate/777227/16 "2017-01-16T17:20:01Z")
> [@AlsoNamedBort](#): > > I used one of those PODs (not Tide, a store brand) in cold water once. It didn’t dissolve fully, leaving a plastic residue on my clothes. Re-rinsing in warm water got rid of it. So temperature still has an effect. NOT denying that it happened to you, but I am surprised. Maybe it relates to front-load vs top-load washers? (I use front-load) ---
**Author:** ![Patx2](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/73ab20/32.png) [@Patx2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Patx2)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2017, 6:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tide-pods-why-dont-they-spontaneously-disintegrate/777227/17 "2017-01-16T18:01:42Z")
Isn’t it the same as the pods (although I don’t think they call them pods) that are used in the dishwasher? I just looked and what I have now is a powder inside the plastic, but I’m sure I’ve bought dishwasher detergent pods with a liquid like substance inside of the plastic. ---
**Author:** ![Tom\_Tildrum](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e95f7d/32.png) [@Tom\_Tildrum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tom_Tildrum)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2017, 6:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tide-pods-why-dont-they-spontaneously-disintegrate/777227/18 "2017-01-16T18:20:18Z")
It probably goes without saying, but don’t test them by dissolving one on your tongue. They’re apparently quite deadly. ---
**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:** [January 16, 2017, 6:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tide-pods-why-dont-they-spontaneously-disintegrate/777227/19 "2017-01-16T18:24:54Z")
> [@Tom\_Tildrum](#): > > It probably goes without saying, but don’t test them by dissolving one on your tongue. They’re apparently quite deadly. And tangy.