Laundry pods offer some big advantages over liquid detergent, including pre-measured dosing, less mess, ease of use, and eco-friendly packaging.

For almost a century, liquid laundry detergent was the go-to product for keeping America’s clothes clean. But in recent years, a new type of laundry detergent has taken laundry rooms by storm: the pod.

Nearly 20% of US adults have made the switch to laundry pods—and for good reason. They’re easier to use, not to mention they’re less messy and can perform better than liquid detergent (more on that later).

Not sure if you’re a pod person? Keep reading to learn how liquid detergent stacks up to laundry pods when it comes to cleaning power, environmental impact, and ease of use. 

Laundry Pods vs. Liquid Detergent

Laundry pods and liquid detergent are both designed to clean clothes, fight stains, and leave your laundry smelling awesome. However, these two products operate in distinctly different ways once they enter your washing machine.

Laundry pods are compact, dissolvable pouches that contain a concentrated blend of detergent, stain removers, and fragrances. The liquid detergent is coated in a water-soluble film pouch, which dissolves as the pod comes into contact with liquid. For this reason, the pods need to be placed at the bottom of the wash drum to ensure the water dissolves and disperses the bio-enzymes properly.

On the other hand, liquid detergent comes straight into contact with your clothes in the washer since it doesn’t have a protective film. This leads to a lot of questions about when to put laundry detergent in the drum: Before you add the clothes, or after? Straight into the drum, or in the dispenser drawer (if you have one)? Regardless, there’s a chance that the detergent won’t disperse evenly.

5 Reasons Laundry Pods Are Better Than Liquid Detergent

If you’re on the fence about ditching liquid detergent for pods, here are five reasons to make the switch.

1. Concentrated Formula

If you look at a laundry pod, you’ll notice it contains far less liquid than you might otherwise pour into your washer—and that’s by design.

Laundry pods are more concentrated than standard liquid detergent, which is often diluted. This gives you more active ingredients per load in a smaller package without sacrificing cleaning power.

For example, Laundry Sauce Pods are 4x more concentrated than traditional liquid laundry detergents. This means you need less product to get the same cleaning power as a liquid or powder laundry detergent.

2. Pre-Measured Doses

The beauty of laundry pods lies in their precise dosing. Each pod contains a pre-measured amount of detergent, eliminating the guesswork that can lead to over-pouring or under-dosing with liquid detergent. After all, who wants to do math problems on laundry day?

This consistency ensures that your clothes receive the right amount of cleaning agents, leading to thorough and consistent results.

3. Less Mess

Every time you open the cap on your liquid detergent, you run the risk of creating a goopy, neon-colored mess in your laundry room. But with pods, you just toss them straight into your washer—no pouring, no measuring, no sticky spills.

4. Eco-Friendly Packaging

Most liquid laundry detergent comes in big plastic jugs, which creates waste for the environment. But Laundry Sauce Pods come in a 40% post consumer recycled cardboard paper box to keep the planet as clean as your clothes.

5. Easier Transportation

If you go to a laundromat or use a shared laundry facility in a dorm or apartment building, laundry pods are a game changer. Taking a couple of compact pods instead of a heavy box or clunky bottle of detergent is way easier when you're already lugging pounds of dirty clothes.

You can even pack them for a road trip in case you need to throw in a load of laundry away from home!

As you can see, laundry pods are superior to liquid in most aspects. But one drawback to keep in mind is that you can’t pretreat stains with pods. Since they're designed to simply be tossed into your washer, you'll need a different product for pre-treating—the same goes if you do any handwashing for delicates like cashmere and silk.

Can You Use Laundry Pods In Cold Water?

A common misconception is that laundry pods aren’t compatible with cold water, but that’s not the case. Laundry pods will fully dissolve in any water temperature, including cold water. Just make sure you place your pod directly into the bottom of your top load washer's drum, otherwise it might not break down as effectively.

Using cold water in your wash cycle is significantly better for the environment (and your energy bill) because it uses less energy. 

Can You Use Laundry Pods in High-Efficiency Machines?

Laundry detergent pods are compatible with all types of washing machines, including High-Efficiency (HE) washing machines. We designed Laundry Sauce Pods to be low-suds, so they can get the job done even if your machine uses less water.

Experience the World’s Best Smelling Laundry Pods

Are you bored with laundry that smells like…laundry? Yeah, we were too. That’s why we teamed up with world-class perfumers to infuse our laundry pods with sexy scents like Australian Sandalwood, Egyptian Rose, Indonesian Patchouli, and Siberian Pine.

Laundry Sauce Pods don’t just fight tough stains and eliminate odors, they leave your clothes smelling straight-up irresistible—without unnecessary ingredients like parabens, phthalates, and dyes.

Ready to start saucing? Pick your pods and prepare for endless compliments about how sexy you smell.