When you have a big family, that washing machine seems to be running day and night. Between the warm water, the laundry soap, and all the special stain removing additives, keeping a family in clean clothes can get pretty expensive.
My Mother was a Tide fan from way back. We lived on a farm and she swore there was nothing out there that knocked the stains like Tide. It was more expensive than other brands of detergent, but she couldn’t be convinced to switch. When I set up house as a young bride, Tide was the laundry soap I chose as well.
Now our family has rather sensitive skin, and we soon discovered that many of the budget brands of soap were too harsh. The children would get rashes on their legs and the sheets would be too scratchy to sleep in. Eventually we found Purex, and 18 years later, Purex still continues to be our daily laundry soap.
So how does it compare?
There are two major differences between the products. Most significant is the price. The basic Tide soap (without any additives) retails at $7.99 for a 40 load box. Plain Purex retails at $4.99 for a 40 load box. Purex does seem to be on sale quite a bit, and can usually be found for $2.99 at my favorite discount grocery warehouse.
The second difference is in the formula. Both Tide and Purex contain phosphate free, biodegradable surfactants. A surfactant is a two part molecule with each molecule having different properties. One part of the molecule is “water hating” and breaks the surface tension of the water. The other part of the molecule is attractive to the oils and grease, and lifts them from soiled fabrics. What Purex doesn’t contain are added enzymes. The Tide formula contains stain busting enzymes which help break down those really stubborn stains, such as grass and blood. It was that stain boosting formula of Tide that had my Mom so completely loyal to the product.
There’s real advantage to having an all purpose laundry detergent with an added stain buster for blood and grass stains when you need it. But, except for muddy or grass stained knees, the rest of our clothes just don’t get that dirty. Why pay an extra $10 a month to have Tide’s enzyme power on standby?
Why is Purex the better product?
For regular day to day laundry, Purex cleans as well as Tide. It can handle most stains and leaves the laundry smelling nice and fresh. But, because it does not contain the enzymes that the Tide detergent does, it can’t quite lift the stubborn stains without some kind of a laundry booster.
That’s not an impossible problem. For a boosting agent, I use 20 Mule Team Borax. Borax has been around for about 100 years, and is a naturally occurring mineral that contains neither chlorine nor phosphates. Adding 1/2 a cup of Borax to a Purex presoak will handle even tough stains. Coincidentally, 20 Mule Team Borax is made by the same company that makes Purex Laundry soap; the Dial Company.
Without an occasional boosting agent, whites and lights washed in Purex can get a little dingy. Once a month, I’ll add a cup of Borax to a load of whites and lights which seems to brighten them right up. While it’s inconvenient having to add a booster to the laundry when washing in Purex, I like that it can be added as needed.
While there is no denying that Tide is convenient, Purex is much more affordable for a family that’s doing piles of laundry on a daily basis. Even factoring in the cost of a couple of boxes of Borax a year, still makes Purex the better buy.
