Find out which cleaning products work the best and which ones aren’t much of an improvement over plain water. When you buy laundry detergent, do you ever wonder if it lives up to its claims? The answer is in our hands.
Over fifty widely available cleaning products were subjected to rigorous testing in the CHOICE laundry lab’s most recent study (or lack of it). When considering the findings in light of the costs, there are a number of surprising turns.
“We test all laundry detergents in both top and front loading machines since the two machines operate very differently,” explains CHOICE expert Ashley Iredale. When comparing the two machines, “the performance gap is quite large.”
There is a correlation between the higher ratings of detergents used in front-loading washing machines and the fact that front-loading washing machines clean clothes more thoroughly.
Does knowing the fate of your detergent success or failure interest you? Our findings are presented below, from best to worst cleaner.
Our top picks for front-loading dishwasher detergents
In terms of CHOICE Expert Ratings, the Omo Ultimate Powder and the Omo Laundry Detergent Powder tied for first with 84%. Omo won this battle on two fronts, and the company as a whole benefited.
It’s good news for consumers’ wallets that four of the top 10 performing brands were grocery brands. Aldi Almat Laundry Powder Concentrate Sunshine Fresh came in at number two, almost missing out on a first place. It received the second highest score overall, despite the fact that its per-wash cost of 12 cents is lower than the market average. Woolworths Clean Sunny Glow Laundry Powder is among the best-selling detergents since it costs only 14 cents a load.
One of the brands that come highly recommended by our experts is Cold Power Advanced Clean Powder, which landed in fourth place. We tested a number of detergents and found that Omo Ultimate Powder and Omo Laundry Detergent Powder work best in front-loading washing machines. Ashley explains that both goods were given an 84% CHOICE Expert Rating.
Omo products took the first two slots, but Aldi (on the right) was not far behind with a product that was five times cheaper than the Omo product (left).
These front loaders are the most efficient and effective ones on the market today:
Incredibly Effective Powdered Detergent by Omo (84%).
The Best of Omo Powder (84%).
Powerful Rays of the Sun Aldi Almat’s laundry detergent has a pleasant fragrance (82%).
About eighty-one percent of that sum comes from Cold Power Advanced Clean Powder.
Woolworth’s Clean Sunny Glow 80% Concentrated Washing Soda
76% of Cold Power is made up of Clean and Fresh Powder.
Inks and dyes from Coles’s Ion Liquid Concentrate (76%)
Original Coles Ion Liquid Concentrate (76%).
The Full-Scale, Professional Release of Dynamo Oxi Plus Liquid, the Best Stain Remover (76%)
Dynamo Professional 7-in-1 Washing Up Liquid with 75% Concentration.
These detergents performed the worst in our test of front-loading washer detergents. Aldi and Woolworths brought home the wooden spoons despite having some of the highest-scoring goods overall.
While the performance of the Woolworths Essentials Laundry Liquid Clean Wash and Bosisto’s Laundry Liquid Sensitive were both comparable to that of plain water, the performance of the Aldi Laundrite Laundry Liquid was worse than that of plain water.
Both of these store-bought detergents only cost six cents per wash, but they are so ineffective that you will likely need to wash your clothes twice to get them clean. At The Bosisto’s, a wash would cost you back a whopping fifty cents.
Unfortunately, several supermarkets’ own brands, including those from Coles, Woolworths, and Aldi, are among the 10 worst products we evaluated.
If you are already utilizing any of the products below, you may want to reconsider your next purchase. It’s imperative that you never use any of the following cleaning products:
Liquid Laundry Detergent from Aldi’s Laundrite Brand (46%).
The majority, or 49 percent, is made up of Woolworth’s Essentials Liquid Clean Wash for Laundry.
When it comes to laundry detergent, 49% of us choose Bosisto’s Sensitive Laundry Liquid.
Geranium and musk, a 50% combination, Woolworths Macro Laundry Liquid, contains only water (the other 50%).
Concentrated Sensitive Washing Detergent by Coles (51% Concentration)
Woolworths Essentials Laundry Powder is the best-selling brand, with Bright Clean Wash making up 53% of all purchases.
Amazing Scent Craving Superb Velvety Fluid (53%).
Incredible Vividly Refreshing Fluid (53%).
Red Cherry Blossom Liquid with Cotton Seed Oil from Fab Essentials. The cotton seed oil content is 54%.
When it comes to top-loading washing machines, the most efficient detergents we tested
You may have seen that ratings for top-loading detergents are far lower than those for front-loading detergents. This is because our study revealed that top-loading washers are less efficient.
Ashley argues that this makes it even more critical for top-loader fans to choose a detergent that performs well relative to others in its category.
Supermarket brands like Aldi’s Almat Laundry Powder Concentrate Sunshine Fresh and Coles’ Lemon Fresh Laundry Powder proved once again that you don’t have to stick to branded brands to have a great wash.
Ashley claims that testing results show that “you can get a beautiful wash for a fraction of the cost of the main brands” at Aldi and Coles. Here’s an example: Cold Power Clean and Fresh Powder scored 61% of the possible points, followed by Omo Laundry Detergent Powder (59%) and Omo Ultimate Powder (58%). “Aldi and Coles’ result in our testing goes to prove that you can obtain a fantastic value for your money.”
Keep in mind that they are not directly equivalent; branded products, such as Cold Power, cost 81 cents every wash, whereas Omo costs between 45 and 60 cents per wash. At only 12 cents a load, Aldi’s Almat Laundry Powder is a steal, while at 17 cents, Coles’ Lemon Fresh Laundry Powder is a bargain.
Our research shows that supermarkets own-brand products are competitive with national names. The best top-loading detergents were found at both Aldi (on the left) and Coles (in the center).
Our most powerful top-loading detergents are as follows:
Aldi Almat washing powder scented with 62% concentrated Sunshine Fresh fragrance.
The majority, or 62%, is made up of Coles Lemon Fresh Laundry Powder.
The clean, fresh powder makes up 61% of Cold Power.
Among the least effective detergents we tested, those used in top-loading machines ranked worst.
In our testing, we discovered many low-quality detergents (including some popular brands) with scores below 50%. Our worst-performing top loaders were:
Only 42% may be attributed to water.
Woolworths’ Macro Laundry Liquid contains 45% geranium and musk.
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