Powder, Liquid, Pod, Sheet: How Home Cleaning Formats Evolved
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Cleaning products change format when a new format removes a pain point: mess, weight, measuring or waste. Powder, liquid, pods and now sheets each solved a problem the last one left behind.
The format timeline
Powder
Cheap and familiar. The pain points are scooping, dust, clumping in damp weather and undissolved residue in cold water.
Liquid
Easier to pour and dissolves well. The pain points are weight, bulky bottles, leaks and over-pouring. Liquids still lead globally, at about 38 percent of household cleaner revenue in 2025 according to Mordor Intelligence, while powders are forecast to grow faster, about 6.2 percent a year to 2031, as value-seeking shoppers in emerging economies buy them (Mordor Intelligence).
Pods
Pre-measured and tidy. The pain points are the fixed dose (no half loads) and a plastic-film shell.
Sheets
Thin, flat, pre-measured, and you can tear one for a small load. They take little space and are easy to travel with. Our own laundry sheets use a water-soluble binder to hold the sheet together; we talk about that openly in our post on the PVA question.
Why formats matter more than ever
- Small homes. Less shelf and storage space.
- Travel and hostel life. Light, leak-proof formats win.
- Packaging waste. Fewer bulky bottles is an attractive goal.
- Design. Products now live on open shelves, so they have to look good.
What the data says about natural products
Mordor Intelligence reports that synthetic formulations still hold about 77 percent of the global market, but natural and organic cleaners are growing faster, about 6.4 percent a year. Format innovation and plant based formulas are growing side by side.
What comes next
We think the next wave is not a single new format, but a better ritual: the right format for each job. Sheets for laundry and floors, sprays for stains and surfaces, a wipe or an eraser where it makes sense. That is how we are building the Klevay range. Read our philosophy.