Review of Tide Stain Release In-Wash Booster Duo Pacs

How frustrating is to spend money on good clothes for your kids... only to find them ruined by stains within the first few wears? I get this problem at my house all the time, mostly because I try to stain treat, but often things "slip in" the wash that really shoud have gotten special treatment. I only find out they were stained until after I wash them, dry them, and set it in too well to do anything about it.

Tide recently *sent me a pre-sale sample of their new Tide Stain Release In-Wash Booster duo Pac. The idea behind these little packets (which look a lot like dishwasher tabs) is that they release powder and liquid stain-fighting cleaners directly into your wash, without the need for additional spot-treatments.

We put these little guys to the test, holding my breath and purposely NOT spraying my standby pre-treater on the grubby clothes I knew would be hard to clean. Instead, I used my regular detergent and dropped one of the Tide Stain Release packets into the wash water.

Hanging up the clothes on the line later, I noticed right away how fresh they smelled! AND (here is the important part), they were without the nasty stains that usually adorn my 3 youngest boys' clothes (mud, chocolate, and washable marker.) It looked just a good as when I pre-treat, but I didn't have to treasure hunt the laundry basket to find the worst offenders. With a few other types of stains (mustard and ink), they needed to go through twice before they were completely gone. In these cases, it's probably best to pre-treat with their other pre-treating product (the one in the liquid bottle, which works FABULOUSLY!) For most of our stain needs, I still love the duo-pacs, but I think Tide knew that it wouldn't address every need, which is why the line is so diverse.

As a mom who uses liquid detergent, stain spray, a powdered laundry booster, and a bleach whitener, this is a pleasant addition to my routine. If I can reduce some of the packaging I use, prevent ruined clothing due to my lazy pre-treating habits, and give my laundry a bit of a facelift in the process, I'm totally game.

Tide Stain Release isn't available in stores .. yet. You can, however, check out all 3 products on line at www.tidestainrelease.com. Learn about their features, check out reviews, and get a money-saving coupon for $1.50 off your purchase.

*Sample provided for this review


Comments

  1. Just wanted to let you know that these are now available in stores. I saw all three kinds in Target yesterday & purchased the liquid in a bottle. It is currently washing a load of my toddler's clothes that were particularly stained...don't have a review on how it works yet, but I did rub it into the stains & then add to the wash water as well. I'm also using cold water--which I thought might help the stains not to set in case it doesn't work...but after reading some other reviews, I'm thinking that perhaps I should have used warm water since the warm water seems to help it activate & work properly?? We'll see! :-)

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  2. I bought these but was not impressed at all. The laundry came out with stains, and they did not work nearly as well as pre-treating. A great idea in theory, but it doesn't work.

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  3. I find a few stains (mustard and ink) that needed to go through twice before they were completely gone. In these cases, it's probably best to pre-treat with their other pre-treating product (the one in the liquid bottle, which works FABULOUSLY!) For most of our stain needs, I still like the duo-pacs, but I think Tide knew that it wouldn't address every need, which is why the line is so diverse. Thanks for sharing your comments!

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  4. The gel packs leave a rusty looking stain on white clothes only. The whites come out truly clean except for the deposits. I've experimented with several OLD CLOTHES and it APPEARS that the orange dye from the gel pack stains the clothes. I've notified P&G.

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  5. There is also a loose powder version, which I tried last week. I will still pretreat major stains but using this product means I don't have to go piece by piece spritzing every little sign of dirt. Hallelujah!

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  6. I have tried this for several weeks. 2 weeks ago I broke out in a horrible red rash under my arms. I have been using Tide products for 40 years and try to use unscented stuff, but this one really cause a bad rash and a trip to the dermatologist, if you or your kids are sensitive watch out!

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  7. It says to rub on stains. I did that and my fingers started burning immediately! Pain pain pain. I rinsed them under cold water and they feel better, but they look like I burned them. The warnings on the package leave something to be desired.
    I hope my clothes don't wind up damaged from this stuff. I was using the liquid form.

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  8. I got a free sample with my purchase at Gymboree. It sat on top of my drier for a month before I decided to try it.
    I have a doggy door and some old faded pink towels I place inside to catch the mud from the dogs' paws. (We have a lot of it here in the Pacific Northwest)
    I have washed these towels many times and the mud stains in the shape of paw prints have been set in.
    I just wanted to see if the sample would work and to my surprise, it got out the set in stains completely.
    Now I think I will try it on my son's clothes.

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  9. I've been using these pouches for almost two months now. I was completely impressed with how bright and clean my clothes (and my 2 year olds clothes) would get from using this product. I think they work best in an HE washer.

    However, I have recently broke out in an all over body rash. After much elimination, I believe that the Tide Stain Release pouches are the culprit!

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  10. I have been using the gel packs for about 2 months, happy with results. Just recently, though, everything has been coming out with big orange stains, whether I use the gel pack or not... will stick to liquid form once I figure out how to eliminate the orange residue.

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