I suffer from allergies. Thus, when I saw a claim on a bottle of All Small & Mighty Free Clear liquid laundry detergent claiming that it was “proven to remove two of the top everyday allergens (dust mite and cat dander),” I was instantly intrigued. Ever being the studious university student that I am, I was interested to see if this claim was true, if it was worth the money, and how All’s Small & Mighty Free Clear liquid laundry detergent matched up to its competitor: Tide Free liquid laundry detergent.
Tide’s Free liquid laundry detergent comes in a white jug that holds 200 ounces of liquid laundry detergent. Tide promises that both dyes and perfumes are absent from its product. It also says that its Free detergent is specially formulated for sensitive skin and rinses clean, leaving nothing behind to provoke skin irritation. However, unlike All Small & Might Free Clear liquid laundry detergent, it doesn’t claim to reduce allergens. It does, however, say that it is “Dermatologist tested for sensitive skin.”
How well does Tide’s liquid laundry detergent work? When opening the cap, I noticed that there was no perfume-y smell, as promised. There is a slight scent, but that is just the detergent itself. The bottle gives handy directions on how much detergent to use depending on how large your laundry load is. I followed the directions, and my clothes (which were stain-free and relatively clean to begin with) came out great. Unlike past detergents that I used, my clothes did not have any smells. No “Fresh Spring Scent.” No “Summer Flow Breeze.” No allergies? Not sure. I do know that it didn’t irritate my skin, but then again, I have never had a problem with skin irritations. While I don’t know if it helped to reduce my allergies, I do know that Tide’s Free liquid laundry detergent did not make it worse.
Next, I tried All’s Small & Mighty Free Clear liquid laundry detergent. This “Small & Mighty” version of their regular Free Clear liquid laundry detergent is 3x as concentrated as the regular version. This, I thought, would save me some money. According to the amount of loads the back of the bottle says you can wash using its product, I divided in my head and figured that it was a better deal than the regular version.
Unlike Tide, which says its Free detergent is only “Dermatologist tested,” All says that it is the “#1 Recommended by dermatologists and allergists.” This is what I am looking for! Not only is the Free Clear detergent hypoallergenic, but just like Tide’s product it is also dye- and perfume-free. Unlike Tide, All promises to remove allergens from my clothes.
The bottle has a unique cap that catches any spills and directs the rogue laundry detergent back into the bottle, saving you from cleaning up any stray drips. I followed the directions on the bottle, threw my clothes and the All Small & Mighty Free Clear liquid laundry detergent in my washing machine, and voila! Clean clothes. Just like Tide, it didn’t seem to make any dramatic difference in how clean my clothes was. Just like Tide, my clothes were as promised: clean and without a scent. Unfortunately, just like Tide’s Free detergent, I could not tell if my clothes were actually making my allergies better.
That being said, I decided to choose All’s Small & Mighty Free Clear liquid laundry detergent over Tide’s Free liquid laundry detergent for several reasons. First, it was cheaper. Being more concentrated, one bottle of All’s liquid laundry detergent goes farther than a giant jug of Tide’s liquid laundry detergent. Also, All promised to have been actually recommended by dermatologists to reduce allergens, whereas Tide merely promised to protect sensitive skin and made no mention of allergens and allergies.
As I reach for my allergy medication and sneeze (hurrah for warm weather which brings out beautiful flowers…and the accompanying flower pollen), my clothes gives off a refreshing…wait, no scent! Just what I’m looking for. And now that I know my detergent is saving me money, if not exactly saving me sneezes, I am satisfied.
