P&G Tide Detergent Bottles Don’t Misrepresent Cleaning Capacity

Procter & Gamble Co. doesn’t deceive Tide laundry detergent consumers about how many loads a 2.72-liter bottle will clean, a federal judge said in dismissing a proposed class suit.

Aja Adeghe alleged that the “64 loads◊” claim on the bottle is misleading because it applies only to small loads of laundry. Most households, though, do larger loads that nearly fill the machine, Adeghe said.

And because correspondingly more detergent is needed to clean more clothes, consumers will only get about 32 loads’ worth of detergent out of a bottle, she alleged.

The term “load” is ambiguous—consumers understand that loads ...