Tide Free & Gentle Liquid Laundry Detergent

Curated from 185 real Reddit conversations

Refreshed on: March 31, 2025

Tide Free & Gentle Liquid Laundry Detergent

Brand: Tide
Price: $12
Snoop Score:
7.3
Sentiment
8.3
Popularity
8.0
Technical
6.6

Snoop's Take

Tide Free & Gentle is a liquid laundry detergent specially formulated for sensitive skin, providing a deep clean without the use of dyes or fragrances. Many users express satisfaction with its effectiveness, praising it as a reliable choice for the whole family, especially for those with skin sensitivities or conditions like eczema. As one user noted, "I like Tide F&C. It's the only thing that doesn't set off either my husband's allergies or my eczema," highlighting its gentleness and stain-removing capabilities. With a strong reputation for being versatile and safe for various fabric types, Tide Free & Gentle has become a popular choice among parents and individuals with sensitive skin. Feedback indicates that it not only cleans effectively but also rinses out easily, making laundry hassle-free. Overall, this product is highly recommended for those seeking a hypoallergenic laundry detergent that delivers on its promise of gentle but effective cleaning.

Not for you? Check out our other rated Laundry Detergent

We use Tide Free and Gentle.

Positive Feedback

Some baby detergents aren’t actually free of fragrance.

Negative Feedback
Product
7.3
Tide Free & Gentle Liquid Laundry Detergent
Newborns & Sensitive Skin
10 / 10
Budget Conscious Families
6 / 10
Heavy Stain Laundry
6 / 10
All-Purpose Washing
10 / 10
See how this compares to all Laundry Detergent

What it does well!

Key strengths users can’t stop talking about.
Effective for sensitive skin
We use Tide Free and Gentle.
Agreeing on Tide Free and Gentle! Son has moderate eczema and it has worked fine for us.
Another vote for tide free and gentle.
Best baby laundry detergent? FTM and gonna start washing all of baby’s clothes. I was originally goi
Removes stains well
We like this one too! Also agree on the entire family switching, bc leftover detergent from a previo
The November 2023 Consumer Reports evaluated top liquid detergents, here they are in order of effect
I used a big jug of Dreft and once that ran out we switched to washing with our free & clear deterge
It honesty is a really good detergent, and I rarely have to use stain remover in addition.
Convenient for all laundry types
I just use it on all laundry so I don’t have to worry about keeping things separate.
This is what I use too and will use it for all baby items also.
Tide free and clear here too!
This is what we use for everything, including cloth diapers!
Long-lasting product
I've used this for years on all our laundry.
Reduced plastic packaging
They also started doing reduced plastic packaging recently which I really like.
Suitable for cloth diapers
I even use it with my cloth diapers and it does well.
Good stain remover
the stain remover is quite good in my experience
Yes that stain remover is a life saver!!
Effective for baby's sensitive skin
I use all free and clear and it’s been the best thing for my baby’s skin.
Good for the whole family
From the beginning. I use tide free and clear
Same. I already used tide free and clear for us and it seemed acceptable for babies.
This. It's all we use for the entire family
Removes tough stains effectively
Now we use Dreft stage 2 because that shit works wonders on stains!
Convenient for family laundry
So much easier.
it was way cheaper than Dreft.
Affordable alternative to baby detergent
tide free and gentle was on sale 🥲 baby has been fine thus far.
Tide Free and Gentle liquid rinses out easily
Tide Free and Gentle liquid rinses out really easily.
I’ve never had an issue with detergent not rinsing out of my clothes.
Effective in hard water conditions
Kirkland free and clear from Costco and Tide free and clear work really well for me.
Works well for normal laundry
It works fine for normal clothes, but sometimes left detergent smell even with extra rinse (kind of like play doh. Weird 😃).
Effective for removing odors
The clothes smell fresh and are clean.
Effective for cloth diapers
For those who used Tide Free and Clear Powder - what have you switched to since they discontinued it
I was bad. When I found out through this sub I went and bought 10 boxes which will hopefully get me through cloth diapering my twins.
It’s worked great on the diapers and clothes.
Good odor removal
They started making All Free and Clear powder again just in time for me to switch back.
Effective stain removal with powder
I noticed a difference right away on food stains and things on clothing.
Less waste with powder packaging
I honestly have been enjoying the powder the most since its less waste (cardboard versus plastic) and less mess (powder versus syruppy mess).
Effective cleaning in hot water
You might consider using hot water in the main wash though, as hot water will help the detergent be more effective.

Where it needs some work!

