How Does Washing Clothes With Vinegar or Baking Soda Compare to Detergent?
Let’s get straight to the point: How do these household products compare to a detergent like Tide PODS when it comes to getting clean, fresh-smelling, soft clothes? The "vinegar and baking soda"-type methods were invented at a time when neither the machines nor the detergents were as advanced as they are now to clean larger loads in more efficient washing machines.
Even though vinegar and baking soda can help to loosen body soils and pH-sensitive stains by lowering or increasing the wash water's pH level, to actually remove these stains you will need detergent action. Using vinegar or baking soda will only add to the time and cost of doing laundry; they cannot substitute for a high-quality laundry detergent. High-quality detergents like Tide are formulated with different kinds of ingredients optimized to clean a variety of stains such as food greases, which are not pH-sensitive, and eliminate odors while protecting clothes from damage in the wash.
Tide's newer, innovative laundry detergents are equipped with powerful cleaning ingredients including surfactants, enzymes, specially designed polymers, builders, and chelants. They not only remove week-old smells in one wash, but they also hold on to all soil and odor types in the wash water preventing them from redepositing onto other fabrics—creating a more effortless and efficient clean. In addition to offering outstanding cleaning performance even in a cold wash, washing with Tide PODS and liquid detergents is easier and quicker than any laundry hack you might come across.