洗衣膠囊
洗衣膠囊（或稱洗衣球） 是裝高濃縮洗衣劑、柔軟劑和其他洗衣產品的水溶性小袋子。洗衣膠囊的知名品牌包含Arm & Hammer、Purex、寶瀅和汰漬[1]。洗衣膠囊在2012年2月在Procter & Gamble以Tide Pods[1]亮相而首次聞名。
洗衣膠囊的化學成分跟液體洗衣劑一樣（包含alkylbenzenesulfonates）。洗衣膠囊可溶解的膠囊外衣通常是以polyvinylalcohol (PVA) 製成，或是PVA的衍生物。雖然化學成分大同小異，洗衣膠囊中可能有10%的水，而液體洗衣劑有50%的水。[2]
MonoSol是開發洗碗和洗衣用水溶性薄膜的其中一家公司，被包含汰漬在內採用，年銷售額粗估為2億5千萬美元，佔有90%的市場。[3]這個薄膜被設計成在冷水中溶解。[4]
根据市场研究机构尼尔森（Nielsen NV）的數據，洗衣膠囊每年约占美國洗衣劑市场70亿美元销售额的15％。洗衣膠囊广告是通过精确测量用量，来减少洗衣粉和液体洗衣剂浪费的一种方法。对于大量衣物，大多数品牌建议使用两个洗衣膠囊，而汰漬建议最多三个洗衣膠囊。对于相同的衣物量，洗衣膠囊的成本要比液体洗衣剂高得多。 [5] [6]
History
Laundry tabs were originally introduced in the 1960s in a compacted granular form (similar to an oral medical tablet), when Procter & Gamble launched Salvo tablets, later disappearing from the market in the 1970s. In the 1990s, Unilever and Henkel launched a similar laundry detergent pack product sold in Western Europe. These products sometimes did not fully dissolve in United States washers.[7]
In 2005, Cot’n Wash, Inc., introduced liquid unit dose laundry pods under the Dropps brand.[8]
In 2012, Procter & Gamble relaunched a liquid tablet product as Tide Pods.[1]
In 2017, the "Tide Pod Challenge" emerged causing more concern about laundry detergent pod poisoning. [9]
- ^ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Laundry detergent pods remain a health hazard. Consumer Reports. March 2013 [11 November 2014].
- ^ BACKGROUND INFORMATION ON THE PROPOSED GREEN SEAL™ STANDARD FOR LAUNDRY CARE PRODUCTS (2012) (PDF). [Nov 11, 2016].
- ^ The so-secretive company behind Tide Pod detergent packs. Crain's Chicago Business. [2016-11-12].
- ^ Tide PODS Factsheet (PDF). [Nov 11, 2016].
- ^ Tide's Answer To Slumping Sales? Use More Detergent Pods!. Consumerist. 2016-06-08 [2016-11-12].
- ^ Ziobro, Paul; Terlep, Sharon. Three Tide Pods a Wash? Procter & Gamble Pushes More Doses. Wall Street Journal. 2016-06-08 [2016-11-12]. ISSN 0099-9660.
- ^ P&G Reinvents Laundry With $150 Million Tide Pods Launch. [2016-11-12].
- ^ Winning Consumers Dropps by Dropps. HAPPI. [2017-05-09].
- ^ Ritschel, Chelsea. Tide pod challenge: Teenagers are risking death to film themselves eating Tide pods. The Independent. January 13, 2018 [July 7, 2019].