Areas to watch—feedback on possible improvements.
Some baby detergents may not be truly free of fragrance
Some baby detergents aren’t actually free of fragrance.
Preference for other brands over Tide
All free & clear from the start (cheaper than tide).
I don't get the Dreft appeal.
the fragrance on it was so strong. It was surprising for a baby product.
Concerns about the effectiveness of baby detergents
Why are so many baby things scented? The doctor told us not to use anything scented but 99% of baby stuff is.
Discontinued powder form is disappointing
I'm sad they discontinued making it in powder form. I prefer powder detergent because there's less plastic waste.
Confusion between Tide Free & Clear and Tide Free & Gentle
I'm looking up Tide Free and Clear and the only thing popping up is Tide Free and Gentle, are they the same?
I get confused because it's All Free and Clear and Tide Free and Gentle so yeah if it says free and ___ that's the right one.
Detergent leaves residue in cold water washes
I just cant get the detergent rinsed out of my clothes.
Free and clear detergents vary in effectiveness
All is a joke. It’s like washing your clothes with some chemical that does nothing and won’t rinse out!
Tide has the most enzymes, Kirkland falls somewhere on the mid-range and All has essentially none.
Free and clear just means the formulation avoids certain chemicals (eg fragrance).
Free and clear just means no fragrance and no dye in the detergent.
Some users are allergic to Tide Free and Clear
I am allergic to the Tide Free and Clear so I only use All.
Preference for non-Tide brand due to smell and performance
I've switched from Tide to Persil due to the smell and performance.
Odor issues with Tide Free & Gentle
We tried Tide F&C liquid and immediately had problems with odors for the first time.

Compare On All Talked About Dimensions

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Tide Simply Liquid Laundry Detergent, Refreshing BreezeTide Simply Liquid Laundry Detergent, Refreshing Breeze$13
8.0
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Tide Laundry Detergent Liquid, Original Scent, 100 LoadsTide Laundry Detergent Liquid, Original Scent, 100 Loads$19
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Arm & Hammer Sensitive Skin Free & Clear Liquid Laundry DetergentArm & Hammer Sensitive Skin Free & Clear Liquid Laundry Detergent$8
7.7
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Tide Free & Gentle Liquid Laundry DetergentTide Free & Gentle Liquid Laundry Detergent$12
7.3
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Tide Simply Clean & Fresh Liquid Laundry DetergentTide Simply Clean & Fresh Liquid Laundry Detergent$10
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Gain + Odor Defense Liquid Laundry DetergentGain + Odor Defense Liquid Laundry Detergent$15
6.9
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Arm & Hammer Plus OxiClean Fresh Scent Liquid Laundry DetergentArm & Hammer Plus OxiClean Fresh Scent Liquid Laundry Detergent$8
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Amazon Basics Laundry Detergent Pacs, Hypoallergenic, Free & ClearAmazon Basics Laundry Detergent Pacs, Hypoallergenic, Free & Clear$26
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Tide Ultra Oxi Liquid Laundry DetergentTide Ultra Oxi Liquid Laundry Detergent$12
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Tide PODS Laundry Detergent Pacs, Spring Meadow ScentTide PODS Laundry Detergent Pacs, Spring Meadow Scent$27
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Arm & Hammer Sensitive Skin Plus Fresh Scent Laundry DetergentArm & Hammer Sensitive Skin Plus Fresh Scent Laundry Detergent$8
6.5
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Tide Free & Gentle Liquid Laundry DetergentTide Free & Gentle Liquid Laundry Detergent$12
6.5
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all Liquid Laundry Detergent, Free Clear for Sensitive Skinall Liquid Laundry Detergent, Free Clear for Sensitive Skin$18
6.3
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Arm & Hammer Plus OxiClean Clean Meadow Liquid Laundry DetergentArm & Hammer Plus OxiClean Clean Meadow Liquid Laundry Detergent$9
6.3
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Arm & Hammer Plus OxiClean Odor Blasters Fresh BurstArm & Hammer Plus OxiClean Odor Blasters Fresh Burst$8
6.2
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Tide Simply Liquid Laundry Detergent, Free & SensitiveTide Simply Liquid Laundry Detergent, Free & Sensitive$10
6.0
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Arm & Hammer Clean Burst Liquid Laundry DetergentArm & Hammer Clean Burst Liquid Laundry Detergent$9
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Gain + Aroma Boost Liquid Laundry Detergent - Original ScentGain + Aroma Boost Liquid Laundry Detergent - Original Scent$9
4.9
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ECOS Laundry Detergent Liquid, 200 LoadsECOS Laundry Detergent Liquid, 200 Loads$20
4.6
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Tide plus Downy Liquid Laundry Detergent SoapTide plus Downy Liquid Laundry Detergent Soap$19
4.3
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Tide Simply Liquid Laundry Detergent, Daybreak Fresh, 168 ozTide Simply Liquid Laundry Detergent, Daybreak Fresh, 168 oz$13
4.3
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Seventh Generation Concentrated Laundry Detergent Liquid Free & ClearSeventh Generation Concentrated Laundry Detergent Liquid Free & Clear$14
4.1
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Arm & Hammer Powder Laundry Detergent, Crisp Clean, 18lb PailArm & Hammer Powder Laundry Detergent, Crisp Clean, 18lb Pail$38
4.1
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Tide PODS Liquid Laundry Detergent Soap Pacs, Original ScentTide PODS Liquid Laundry Detergent Soap Pacs, Original Scent$12
4.0
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MRS. MEYER'S CLEAN DAY Liquid Laundry Detergent, LavenderMRS. MEYER'S CLEAN DAY Liquid Laundry Detergent, Lavender$15
3.5
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Core Power Plays

