Cheaper Tide Rises in Hard Times

250 cases this year as company plans design change

(AP) - Procter & Gamble plans to change the design of packaging for its miniature laundry detergent product to deter children from eating the brightly colored packets that look like candy, the company says. A rep says the company plans to create a new double-latch lid on tubs of Tide Pods "in the next couple of weeks." Doctors say children sometimes swallow the pods thinking they are edible. Nearly 250 cases have been reported to poison control centers this year. No deaths have been reported. More»

Or, maybe not...

(NEWSER) - The latest crime wave sweeping the nation: Tide thefts. Yes, that's Tide, as in the laundry detergent. The Daily reports it's stolen so often that some cities and stores are actually forming "special task forces" and coming up with Tide-specific security procedures to fight back. Why? Apparently it's because Tide is used widely, is popular and recognizable, and, because of its high retail price, can fetch $5 to $10 per bottle on the black market. "There's no serial numbers and it's impossible to track," says one detective. "It's the item to steal." One police department refers to Tide as "liquid gold." More»

Consumers skeptical about cold-water detergents, even as they improve

(NEWSER) - The science behind washing laundry exclusively in cold water has come a long way in recent years, but consumers just aren't buying it—literally. The New York Times notes that sales of cold-water detergents are languishing, even though they generally measure up to their hot-water counterparts and save on money, energy, and greenhouse gas emissions to boot. Consider industry leader Tide Coldwater, which has sales of $150 million in the US, compared to $1 billion for regular Tide. More»

Clearing the detritus of owners' dreams from bank-owned homes

(NEWSER) - Cindy Reid doesn’t want you to think she and her boss—and boyfriend—are the “bad guys.” But it is difficult when her man is the one “you never want to see pull up to your house. He has eyes that go flat when you offer excuses,” because he doesn’t have time for them: He’s there to empty your repossessed home. “On paper, the business is pretty straightforward,” Reid writes. “What's not on paper is how you feel cleaning up behind a family's dead hope.” More»

(NEWSER) - Even with two degrees and a book deal, Rebecca Golden has had a tough time keeping her bank balance above zero, she writes for Salon, so she's turned to an edifying, if often terrifying, sideline: cleaning houses. “I suppose I could find other ways to make ends meet,” she writes. “But cleaning has a physical aspect I relish,” and when “a filthy hellhole” becomes a habitable abode, "you know you’ve accomplished something.” Just don’t ask about toilets. More»