Does your laundry detergent REALLY work?
Many homeowners spend hundreds of dollars each year on laundry detergent to ensure their clothes remain stain-free and in good condition.
But what if all those loads of washing are doing little more than spinning your clothes around in plain old water?
A new review by Australian consumer advocacy group, CHOICE, of more than 100 detergents has found that some products on the market are doing just that, with the cleaning power of some just three per cent better than water.
A new review by Australian consumer advocacy group, CHOICE, of more than 100 detergents has found that some products on the market are performing little better than water
'Detergent also amounts to at least half the running cost of your washing machine, so it pays to pick the right one,' they explained in their review
'Detergent also amounts to at least half the running cost of your washing machine, so it pays to pick the right one,' they explained in their review.
After being exposed to spills like oils, tomato and starches, the detergent found to be the best on the market was the Trimat Advanced Concentrated Laundry Front Loader.
The $5.99 product was given a score of 80 per cent and had an 83 per cent efficiency score when it came to general detergency.
The Trimat Advanced Concentrated Laundry Powder Front loader detergent (left) was rated the best and was closely followed by OMO with A Touch of Comfort Inspired Freshness Powder Front loader (right) - they both scored 80% overall
Top five detergents 1. Trimat Advanced Concentrated Laundry Powder Front loader, $5.99 (80%) 2. OMO with A Touch of Comfort Inspired Freshness Powder Front loader, $20.99 (80%) 3. OMO Ultimate powder Front loader, $11.00 (80%) 4. Dynamo Professional Liquid Front loader, $17.50 (79%) 5. OMO With built in pre-treaters powder Front loader, $10.00 (79%)
Bottom five detergents 1. Fab Fragrance Temptations Gold Obsession Liquid Top loader, $9.00 (47%) 2. Surf 5 herbal extracts liquid Top loader, $5.00 (47%) 3. Woolworths Essentials Laundry Liquid Bright Clean Wash Top Loader , $1.49 (47%) 4. Amolin Sensitive Laundry Liquid Top loader, $5.50 (48%) 5. Green Action Floral Fragrance Laundry Liquid Top loader, $1.79 (48%)
This was followed by the OMO with A Touch of Comfort Inspired Freshness Powder Front Loader ($20.99) at 80 per cent.
This performed better on grass and mud stains however, with a score of 91 per cent.
The OMO Ultimate powder Front loader powder came in at third with 80 per cent, the Dynamo Professional Liquid Front Loader liquid detergent came in fourth with 79 per cent and the OMO With built in pre-treaters powder front loader powder was fifth at 79 per cent.
The Fab Fragrance Temptations Gold Obsession Liquid Top loader detergent (left) and the Surf 5 herbal extracts liquid Top loader (right) had the lowest ratings at 47%
How did high-end products rate? OMO with A Touch of Comfort Inspired Freshness Powder Top loader, $20.99 (58%) OMO with A Touch of Comfort Inspired Freshness Powder Front loader, $20.99 (80%) Biozet Attack Rapid Quick Wash Liquid Top loader, $19.99 (50%) Dynamo Professional Liquid Top loader, $17.50 (53%) Cold Power Sensitive Liquid Front loader, $16.50 (71%)
How did low-end products rate? Woolworths Essentials Laundry Liquid Bright Clean Wash Top loader, $1.49 (47%) Woolworths Essentials Laundry Liquid Bright Clean Wash Front loader, $1.49 (53%) Green Action Floral Fragrance Laundry Liquid Top loader, $1.79 (48%) Green Action Floral Fragrance Laundry Liquid Front loader, $1.79 (59%) Clean Laundry Powder Sensitive Top loader, $3.50 (52%)
Budget Coles brand Ultra Concentrate front loader powder followed closely behind at 78 per cent and costs just $4.00.
The lowest rated products performed little better than water in a top loader which had a 44 per cent efficiency score and worse than water in a front loader which had a 51 per cent score.
The lowest rated product overall was the Fab Fragrance Temptations Gold Obsession Liquid Top loader liquid detergent ($9.00) which came in at 47 per cent.
This was followed by Surf 4 herbal extracts liquid top loader detergent at 47 per cent, the Woolworths Essentials Laundry Liquid Bright Clean Wash Top loader detergent at 47 per cent and the Amolin Sensitive Laundry Liquid Top loader at 48 per cent.
Interestingly, the top 30 products were all designed for front loaders, not top loader machines
Best 3 front loader detergents 1. Trimat Advanced Concentrated Laundry Powder Front loader, $5.99 (80%) 2. OMO Ultimate powder Front loader, $11.00 (80%) 3. OMO With A Touch of Comfort Inspired Freshness Powder Front loader, $20.99 (80%)
Best 3 top loader detergents 1. Trimat Advanced Concentrated Laundry Powder Top loader, $5.99 (64%) 2. OMO Ultimate powder Top loader, $11.00 (63%) 3. Trimat Advanced Concentrated Laundry Powder Colour Care Top loader, $5.99 (63%)
Green Action's Floral Fragrance top loader liquid, the Biozet Attack 3D Clean Action Liquid top loader detergent, Fab's Fragrance Temptations Spice Allure top loader liquid and the Purity Sensitive Laundry Liquid Top loader all performed worst than water in a front loader.
Products that performed the best on mineral oils included the Dynamo Professional Liquid front loader at 68 per cent (overall 79 per cent) and the Dynamo Superior Stain Removal liquid Front loader at 64 per cent (overall 78 per cent).
Interestingly, the top 30 products were all designed for front loaders.
The best rated top loader product is the Trimat Advanced Concentrated Laundry Powder Top loader at 31 with a rating of 64 per cent.
Of the top 10, four were liquid detergents and six were powders.
The detailed ratings for each product can be found here.