The specs and strengths that make it shine.
Family switching to the same detergent to avoid skin irritation
Never haha. I have lumped all our clothes together since birth.
Discussion about different Tide products
Which is the best Tide? I know it's a lame question, but it's so confusing which Tide liquid detergent to buy.
Why is Tide Oxi with odor eliminators ranked lower than Tide ultra Oxi?
They used to promote tide plus ultra stain release but not have tide free and clear pretty high.
lol that is where I am at this month. My money is on hygenic clean.
Discussion around various free and clear detergents
All free and gentle for all laundry.
Nope just free and clear.
Preference for non-perfumed products for babies
The Ivory baby stuff smells SO bad and heavily perfumed.
Discussion about using various 'free and clear' detergents.
Whatever “free and clear” is on sale!
I use All Free and Clear and pre treat with oxiclean for tough stains.
Discussion about differences in 'free and clear' formulations
I'm a huge Biz fan because of the enzymes.
Is that available at hardware stores?
Walmart usually has it in the laundry aisle next to Oxiclean.
Discussion on personal preferences for scent-free detergent
I really hope someone finds this and has answers!

Hidden Hero Hacks

Unexpected tricks and side‑door uses you’ll love.
Discussion about washing all clothes in the same detergent
Is baby detergent really necessary? Is it that different than regular laundry detergent?
Just the unscented detergent is fine.
Use of alternative detergents discussed
I’m happy with both products and will continue with them.
Both options are also decently low-waste since Nellie’s is a huge bin with way more loads than liquid alternatives.
Discussion on using enzymatic cleaners for baby stains
none of the baby stains have stuck
Discussion about alternatives to dryer sheets
things definitely dry faster and towels stay more absorbent.
It’s worked really well, especially on bodily fluids like pee.

Buyer’s Cheat Sheet

What to check before you click ‘Add to Cart.’
Comparison with other brands like Dreft
I think we just ended up with this one because it was cheap and came in jumbo size.
To me it smells so good I’ve used it on my own clothes a few times lol.
Yes, I love dreft! I wash all of our stuff in it lol.
Advice against using cheaper Tide products
I just hate how my clothes smell lol.
Comparison with other brands
You usually only need about a tablespoon of detergent per load.
Yeah I get All brand or the Costco brand same thing.
Discussion on necessity of baby detergent
Do we REALLY need baby detergent?
You do not need separate detergent unless you’re washing your clothes in really scented stuff.
Comparisons with other brands like Dreft
No, Dreft is a scam.
Anecdotes about initial baby detergent use
When I ran out of the baby detergent someone got us for our baby shower 🤣
Detergents marketed for babies are often just regular fragrance-free detergents at higher prices.
Most detergent that is marketed towards babies is just your average fragrance free detergent, but repackaged and marked up in price.
Family members using the same detergent to avoid skin irritation.
Makes it so much easier. I am super sensitive to scents especially detergent and perfume/cologne.
Discussion about separating laundry for sensitive skin.
I keep most of our clothes separated by person just because it’s easier to put them away and not sort.
Inquiries about differences between Tide products
I’d actually prefer just to have clothes clean and fresh without any scents at all.
Preference for liquid vs powder vs pods
I’ve only used the powder and it works well, but it’s hard to find as opposed to the liquid and pods.

Cautionary Callouts

Know the pitfalls before they catch you off guard.
Concerns about chemical ingredients in baby detergents
So I'll just reaffirm all free and clear.
I'm so tempted to wash her stuff with our stuff with the tide pods ... Lol I'm tired 🥴
It smells clean, but it also smells like that fragrance free smell.
Now we use tide free & clear, and I throw in some essential oil lavender or frankincense drops.
Concerns about overusing detergent
Will someone PLEASE explain this to my husband.
Marketing tactics of baby detergents
It's just a marketing tactic.
Discussion around baby detergent marketing
Baby detergent is a marketing scheme.
Concerns about different Tide product lines
Without reading the fine print they seem very similar.
I hate the smell of dreft.
Concerns about the effectiveness of baby detergents.
I've been using "baby detergent" and I feel like it's awful on stains.
Discussion about the effectiveness of detergent with broken agitator
Definitely will try hot water. I've been nervous because our hot water is VERY hot.

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