Tide Coldwater: Product Review

You may recall that one of my New Year's resolution was to go completely natural in my household cleansers.  I've made strides in a lot of areas of my house, but one spot that has been difficult for me to go 'green' with is with my laundry.

I have kids, a husband, a dog and a cat (and a fish, but he doesn't talk much so we forget about him a lot - actually surprised he is still alive as I can't remember the last time we fed him...).  Oh yeah, did I mention that my kids are BOYS?!?  So yes, we do have a LOT of dirty DIRTY laundry in our house.


Don't believe me?

a week's worth of laundry in our house

I've been using Tide already, and I really enjoy it -- both the fragrance AND its performance.  And, even though I've already  been washing my clothes in cold water for the last few years, I am happy to see some detergents going on the market SPECIFICALLY for cold water washing.  Now, I wasn't exactly sure what the difference WAS for a cold water detergent vs a normal one...at first I thought maybe it was just a marketing ploy to get people like me who are already washing in cold water to buy it, or to entice those people curious about washing in cold water to buy it... But, it turns out that there are some differences, according to Tide: 

"How it Works

Like most Tide detergents, Tide Coldwater contains surfactants. Surfactant molecules have two parts. One is "water loving" and the other is "water hating." The water-loving (hydrophilic) part breaks the surface tension of water. The water-hating (hydrophobic) part is attracted to oil and grease in soils, loosening and removing them from fabrics.

Tide Coldwater is specially designed with an increased amount of surfactant chemistry (as compared to regular Tide) that allows it to penetrate easily into fabrics. Tide Coldwater is also specially formulated with an increased amount of polymer technology (as compared to regular Tide) to suspend dirt particles to help prevent them from redepositing on fabrics, helping keep both your colors bright and your whites white."

I was recently given the chance by P&G’s Future Friendly Program and Shespeaks to test the new Tide Coldwater detergent, and I wasn't disappointed.  In fact, I think the fragrance in this formula works better in the cold water than the 'normal' detergents do because my clothes and sheets and towels seem have more fragrance to them.  Speaking of fragrance, I LOVE the way Tide smells -- that is one reason that going green in my detergents is going to be hard.  I am drawn to aromas and scents a lot, and i don't like to compromise this...

 
Anyway, if you want more opinions on Tide beside mine, you can read here about what other people are saying.


I guess the bottom line question is, will I continue to buy it?  My answer is:  Maybe.  I am a deal seeking, coupon cutting mom.  Tide coupons are rarely above $0.25 -- even doubled that is only $.50.  I have, on occasion, found higher valued coupons and combined those with in store specials to get a great deal on Tide detergent.  And when those stars are all aligned, I will continue to buy Tide -- because, overall, it is my favorite detergent when all is said and done...

Side note:  I really REALLY wanted to do some before/after pictures with this sample test to really prove to you that it DOES work great in cold water to get things out like spaghetti sauce, juice, ketchup, chocolate, etc.  I seriously fed my kids all kinds of messy foods this week:  sloppy joes, tomato soup, etc and for whatever reason they seriously were the neatest eaters they have EVER been.  I'm not even kidding -- how is that even possible?  I'll try to post some pictures later if I can get them to make a mess on their clothes -- I'd better be careful about what I'm wishing for, LOL.

**disclaimer:  I received a free full sized product and gift card from SheSpeaks for this product review, however all thoughts and opinions are my own.  Thanks to SheSpeaks and P&G Future Friendly for this awesome opportunity**