Tide laundry detergent has been faithfully cleaning America's clothing for generations. However, do you know what exactly is in that powder or liquid you are pouring into your washing machine? Especially for families that have sensitive skin allergies or are striving to be environmentally friendly, it can be helpful to know exactly what's in your box or bottle of Tide.
Original Tide Detergent Ingredients
The original orange-packaged tide that your grandmother always used is still providing a great, clean laundry solution for countless modern families. Outside of the standard powder that is still readily available, the liquid concentrated Tide is also a hit. While most concentrated detergents are made up of sometimes 80% water, Tide ingredients have more cleaning power with less watered down aspects, allowing it to pack a powerful punch without ruining your clothes.
So what exactly is in this magical powder? Tide is made out of surfactant molecules, which have two components - water friendly and anti-water. The water friendly ingredient is called hydrophilic and breaks the water's surface tension. The anti-water component (also known as hydrophobic) attracts soils and stains, freeing them from various types of fabrics. In Original Tide, you will also find fluorescent whitening agents to help brighten clothes, enzymes to remove tougher stains such as blood or grass marks, and various fragrances to help provide a fresh scent.
For a complete list of Tide ingredients for any Tide laundry product, you can check the Tide website or P&G Product Safety page.
Tide for Sensitive Skin
Everyone from young children to mature adults experience a negative skin reaction at some point in their life. However, those with chronic issues such as eczema or contact hives may benefit from a sensitive skin-designated laundry detergent. Tide Free (for sensitive skin) is free of all dyes and perfumes found in your standard detergent. It has been dermatologist tested to ensure no irritants ruin the promise.
Tide Free also includes ethanol, monoethanolamine, sodium borate decahydrate, and sodium hydroxide. Again, for a complete ingredient list, check your packaging or the website. In this list you will also find "active ingredients" including hydrogen peroxide, which can be controversial in the arenas of personal health and environmental responsibility.
Tide Purclean
Tide Purclean™ plant based liquid laundry detergent, is made for sensitive skin. Tide Purclean liquid is touted as the first 75% plant-based liquid laundry detergent that delivers the cleaning power customers are accustomed to receiving from Tide. It is free of dyes and chlorine. Purclean liquid detergent even cleans laundry washed in cold water. It's available in unscented or honey lavender.
List of Tide laundry detergent ingredients for Tide Purclean detergent includes:
Fragrances
Solvents (allow detergent ingredients to mix)
- Water
- Alcohol
- Propylene glycol
Surfactants (cleaning agents):
- Sodium lauryl sulfate
- C12-16 pareth
- C10-16 alkyldimethylamine oxide
Enzymes (clean stains):
- Subtilisin
- Amylase enzyme
- Mannanase enzyme
Ingredients that assist cleaning:
- Sodium citrate: This is a softener for water that helps the detergent to clean in hard water.
- Sodium salts of C12-18 fatty acids: This ingredient is known as a suds reducer that aids cleaning power of detergent in hard water.
- Polyethyleneimines alkoxylated: This is a polymer that suspends soils to lift from the laundry.
- Sodium borate: This is a stabilizer for the detergent cleaning enzymes.
Tide Plus Downy Free
Tide Plus Downy Free comes in powder, liquid and PODS®. It is hypoallergenic was developed for anyone with sensitive skin. In fact, it is dermatologist-recommended and recognized by the National Eczema Association (NEA) and the National Psoriasis Foundation (NPF). There are no dyes or perfumes irritants.
- Tide PODS® Plus Downy Free
- Tide Plus Downy Free Liquid Laundry Detergent
- Tide Plus Downy Free Liquid
List of Tide laundry detergent ingredients for in Tide Plus Downy Free detergent includes:
Solvents:
- Water
- Propylene glycol
Surfactants (cleaning agents):
- C10-16 pareth
- Sodium C10-16 alkylbenzenesulfonate
- C10-16 alkyldimethylamine oxide
Enzymes:
- Amylase enzyme
- Mannanase
- Subtilisin
Enzyme stabilizers:
- Sodium cumenesulfonate
- Sodium borate
- Sodium formate
Ingredients that assist cleaning:
- Sodium salts of C12-18 fatty acids reduces suds.
