Washing powder or liquid detergent?
Powder, liquid and capsules wash with the same basic chemistry: surfactants lift the soil, enzymes break down stains, builders deal with hard water. The real differences are bleach, how easily you can dose them, and safety at home. This page is a short English summary of our Bulgarian guide.
What every detergent does
Surfactants surround grease and soil and keep them suspended in the water so they rinse away. Enzymes break specific stains: proteases for protein (blood, egg, milk), amylases for starch, lipases for fat. Builders soften the water so that calcium and magnesium do not use up the surfactants. These parts are in powders, liquids and capsules alike.
Where powder and liquid differ
- Bleach. Universal ("heavy-duty") powders usually contain sodium percarbonate, an oxygen bleach that works on coffee, tea, wine and fruit stains and keeps whites white. Liquids usually have no bleach, which makes them kinder to colours.
- Temperature. Liquids dissolve readily at 20–30 °C and work well on oily and greasy marks; powders need to dissolve fully and do their best at 40 °C and above.
- Dosing. Both have a dosing table for soft, medium and hard water and for the level of soiling. EU rules require that table on the pack, and the number of washes is stated for medium-hard water.
- Wool and silk need a detergent made for them, without the protease enzymes and bleach that damage animal fibres.
Capsules and safety
Capsules are pre-dosed liquid detergent in a soluble film. They are convenient, but the dose is fixed whatever the load and the water hardness. They are also attractive to small children: biting a capsule can cause serious harm to the eyes, mouth and airways. EU rules require an opaque outer pack that is hard for children to open and a bitter film. Close the pack after every use and store it high up. If a child has swallowed detergent or got it in the eyes, call the emergency number (112 in the EU).
Read more in Bulgarian
The full guide with sources is in Bulgarian: прах, течен препарат или капсули. See also the care symbols guide and the water hardness converter.
Sources
- A.I.S.E. cleanright.eu – Detergents for everyday fabrics
- A.I.S.E. / cleanright.eu, Detergents for wool and silk
- Regulation (EC) No 648/2004 on detergents, consolidated text, Annex VII (EUR-Lex)
- Regulation (EC) No 1272/2008 (CLP), Article 35(2) and Annex II, section 3.3: soluble packaging for consumer laundry detergents (EUR-Lex)
- A.I.S.E. cleanright.eu: Make your home safe and keep children safe
Facts checked against the sources on 4.11.2026. Spotted an error? Write to kontakt@f-s.bg.