Every year, Consumer Reports runs a series of tests to determine what the best laundry detergent to use for a number of specific needs. In this year’s test, Tide and Persil were overall winners, whereas some of the cheaper brands were barely able to lift any dirt and grime.
When you’re looking for the best laundry detergent, you should consider what your needs are regarding whose clothes you’re cleaning.
There are detergents for those with allergies and sensitive skin.
There are also detergents that are completely useless. You might be getting better value by washing your clothes with just water.
If you have kids who are constantly on getting dirty, getting grass stains and spaghetti sauce all over themselves, you might need the most powerful laundry detergents.
For every situation there is more than likely a product that caters to your needs.
Read the detailed consumers report or read further for the summary of this year’s winners.
What laundry detergent has the best value?
According to Consumer Reports, the award for the laundry detergent with the best value goes to Kirkland Signature Ultra Clean (Costco’s brand). The award was based on the effectiveness to remove dirt and body oil for about half the price of the leading brands.
This product didn’t measure up when it came to the tougher stains such as grass and blood. This might be a factor if you have rambunctious kids or are married to an MMA fighter.
What is the best laundry detergent to use for babies?
The laundry detergent that won the award for Best For Baby Clothes goes to Kirkland Signature Ultra Free and Clear. Unless your baby’s skin becomes irritated, most pediatricians will say regular detergent is alright to use for babies. Kirkland’s brand doesn’t carry dyes or perfumes which is a characteristic of most hypoallergenic formulas but at a fraction of the price.
What is the best laundry detergent to use for sensitive skin?
After Consumer Report’s testing (February 2020) the best laundry detergent for sensitive skin was Persil ProClean Sensitive Skin. This was the most effective at removing the tougher stains without irritating the skin from dyes and fragrances.
What is the best laundry detergent to use for removing stains?
The laundry detergents that tested the best for removing the toughest stains was Persil ProClean Stain Fighter and Tide Plus Ultra Stain Release. When used to pretreat stains, both products tested outperformed spray-on stain removers. Since Kingston has hard water, Tide might be the best choice for removing tough stains as it performed well in the hard water test.
What are the worst laundry detergents to use?
The Worst Performing Laundry detergents were Sun Triple Clean and Era 3X Oxibooster. These detergents were able to remove sweat and body oil from clothes. However, they failed miserably when working on tougher stains.
Coffee and chocolate proved too tough to take on. When compared to the options such as Tide, Persil and Kirkland, these detergents were no match in cleaning power.
How is the detergent tested for effectiveness?
Manufacturers are said to reformulate their detergent at least once a year. Each brand makes an effort to improve the cleansing power of their products. Consumer reports test each product by washing heavily stained clothes. Clothes are stained with blood, dirt, body oil, chocolate, coffee, grass and salad dressing.
These are the toughest stains to get out. No product removes the entire stain. However, it’s easier to compare products by seeing how much of the stain is removed.
The clothes are then hung to dry since a dryer could alter the colour of the stains. The technicians ill then use a colorimeter to test how much of the stain remains on each swatch.
The best products receive high ratings based on the ability to remove body oil, dirt. The test also takes into account how well they remove tough stains.
Some of the worst detergents were the equivalent of using water. Most people tend to choose their laundry detergent based on what’s on sale or what smells the best.
At least now you know that not all products are created equal. If you value clean clothes you may want to stay away from the bottom of the barrel brands.
For coin laundry in Kingston, you might want to stick to using Tide for its effectiveness in hard water.