I've posted on this before. I just don't understand it. I do use 7th Generation F&C liquid for some items, but I do much prefer powder for others, and a box of powder lasts a long time. I've been buying the Biokleen Free & Clear powder, I get it off A**n. I used to use 7th Generation F&C powder but I can't find it anymore. Stores used a wide selection of powders but last time I looked I don't recall seeing *any* powders at all at the giant chain grocer I shop at. I've seen more and and more pods showing up on the shelves.

Exactly right. Laundry detergent powders are going extinct, and plastic is taking over the world.

I use powdered detergents myself, with athlete young adults living here. I add STPP (powder) and Biz too sometimes. For whites it's Tide with Bleach, and I like Gain powder because I like scent . I have tried liquid, but it's so messy with the bottles dripping. I really believe I have all the secrets. I get stains out my boys' friends clothes sometimes. I've had a mom call to ask me what I'm doing differently .

But I think it's the powders. And you're right, the aisles are taken over by the liquids, leading me to worry the powders will go away one day soon. Ugh.

I will only use powders, and increasingly in my area of Texas there are few options. I keep switching between Gain and Tide. I can't seem to get results that satisfy me. I do not ever remember having as many problems with dosing and the smell and general good laundering as what I have had this century. I had been routinely adding 20 Mule Team or Arm & Hammer boosters, but I have temporarily stopped that to determine if they are robbing my laundry (particularly bath linens) of that smell of freshly washed laundry. The prices here for all of these products are ridiculous.

Yes, I've read a lot in these forums, and I am no expert. Here, I have hard water, so the STPP helps suds up the soap (I guess).

For whites, Biz can't be beat for an additive. In my non-expert opinion. Maybe try some of it.

I think it is the pods that are taking over. And all I hear about is how those little bits of plastic actually get stuck in your pipes.

Powder user here. The liquid detergents made my washer smell like old wet socks.

Well, we all lost our relied upon Tide Free Gentle powder last year. That was a hard one to take. In its place, I now order Biokleen Free and Clear powder on Vitacostdotcom. We have lost so many powder detergents over the years. It's been a long time coming, as many of us have noticed.

I have limited storage space, but I keep a few boxes of powder detergent in places other items had to get the boot from.

I can only suggest to keep a few back-up boxes on hand for the time when we can no longer get it. I will on rare occassion see a box or two of Tide or Gain powder on the bottom shelf in the grocery store, among an overabundance of liquid laundry detergents . Maybe it's like this all over, but the price asked these days is shocking. I find A-zon has a better price so I tend to replenish our supply from there.

I do use both powder and liquid detergent, but powder detergent gets laundry clean to a different standard, ime. Always use powder for towels. Bath, kitchen, cleaning rags all get powder detergent and Borax; always fresh and clean.

There is still Ariel powder. Comes in plastic bags. I decant into plastic bins with lids to keep fresh and wrangled. I use a dedicated measure cup to dispense. I find the scent very strong, but the Downey scent is less intense. With my laundry machines, the leftover scent is slight if at all, after wash/dry. I use this often for towels in case anyone is having trouble finding powder detergent. I saw Ariel powder for the first time ever at Safeway in my town recently.

Sea Sea, I haven't tried Ariel at all. Do you use it for whites and colors both? I wonder if my local Walmart has that....

I use powder detergent exclusively. I buy the big boxes of Tide Original or Tide with Oxy from Costco. Does anyone know if there are expirations on the powder? Does it go bad over time? I have room to store several boxes but I did not want to buy too many for fear they go bad and lose their cleaning ability.

Powders are more stable than liquids. They're deteriorated mostly by ambient moisture. Long-term storage calls for a low-humidity environment, or, ideally, transfer to sealed plastic or glass containers.

Hi Mrs. S,

I use powder Ariel (U.S. version) on whites. Usually I add a little Oxyclean to the soak cycle, along with detergent. When finished soaking, I do drain and spin that soiled wash water out as we don't want the muck remaining for a main wash cycle.

Ariel contains a good amount of oxygen bleach, but I like to utilize a soak cycle with a little extra Oxyclean (powdered Biz works too, but I find it hard to obtain) to have white fabrics and linens get their stains and dinginess leached out.

If I have a load of colorfast color laundry, I can still use powder Ariel, but on questionable darks or color loads, I don't use Ariel as it can fade those type of dyes.

PS I have bought powder Ariel at Wal Mart in the past.

Seriously, does the liquid actually degrade? Yes, if the humidity is high, the powders will clump, but you just bust up the clumps and it works fine.

