Laundry detergents occupy a fair bit of shelf space at the supermarkets these days. As with many other products, the choice is rather overwhelming. And that’s before you even get to the part where you decide between liquid and powder. That overwhelming array is part of the reason that I stuck with the same brand for many years. But that all changed in May last year.
And it was nothing to do with laundry detergent. It was because I embarked on a year-long journey of minding houses and pets around Victoria. Originally, I planned to bring along my favourite laundry detergent brand, but once you’ve had to move two or three times within a couple of months, you learn to travel more lightly.
For me, travelling more lightly meant using whatever was the preferred laundry detergent of the householder. I had expected I would not really notice a difference but, over time, I did. For instance, I found some detergents didn’t quite manage the get the BO smell out of my sweaty exercise clothes.
It was all rather unscientific, though. And when I couldn’t remember which laundry detergents where the better ones after several moves, my ‘research’ was rendered useless.
Thankfully, CHOICE has come to my rescue! CHOICE’s ‘laundry lab’ has conducted a new round of detergent testing. They’ve analysed more than 90 popular laundry powders, liquids, capsules and sheets to see how they perform. And not every laundry detergent gets a ‘clean’ bill of health.
The laundry detergents of CHOICE
Looking purely at performance, I was pleased to learn that CHOICE’s laundry lab found my original preferred brand best overall. The brand? Omo. I can’t remember how and when I landed on Omo as my brand but it’s nice to know I chose well.
Three of Omo’s products topped the results, and a total of nine Omo detergents were recommended by the CHOICE experts. Omo really excelled when it came to front-loading washing machines, claiming the top three places on the front-loader table.
Omo Ultimate Powder topped the list with an 86 per cent rating, with Omo Laundry Powder second (84 per cent). Coming in third was … Omo. This time it was Omo’s Ultimate 3 in 1 Capsule Front Loader, which clocked a rating of 82 per cent.
A host of laundry detergents came in equal fourth, all rating 80 per cent. Among those was – you guessed it – Omo! Three of Omo’s products where in the list of six equal fourth-placed products. They included ‘Ultimate Liquid’, ‘Ultimate Sensitive Liquid’ and ‘With A Touch of Comfort Freshness 3 in 1 Capsule’.
To ensure we don’t make this an Omo love fest, the other detergents to rate 80 per cent were Biozet Attack Power Capsule + Eliminator 8 in 1 Clean, Dynamo Professional Discs Deep Clean 7 in 1 Action, and Dynamo Professional Discs Deep Clean Odour Eliminator (80 per cent).
As for the worst of the front-loaders, Aldi’s Laundrite Laundry Liquid took out the unwanted wooden spoon. It rated just 50 per cent, which is the same rating as water alone.
Combining quality with value
Quality is, of course, important – but so is cost. Bearing that in mind, CHOICE had better news for lovers of the Aldi brand. Aldi actually topped the table of CHOICE’s ‘Best buys for front-loaders’ section. To qualify for this, the laundry detergents must cost less than 30 cents per wash and have a CHOICE Expert Rating of at least 70 per cent.
Aldi’s Laundrite Laundry Powder (as opposed to the liquid) rated highest in this area, at 79 per cent, ahead of Coles Tropical Paradise Concentrate Laundry Powder (76 per cent).
What about laundry detergents for top-loaders?
If you have a top-loading washing machine, fear not. CHOICE has been just as thorough in its assessments for laundry detergents using those machines. Across the board these all rated lower than the identical detergents used in front-loaders. This is because “front-loading machines generally give you a better wash”, says CHOICE’s Matthew Steen.
And the winner? Aldi’s Laundrite Laundry Powder again, with a rating of 69 per cent. Aldi also claimed third place with two of its ‘Trimat Advanced’ varieties, while Omo Ultimate Powder finished second with 65 per cent.
To check out the complete ratings list, and to find out if laundry detergent capsules are any good click here.
Do you compare laundry detergents regularly? Or do you stick with your favourite every time? Let us know via the comments section below.
Also read: The surface cleaners that really work
Great to know.
Now, if the companies that manufacture these (and other) household products, would just STOP using fragrance, I’d start using them.
Yep, OMO, the choice of suburban housewives for decades. Not saying how good it was in getting the dirt out of her life, but in the days before mobile phones, the lady of the house would place her OMO in a front window as a sign to her special friend.
OMO, obviously means “Old Man Out”. And by inference, certain visitors would be welcome.
The machine also has a big influence in how effective the wash will be and just because it’s big and flash, doesn’t mean that it is gentle and effective in getting the dirt out.