May the best detergent win
Written: Apr 17 '05 (Updated Apr 17 '05)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Will perform as advertised, small savings of energy and money in the long run.
Cons: Other detergents perform the same way in cold water.
The Bottom Line: The bottom line wants to give a prize to the marketing executive that came up with this great marketing gimmick.
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| germank106's Full Review: Tide Coldwater |
THE CHALLENGE
Can liquid Coldwater Tide keep up in cold water against such notables as liquid ERA and liquid ALL detergent?
Read on and find out when they battle it out in the (Drumroll please) ULTIMATE LAUNDRY CHALLENGE.
Now let's meet the contestants:
In the right corner - the reviewer, wearing the package of Coldwater Tide in her left hand.
In the left corner - her mother-in-law. She's smart and placed her Coldwater Tide on a worktable. That will give her both hands to sort laundry.
THE RULES
The dirty laundry from both contestants gets pooled and then divided. Each contestant will receive half a load of regularly soiled laundry and half a load of heavily stained laundry. The latter has been pre-stained with mud, grass, tree sap and axle grease.
Each contestant will then add the laundry to their washers, set it on the appropriate setting and set the Temperature selector to "cold". After the cycle is complete, the laundry is dried and we will see if Coldwater Tide has kept it's promise of saving money and energy by formulating a detergent especially for cold water.
The same process will then be repeated with the other half of the load and a regular detergent.
Ladies, start your Washers
The contestants have now started their washers and are eagerly awaiting the results. The reviewer commented on how pleasant and fresh Coldwater Tide smelled, while the mother-in-law was impressed by the consistency of the sample which is not too runny, but also not very thick. Both contestants were amazed that it only took a very small amount of detergent to wash one load of clothes.
Before washing the contestants had been made aware of the Warnings on the package: "Always test inside seam for colorfastness". However the reviewer was not certain how she could wash just the inside seam , without getting water or detergent on the rest of the garment.
Mother in law was confused by the statement on the package that laundry should be pre-treated with Coldwater Tide, then washed with the same detergent. Should she pre-treat every load of laundry, or just the extremely soiled ones? Let's ask the audience. I'm sorry I didn't hear that, spin cycle is in full swing.
This means the first cycle is almost done. Let's review the safety precautions one more time - Do not get in eyes, keep out of reach of children, If swallowed give a glassful of water and immediately contact a doctor.
Both contestants are aware that Coldwater Tide contains no phosphates, is safe for all septic systems and that ingredients contain biodegradable surfactants. Neither contestant is quite sure what a "surfactant" is, but let's hope is no impact on the outcome of this challenge.
AND THE WINNER IS...
I see the lids on the washers are going up> Let's talk to the reviewer first and find out how this detergent performed.
The work clothes: The tree sap stains are gone, so are the mud and grass stains. The axle grease stains are there, but very faint. The entire load smells very clean and fresh. Looks like Coldwater Tide is a winner here.
Now let's find out what Mother-in-law has to say. Her clothes too are clean except for a few minor stains. And she loves the fresh smell.
Now let's repeat this with the regular detergents. It's ERA for the reviewer and ALL for the mother-in-law. Let's break for some coffee, I will get back to you after the second round is complete.
Okay, we're back with the verdict. The reviewer used ERA detergent and the same cycle and temperature as in the Coldwater Tide test. And the stains are gone. Even the axle grease is much fainter than with the Coldwater Tide.
The mother-in-law had the same results with her ALL as with the Coldwater Tide. Amazing.
Let's bring in both contestants and find out what their ultimate verdict is.
The reviewer agrees that while Coldwater Tide is a good detergent for use with in cold water cycles, it is not any better than regular detergents. She states that there might be a very small savings of energy and money over the long run, but wonders if it is worth the extra cost of the detergent. She thinks it's a bit of a marketing gimmick and would buy it again only if the price was right. The mother-in-law agrees totally with this statement.
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
germank106
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Location: middle of nowhere, MO
Reviews written: 230
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About Me:
Always open to a challenge, or a good write-off.
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