"But the powders are going away!"

• Tide's US webpage lists six Tide powder detergents.
• Amazon has 494 powder laundry detergents (30 Tide; of course there are duplicates)
• Walmart has 194 (26 Tide; including duplicates)

I've been using the Arm & Hammer powder with oxi. The powder is finer and it dissolves quick. Walmart and Dollar General sell it. Powders last longer so you can stock up. Just move into a bucket. I hate liquids.

It's a fews days since my above ^^^ post mentioning Ariel powder (US version)...

I didn't include the usual front load washer disclaimer, which should be standard as this detergent does suds up a lot. I use a full fill top loading washing machine which can handle the suds this detergent makes. My drainpipe does struggle with the suds, but that is only because my Speed Queen washer has a super forceful pump that blows a lot of air into the drainpipe. Most other top load washers and drainpipes can handle these suds.

Came back to let front load owners beware.

I have been buying Biokleen laundry detergent powder for years, went to order some today, found it has been DISCONTINUED. ARGH!!!! now all they have are liquids and laundry "sheets" (that dissolve). Evidently Biokleen was bought out a few years ago by some giant corporation, not sure how much that factors in. I don't like liquids - don't want all of that plastic, plus we have a front loader and it seems to coat the insides with slime. and I don't like added fragrance. Biokleen has fragrance-free sheets. I am trying to decide whether to give them a try. Has anyone had any luck with sheets? what about Azure Clean powder? I found the latter mentioned as an alternative powder on a Green Mountain Diaper site. I checked it out, looks pretty good except it seems to require more product per load.

BTW, I think Seventh Generation was also bought out by a big corporation a few years ago. Sigh.

Wait, what? Biokleen powder is DC'd?!?!? *&$^@*!!!#

Why is this happening? With the young generation up in arms about protecting the environment (and they should be...), major major major concerns over microplastics on both humans and non-humans, and water shortages in many parts of the world, why on Earth would powder detergents be on the chopping block?

When I read about the little plastic bits from pods making their way into our waterways, I immediately stopped using them in our dishwasher and switched to powder. In this area, only Cascade powder seems to be stocked among the major brands, so I switched to that. Unfortunately, where our loads always came out pristine, now there is always something that needs to be attended to. My next step is to check on-line for Finish powder if it is offered as that was the brand pods I used and got superior results using. Have never used pods for laundry, but my folks use them and I have had to use them at their house, and I can see the dosing issues. Either not enough or too much. I stated earlier about all the issues with products now that just did not seem to exist 30 years ago.

re dishwashing detergent powder - I have been using Ecover powder for years (powder in a cardboard box, order online) and am happy with it. but: our water is neither hard or soft.

re the laundry powder - the only thing I can think of is: I have seen several articles recommending using cold water for laundry, saying it is just as good as warm/hot water with the newer detergents. I think the intent is to save energy. powders sometimes do not dissolve completely in cold water. Maybe that's it.
My SIL says she uses cold water for all of her laundry, but I'm not completely convinced, so the powder not dissolving isn't an issue for me. (I save energy other ways!!)

The cold-water laundry recommendation infests the washer with residue from soils that stick to parts of the machine ... exterior of the inner drum, interior of the outer tub ... which are inacessible to direct scrubbing unless the machine is dissassembled. The build-up of smutz and the stink that can result is the source of all those extra scent booster products now on the market. The problem is much more related to the cold water than to the choice of liquid or powder detergent.

Just wanted to say that Finish powder was discontinued a year or so ago. They still have gel, but that is not a substitute. Only Cascade is available in my grocery store & it is usually sold out. I hate the plastic from pods, but they do a great job. My Pyrex measuring cup has started clouding & getting rough on the inside bottom since I've been using powder again. This happened years ago, but I don't remember what detergent I was using at the time.

Oh no, after seeing this thread I looked this up on line. I've been using Tide Free and Gentle for years. Any recommendations for what powder to replace it with?

I recently found some powdered Tide on for half price (only for one size, strangely) so I bought 2 to stock up for the future. Eventually I'll have to decide for a replacement, but I can put that off for a while (like I've stocked up on Kleenex Ultra, which is now off the market in Canada).

I use Costco pods in my dishwasher, and add a rinse agent separately.

Like I said above, I use the Arm & Hammer powder detergent with oxi. It's finer so it dissolves better and it doesn't leave an offensive perfumed scent on clothes. I once bought a bag of the powdered Ariel detergent and the scent was so overwhelming, I had to give it away.

Any Costco (Kirkland) powder recommendations?

