Laundry Add-Ins

The easiest way to give your laundry a boost? Find the right product for the job. Here's what you need to know about detergent, stain removers, dryer sheets, and bleach.

Laundry Detergent

Pay attention to ingredients: Surfactants, for example, help to remove soil from fabric, while enzymes work hard on stains. Always follow the clothing label instructions for water temperature and pre-treatment. In general, laundry detergent works in all water temperatures, but some detergents, like Tide Coldwater Clean, are specially formulated for cold water to provide brilliant color protection.

Liquid

• What it is: liquid detergent that must also be pre-measured before use
• Great for: grease and oil
• Tip: Pre-measured the perfect amount of detergent in the cap to avoid under or over use

Powdered

• What it is: detergent in powdered form that must be pre-measured before use, which cuts down on per-load expense
• Great for: ground-in dirt
• Tip: it's less effective in cold water and should always be added to the washer before beginning a load; use only what's recommended–otherwise you're in danger of residue

Laundry Pacs

• What it is: Pre-measured detergent in a convenient pac form, such as Tide PODs; trade price per load for convenience–just toss one in and go
• Great for: Quick and easy dosing with powerful cleaning results
• Tip: Consider using more than one pac for large loads

Combination

• What it is: a detergent plus another laundry product, such as fabric softener or bleach/bleach alternative
• Great for: complementing the cleaning power of detergent
• Tip: Make sure you actually need the secondary product, otherwise the detergent may be more expensive per load

Specialty

• What it is: fragrance and dye free detergent such as Tide Free & Gentle, or specialty detergent for newborns such as Dreft.
• Great for: those with detergent sensitivity and newborns

Note: Keep detergent out of reach of children and pets.