- Sodium citrate softens hard water.
- Polyethyleneimines alkoxylated suspends dirt.
Tide Alternatives
If you're concerned about Tide laundry detergent ingredients, you might choose a natural or organic alternative. You can also make your own homemade laundry detergent. Environmentally laundry detergent isn't so great of an option. But for many it is a necessity, and companies like Tide are trying to find a compromise.
Tide High Efficiency Detergents
With Tide HE Turbo, you can enjoy a super concentrated formulation that uses only a very small percentage of the water used in traditional loads. To use Tide HE Turbo, you must have a high efficiency (HE) washer, but once you have purchased one you can enjoy the environmental friendliness of getting more loads done with less detergent used. Tide HE Turbo is advertised as saving up to 25 minutes in your wash cycle since the HE Turbo Smart Suds rinse out almost immediately.
List of Tide detergent ingredients for Tide HE Turbo includes:
Solvents:
- Ethanolaminem
- Alcohol
- Propylene glycol
- Colorants
- Water
Cleaning agents:
- Sodium and MEA laureth sulfate
- Sodium and MEA lauryl sulfate
- C10-16 pareth
- Sodium and MEA C10-16 alkylbenzenesulfonate
Stabilizers:
- Calcium formate
- Hydrogenated castor oil
- Sodium cumenesulfonate
- Sodium borate
Suds reducers:
- Sodium and MEA salts of C12-18 fatty acids
- Trimethylsiloxysilicate
- Simethicone
- Phenylpropyl ethyl methicone
Water softeners:
- Sodium and MEA citrate
Enzymes:
- Amylase enzyme
- Mannanase enzyme
- Subtilisin
Process aid:
- Sodium formate
- Fluorescent brightener 71 is a whitening agent.
Odor removers:
- Diethylenetriamine
- Methyl di-t-butyl hydroxyhydrocinnamate
- Perfume fragrances
Cleaning aids:
- Pentasodium pentetate
- Polyethyleneimines alkoxylat
Tide Pure Essentials With Baking Soda
If you love the idea of going natural with your laundry, check out Tide Pure Essentials with Baking Soda. As the name suggests, the key ingredient found in this formulation is baking soda, giving your fabrics a gentle wash that is complete and effective without shortening the life of your clothes. Tide Pure Essentials with Baking Soda doesn't contain any phosphates.
List of Tide detergent ingredients for Tide Pure Essentials with Baking Soda includes:
Stabilizer:
- Polyethylene glycol 4000
Surfactants:
- Alcohol ethoxysulfate
- Linear alkylbenzene sulfonate
- Alcohol sulfate
- Pareth-9
- Lauramine oxide
Enzymes:
- Protease enzyme
- Amylase enzyme
Dirt suspensions:
- Diethylenetriamine pentaacetate, sodium salt
- Borax captures
- Citric acid
Aids process:
- Water
- Propylene glycol
- Calcium formate
- Sodium formate ethanolamine
- Polyethyleneimine ethoxylate
- Diethylene glycol
- Ethanol
- Dimethicone (suds reducer)
- Fragrance fragrance
- Disodium diaminostilbene disulfonate brightener
- Disodium distyrylbiphenyl disulfonate brightener
- Dipropylethyl tetramine chlorine scavenger (color care)
pH neutralizer:
- Sodium hydroxide
- Sodium carbonate
Tide Ingredients for Popular Tide Detergents
When you decide to use one of the popular tide detergents, you can easily check the detergent ingredients so you know what is going into each load of laundry. If you have chemical sensitivity or need an ultra powerful detergent, Tide detergent ingredients give you a wide range of choices.
