Revamping Laundry Routines: The Rise of DIY Frozen Laundry Pods
Steer Clear of This Frozen Laundry Method: Potential Risks and Drawbacks
In the era of single-use detergent pods, convenience reigns supreme. But with eco-conscious consumers on the rise, there's a new twist to laundry routines – DIY frozen laundry pods.
TikTok has taken the lead in popularizing this hack, as users resort to freezing liquid detergent in silicone trays in a bid to conserve detergent and eliminate potential waste caused by plastic films that don't fully dissolve. But does this method offer the same effectiveness? We spoke to two experts to find out.
Meet our panel of experts:* Kim Romine, a fabric care scientist at Tide,* Bryan Quoc Le, PhD, a food scientist and the founder and principal food consultant at Mendocino Food Consulting.
The Allure of Frozen Laundry Pods
The main attraction of this hack lies in minimizing laundry detergent waste. Overuse of detergent is ubiquitous, leading to unnecessary expenses and potential residue that leaves clothes feeling less fresh. Additionally, some TikTok videos show that standard laundry pods take a long time to dissolve, and parts of the plastic coating may not dissolve at all, further adding to the residue problem. In theory, liquid detergent pods without any coating would result in cleaner clothes and a longer-lasting bottle.
The process to create frozen laundry pods is elementary: Fill silicone trays with liquid detergent, freeze it for a few hours and voilà! Some people also add scent booster beads to make the compression a one-stop solution. When it's time to wash, all you need to do is throw a frozen pod or two into the washer.
Expert Advice: Proceed with Caution
Some liquid laundry detergents may freeze more easily than others, but exposing any type of cleaner to extreme temperatures is not ideal. According to Tide's fabric care scientist, Kim Romine, concentrated liquid detergents are less likely to freeze all the way through, resulting in a gooey mess.
"Tide Liquid is specifically formulated to be highly concentrated, so it does not freeze completely due to its low water content," Romine explains. "Only detergents with high water content are likely to freeze."
Freezing any detergent intentionally is not recommended, as it can lead to reduced performance and compromised results. For optimal outcomes, always measure the correct amount of detergent and pour it directly into the dispenser or the machine drum.
Food scientist Bryan Quoc Le agrees, adding that freezing most chemical-based liquid laundry detergents can lead to ingredient separation when they thaw, affecting their efficiency.
"Cooling down the temperature will result in some of the components losing their solubility," says Quoc Le. "This is generally not a big deal if the detergent is chemical-based, but if the detergent is bio-based and contains enzymes, this can damage the enzymes and reduce their efficacy."
Bottom Line
DIY frozen laundry pods offer a degree of convenience, butExpert caution is advised, as the freezing process may compromise the cleaning performance of liquid detergent. If you're set on trying this hack, opt for synthetic surfactant-based detergents that are less likely to suffer from separation or lose their ability to dissolve after temperature changes.
- DIY frozen laundry pods have gained popularity on TikTok as a way to minimize laundry detergent waste and improve eco-friendliness.
- Kim Romine, a fabric care scientist at Tide, warns against freezing concentrated liquid detergents, as they may not freeze completely and can result in a gooey mess.
- Bryan Quoc Le, a food scientist, supports this warning, suggesting that freezing chemical-based liquid laundry detergents can lead to ingredient separation and reduced efficiency, particularly for detergent containing enzymes.
- For those interested in trying DIY frozen laundry pods, opting for synthetically-based surfactant detergents, less likely to suffer from separation or lose their ability to dissolve after temperature changes, is advisable.
