Four years later, I am a fourth-generation dry cleaner and a big laundry nerd. Right out of school I went to work as a construction consultant focusing on high-end build-outs that’s when my dad, the managing director of luxury dry cleaner Jeeves NY, noticed that our clientele was similar and asked if I’d be interested in joining the family business. The prices below, however, reflect package prices in some cases, the prices listed are for multipacks.Photo-Illustration: The Strategist Photos: RetailersĪs a mechanical-engineering major, I never expected to become a laundry expert. For more information, including details on other types of detergents, check out our laundry detergent buying guide.Ī quick note about pricing: In our laundry detergent ratings, we calculate the price per load based on what we paid. We’ve also included the three worst-performing detergents in our tests. So we test to see which detergents perform best using hard water, as you’ll see in our ratings.īelow are our recommendations, based on our ratings, for the best liquid detergents and pods for a variety of laundry needs, from washing baby clothes to lifting tough stains. Hard water, which has a high mineral content, can reduce the effectiveness of some detergents. The worst detergents? They’re barely better than water when it comes to removing most stains. The best detergents we’ve tested do a stellar job of removing common stains like body oil and dirt, but they can also tackle tougher ones, such as grass and blood. Our testers use a colorimeter, a device that measures color intensity, to see how much of the stain remains on each dry swatch, then compare it with stained swatches that have been laundered using only water. (We don’t use a dryer because the heat can alter the stains.) (Even the best detergents can’t remove every stain completely.) Using cool water, we wash swatches in two identical washing machines with each detergent, then allow the swatches to air-dry. We use stains that are exceedingly hard to remove so that we can detect real performance differences among detergents.
Here’s how we determine which detergents fight the good fight: In our lab, CR’s test engineers launder fabric swatches that are saturated with blood, body oil, chocolate, coffee, dirt, grass, and salad dressing. “Most detergents sold today are liquid, and their popularity-plus the increase in sales of pods-means that few powders remain on store shelves,” says CR market analyst Kelly Moomey. As for powders, you’re likely to find that your choices have narrowed in recent years. Strips are better for the environment by reducing plastic but seem to lack the ingredients or concentration levels to do the job. Our tests reveal there’s a chasm between the best liquids, pods/packs, and laundry detergent strips, the latter of which tested so poorly in our labs that we don’t recommend them. Stroll your grocery store’s cleaning aisle and you’ll see a rainbow of products boasting Marvel hero-like superpowers-Ultra Oxi, Stain Fighter, Power Pods, O₂ Blitz, Boombastic Clean. How do you know which superlatives to believe and which detergent to choose? Some CR readers tell us they have strong preferences, and some variables are largely subjective (such as scent).īut cleaning power also varies depending on the type of detergent. How do we know? CR tests more than 60 detergents from top brands like Tide, Persil, and Kirkland Signature.
Not only do you have dozens of products to consider, but Consumer Reports’ testers found that the efficacy of detergents can vary greatly, even those made by the same brand. Shopping for the best laundry detergents can be a tricky endeavor.
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