Not unfounded: experts found out which powder is better - "Ariel", "Persil" or "Tide"

Looking at the window, where boxes and bags with detergents were arranged in orderly rows, any of us thought about which washing powder is better. At first glance, they are all the same, differing only in smell or purpose. But in fact, inside each package lurks a unique mixture of chemically active substances, which can not only restore the whiteness of the sheets and remove the trace of grass on your favorite shorts, but also harm your health.

So what to choose, and most importantly - what to be guided by when choosing a powder? We will conduct a study in which three of the most popular brands will take part - Ariel, Persil and Tide.

Security

This is the main criterion for evaluating all household chemicals. Despite the fact that washing powder is considered relatively safe, it is still able to cause asthma attacks, cause allergies and dermatitis. Moreover, any of its components can cause such a reaction, and it is almost impossible to predict it. People who are prone to these diseases should choose phosphate-free powders of organic origin with natural fragrances, or even without them. Unfortunately, none of the listed brands offers such products to customers.

For other consumers, both Ariel, Persil, and Tide will be sufficiently safe if the rules are observed. It is forbidden to inhale the powder (that is, do not smell the open packaging), use it to wash food, body and dishes. It is important to limit children's access to laundry detergents.

One way to determine how harmful a particular washing powder is is to measure the amount of anionic and nonionic surfactants that remain in the water after washing the clothes and rinsing three times. The results of the examinations carried out in 2015 by the Testing Laboratory Center of the Federal State Health Institution “Center for Hygiene and Epidemiology in Moscow” by order of the Roscontrol online publication turned out to be as follows:

• Ariel "Mountain Spring" became the worst among all tested samples, since anionic surfactants (the most dangerous for humans) in water contained 568 mg / l. Experts note that when using this powder, multiple rinses should be used.
• Persil expert can be called one of the best - the surfactant content in water was minimal.
• Tide "White Clouds" also not bad, its indicators correspond to average values.

By the way, on the packaging of all three samples there is a designation "suitable for washing children and adults." This should be emphasized, because according to the results of all the same examinations, powders at a rate of 70-120% received the following toxicity levels:

• Ariel — 33%;
• Persil — 48%;
• Tide — 52%.

The lower the percentage, the more toxic the detergent, and this time Ariel is again the worst. However, all three powders failed this test - despite the assurances of the manufacturers, it is not recommended to use them for washing children's things.

Efficiency

The effectiveness of washing powder is a somewhat ephemeral category, since it depends on many factors that are difficult to control in a domestic environment. So, for example, the temperature, hardness and volume of water, the duration of washing, the degree of contamination of things and the properties of the fabric from which these things are sewn, the amount of powder, and the mechanical effect of the washing machine are important. Therefore, if washed with powder at home, its effectiveness will differ each time - and this is not the fault of the manufacturer.

In laboratory conditions, tests are carried out using samples of standard contaminants produced in Switzerland and Germany, as well as washing machines equipped with special measuring equipment.

When testing the effectiveness of Ariel, Persil and Tide powders, the following results were obtained:

Deciphering the values ​​from the table:

“0” - the powder did not remove the pollution;

“-” - the result is not noticeable;

“+” - the result is unsatisfactory;

“++” - the pollution was removed well;

“+++” - there is no trace of pollution.

Foaming

This criterion is important for two reasons at once:

• The quality of the wash depends on the amount of foam, since its bubbles push tiny particles of dirt from the fabric to the surface.
• Excess foam adversely affects the performance of the washing machine. Moreover, if the foam seeps through the smallest slots and gets to where the electronic “filling” of the device is located, the machine can permanently fail.

More detergent is added to powders intended for machine washing, but, unfortunately, not all manufacturers carefully monitor the observance of the technological process. Here is what the examination showed:

• Ariel when used in the dosage recommended by the manufacturer, it gave so much foam that it came out through the hole for the powder container.
• Persil distinguished by average foaming indicators - there was a lot of foam, but its amount did not exceed the norm.
• Tide also foamed well, but the amount of foam remained within the bounds.

Thus, it turns out that among the three mentioned powders it is worth giving preference to Persil - it has good indicators by all criteria. Tide is also suitable for washing clothes without visible impurities, but Ariel loses a lot to competitors and can hardly be recommended for purchase.