Our tests of dozens of laundry detergents show there are real differences, and not all get clothes clean. We bring on chocolate ice cream, tea, grass, blood, red wine, clay, and sebum (body oil), and test using cool water. Why cool? It’s one to help you save money on your energy bills. Whether you’re brand loyal or buy what’s on sale, here’s the dirt on suds.
Match Your Detergent to Your Machine
Detergents are available as liquids, powders, and single-use packs or pods. Most are concentrated, which reduces the plastic needed to make the bottles and the fuel for the delivery trucks. But old habits die hard, so follow the usage directions and measure the concentrated detergent—no more free-form pouring.
The Trouble With Pods and Fabric Softener
Pods
These are convenient and some are impressive at cleaning, but poison-control centers nationwide received 12,594 reports of children 5 and younger ingesting or inhaling pods, or getting pod contents on their skin or in their eyes in 2015, according to the American Association of Poison Control Centers. Given this continued danger, we do not include pods on our list of recommended detergents. And we strongly urge households where children younger than 6 are present to skip pods altogether.
Did You Know?
As early as 2012 Consumer Reports called on manufacturers to make pods safer, and many responded by switching from clear to opaque plastic containers and, on some, adding child-resistant latches. We’re also part of the committee that has set a new voluntary standard for the industry, which includes adding a bitter-tasting substance to the outer film of the detergent pacs, and ensuring they’re tougher to burst when squeezed by young kids. Some manufacturers have already made these changes.
Fabric Softeners
Softener is added to some detergents, which claim to clean and soften clothing in a single step. A caveat: We have long advised against the use of liquid fabric softener on children’s sleepwear and on any clothes that have been treated with fire retardant. It’s been shown to reduce flame resistance.
Laundry Lessons
Even the best detergent can’t make up for bad laundry practices. Here are four rules to live by when you do the wash, plus our expert advice for tackling the toughest stains. Our textile experts show you how to remove tough mustard, red wine, chewing gum, and ink stains. Some of our advice involves weird but solid science. -consumerreports.org
