My dear cousin Melissa requested that I try and review the new Tide Stain Release, so while at the store this morning I picked up a bottle. I decided to go with the liquid as opposed to the drop in "Duo Pacs" because I wanted to have the option of using it directly on clothes as a pre-treater as well. It also comes in a powder, but my Kroger did not carry the powder version. The regular price is $5.88 for a 32 oz bottle or 10 ct "duo pac" bag. I did get it for $3.63 after a store sale, .75 paper coupon, and a .50 electronic coupon.
The liquid comes in a 32 oz bottle this an interesting shaped lid that (like many laundry products), you use as the measuring cup. First off, it has kind of a small opening and it wouldn't be really conducive to kids using it (esp boys, if they are like mine) or you would waste a lot due to spilling. Also, the amount needed is deceivingly a large amount. I actually poured it into a measuring cup, and it was right at 4 oz. Now the bottle is only 32 oz, so basically you get 9 loads out of it if you don't use any as pre-treater (or you don't spill any). It seems REALLY expensive for 9 loads of laundry, especially since we go through that many loads in just a few days at our house. Not that I would use it in every load, but still, it's a bit pricey. I was hoping that it would be the laundry miracle product, in which case, worth the expense.
I brought it home and started the laundry. I washed kids clothes and also James' Tae Kwon Do uniform (because it gets kind of nasty, and I usually use color safe bleach or Oxy Clean to wash it). I also pretreated a stain on a shirt, but for the rest of the clothes I just added it to the wash. It kind of foamed up like a few other pre-treaters that I have used. It also has a pleasant, but not overwhelming scent. The key things I was looking for were improvement in 1) the stain on the shirt, 2) James' uniform, and 3) the bottoms of the boys' socks. I am disappointed to say that I couldn't see much of a difference at all in any of them. I get FAR superior results from color-safe bleach or Oxy Clean. So, my final conclusion would be that even if it wasn't as expensive as it is, I still wouln't repurchase this.
OK...I am not typically a big fan of Purex (and I'm a pretty die hard All Small & Mighty user), but when these hit the market a month or so ago, I thought I'd give them a try. I had a really high $ coupon (a lot of "new" products do when they first come out), so it was only a few dollars when combined with a sale at Kroger. There are 20 sheets in a package, so you don't get as many loads as you do with All S&M IF you use the All as directed, however, when my kids do the laundry they tend to put more detergent in than needed. These are GREAT for kids doing laundry! All you do is drop one sheet in the wash, and then transfer it with the load to the dryer. It seems to wash clothes well, and the scent lingers for several days on the washed clothes. I've used other scent Spring Oasis, but prefer the Tropical Escape Scent. These are definitely a keeper.
