You just arrived home from work. The day was long and tiresome, all you long for is to have a rest. You prepare a cup of tea before heading to the couch. Accidentally, your pet jumps on you spilling the tea on your uniform. You intended to recycle that uniform for your tomorrow’s shift.
Disgusted by the spill, you head to the laundry lobby to clean up the mess. On reaching there, you suddenly remember that you drained the last drop of the laundry detergent yesterday. You feel too tired to go outside to refill the detergent.
Suddenly you remember the huge stock of dishwasher pods and there is a smile on your face. You start wondering if you can use dishwasher pods for cleaning up the mess at hand. After all, you are just doing it once before refilling the laundry detergent tomorrow.
Even in this situation, do not pick up the dishwasher pod to clean up the mess. You should never use the dishwasher pod or the dish soap for that matter as a substitute for laundry detergent. Do not be too ignorant of reading the labels of each substance.
Every cleaning substance is made for specific purposes. For instance, dishwasher detergent contains harsh clothes’ unfriendly ingredients. Also, you should not use laundry detergent as a substitute for a dishwasher pod.
Table of Contents
Why Should You Never Use Dishwasher Pods for Laundry?
By looking at dishwasher pods and laundry detergent, they may look similar. You may also think that they are similar since they are both for cleaning purposes. However, the two contain different chemical ingredients for different purposes. One of the major ingredients of a dishwasher pod is foaming agents. This component can cause foam overflow.
Since they are designed to remove stains and dissolve fat and grease commonly found in foods, they lather up properly. You may merely think that the bubbles that fill your washing machine would clean your utensils but they don’t.
Should you use a washing machine, the extra foam produced by dishwashing detergents will be difficult to remove during the rinse cycle. Another factor to consider is the presence of ammonia and bleaching agents. Most dishwasher detergents contain bleaching agents that cause discoloration on fabrics should they come to contact. So by using a dishwasher pod to clean your clothes, you are giving them irreversible bleach damage.
Additionally, dishwashers use warm water to dissolve dishwasher pods and clean the dishes. So using dishwasher pods in laundry means that they will not fully dissolve because of the cold water. This will cause residual substances in the washing machine. Simply, save yourself the trouble of ruining both your washing machine and fabrics by avoiding dishwasher pods for laundry.
Can You Use Laundry Pods For Utensils?
Both laundry and dishwasher pods are meant for cleaning. However, they are meant for cleaning different types of dirt. Laundry detergents contain strong fragrance ingredients.
You don’t want to leave your dishes with such a fragrance. Laundry detergents do not contain chemicals that are suitable for removing oil and grease stains. To keep your health and that of your family safe, use dishwashing detergent to clean your dishes.
Differences Between Dishwasher Pods and Laundry Pods
Dishwasher pods and laundry ponds look similar outside their colorful containers. They are also cleaning agents and you might confuse the two. However, each detergent is made for a specific purpose. This makes it clear that they should not be used as substitutes.
Despite both being surfactants, they are made of different types of agents.
Most laundry detergents contain anionic surfactants that deal with dirt and stains. On the other hand, dishwashing detergents contain non-ionic surfactants. The non-ionic are meant for removing oil, lipids, and fat deposits found in foods. Dishwashing pods are designed to withstand high temperatures and will function perfectly.
Unlike dishwashing pods, laundry ponds can only function in lukewarm temperatures or cold water. Laundry ponds contain more chemical ingredients. These chemicals are designed to brighten colors and provide a protective layer against stains, as well as soften certain fabrics. On the other hand, dishwashing pods only contain enzymes that deal with grease and solid food particles.
Most laundry ponds contain scented agents intended to give the fabric a long time of fragrance. Unlike laundry pods, dishwashing pods do not have any strong fragrance. Strong fragrance may result in the food taking the same taste which is unhealthy and unpleasant.
Good Alternate Uses for dishwashing Pods
There are many good options to using laundry pods and washing clothes and dishes. Instead of laundry pods, you can use dishwashing pods to bleach cloth. But you should do it very carefully.
Dishwashing pods could also be a good choice if your laundry detergent can’t get the stain out of a piece of clothing. Most dishwashing pods have bleaching agents, so you could use them to get stains out of cloth. Even though you might use too much energy and power, you might get good results and peace of mind.
Not all pods for washing dishes have cleaning agents in them. After reading the list of what’s in the pod, you’ll feel good about using it in the laundry. This is when you have no other choice and have to do the work right away. But you shouldn’t use pods for washing dishes in a washing machine. If you have to use a washing machine, make sure the machine is set to a high temperature.
When doing laundry with cleaning pods, fill the tubs with water first, then add the pod. This is because the pods don’t dissolve very well in cold water, so you might as well warm up the water. Add an extra rinse run to make sure your clothes are clean and free of anything that won’t dissolve.
Conclusion
Laundry detergents and dishwashing pods may look alike and are both cleaning substances. However, each of them is designed for specific work and is not a substitute. Dishwashing pods produce excess foam as they are designed to dissolve fat and oil. They leave excess soap when used on clothes. Due to their bleaching agent components, they may cause discoloration on the fabrics.
Dishwashing pods are meant to be used in warm waters. Washing machines don’t usually use warm water. This makes it hard for dishwashing pods to fully dissolve when used in washing machines. Dishwashing pods will leave residue in your clothes and washing machine.