@Rachel I have never seen Kirkland brand powder detergent. I have only seen pods and liquid.

I have seen big 25-ish pound buckets of powdered laundry detergent, but I've not tried it myself.

We’re stopping pods after we run out of this last batch, because of the micro plastics issue (especially in dishwashers, where they can get into your silverware, etc., and you can ingest them). We have a front loader washing machine. Any recs for powder detergent? And has anyone tried those detergent sheets?

Recent studies show that plastic microbes are showing up in blood clots and testicle tissue in men and in animals. Urological studies have been presented and it is a troubling development. I was contemplating using the rest of the container of pods for our dishwasher, but after reading about this and remembering the bottled water I opened last week and it tasted of plastic, I have decided I just can't do that. As Cadyren wrote above, the results I am now getting using powdered Cascade is inferior to the Finish pods, but for me it comes at a cost that is too great.

I am loving Grab Green Stoneworks powder so very much, with warm or hot water, but am afraid to take the time to figure the cost per load because I think it'll knock my socks off.

God, I love this stuff!

Hi Pat! Glad to see you.

Well darn. I guess we might have to warm up to the idea of buying up Nellie's powder detergent and using that with oxiclean. I know there's an army of Nellie's lovers out there, but I'm not one of them. Colors faded, whites got super dingy and stains never cleared. I just checked my usual source for my now go-to fragrance-free powder laundry detergent; Biokleen Free Clear powder detergent. Marked as temporary out of stock. Sigh grumble.

I used Nellie's for a long time with my crummy old FL washers to not great results, but better than liquid, in those machines...it's not a thought I relish having to go back to. Maybe it would work better for us now that we have a better washing machine, with the caveat of having to use a much larger dose too...$$$

Pat, I'll have to look into your Grab Green Stoneworks powder. One of my adult kids loves her lavender GG pods, but in my SQ TL, it's a budget denter having to use so much. You are probably better off not doing the math so you can keep your socks on.

My personal opinion, it seems to me that shipping (heavy) liquid laundry detergent around the country or globe uses more energy than a little warm or hot water for laundry does....Silliness.

@elbits, what A&H powder are you using? I think their oxi version has several flavors.

Is the scent completely gone on finished laundry?

Just want to add here that when I use the Grab Green PODS, I tear the plastic off the pod before tossing it in the hot water in my good old full-fill top loader. Comes off easily.

Hi, Sea Sea. I miss you. I am back.

P.S. Grab Green's fragrance-free pod is called "Rain."

Hi Pat-that is interesting. I wish I could do that for the DW; I am wondering what would happen if I were to snip a hole and pour the contents into the main wash dispenser. But then, I am left with a plastic sack to put into the trash. I was at Target and they have a generic box of Lemon DW powder for 4.99, but since I have not read anything about it I figured it is waste of money. Target also had Gain, Tide and A&H powder for the laundry, but only a few boxes of each on display.

Yes, I like the Arm&Hammer powder, but it has blown away from all the stores. I'd even get the scented variety if I was forced to. I don't want liquid, and I don't want pods, which as far as I can tell are just liquid. These other powders people are talking about, I've never ever seen them anywhere. I'm looking for a powder I can buy conveniently. Though as I said, online seems to be an option that works right now.

Pat -- do you notice fading with the Grab Green powder? This is my biggest issue with some powders - the fading. What else can you tell us about it, good or bad?

I looked at the website, and 100 loads for $22.65 isn't that bad; $16.99 if you subscribe.

Eco-Friendly 3 in 1 Laundry Detergent Powder | Grab Green Home

littlegreeny, I use the A&H powder with oxi and the scent is called, 'fresh scent'. It does not leave a strong offensive scent like some detergents. It also dissolves better because its more powdery like baking soda, instead of the granules of some detergents.

I have some of the A&H Oxi "Fresh Scent" powder and the scent bothers me. :-(

BUT: I am happy to report I found unscented powder laundry detergent at Whole Foods, in the store. Here is a link showing ingredients etc: https://www.amazon.com/365-Whole-Foods-Market-Detergent/dp/B07YD5BQ96 Image follows. I have only used it for a few loads, but it seems okay so far. I noticed it has a lot of enzymes listed in the ingredients, I hope it doesn't fade darks. I guess we'll see.

Thanks elbits! I’ll need to try it.

mxk3, no I did not notice any fading, but the cost is bothering me a lot. I have a full-fill top loader and need too much. Thinking.

Pat - are you referring to the powder or the pods? I don't think the price of the powder is that bad.