The CHOICE laundry lab has conducted its latest round of detergent testing, analysing more than 40 popular laundry powders, liquids and capsules for their cleaning prowess – or lack thereof.
And the results have delivered some big surprises, especially when we compare performance against price.
Want to know if your detergent is a winner or a wash-out? We reveal the best and worst cleaners from our tests below.
No, you’re not seeing double – our detailed laundry detergent test results have two entries for each product.
So why the double-up?
When we test any product in our labs, we leave nothing to chance: our testers are a diligent bunch. Not only do we test each detergent on multiple types of stains, we also test each one in a top loader and a front loader.
“Top loaders and front loaders perform quite differently: front loading machines generally give you a better wash, so the detergents score higher in front loaders,” says CHOICE expert Chris Barnes.
“We test detergents in both top and front loaders so you can see which detergent will work best in your washing machine.”
CHOICE expert Chris Barnes gives these laundry detergents the thumbs up.
Omo has really cleaned up in our latest laundry detergent test, with two of its products topping the results and a total of three Omo detergents recommended by our experts for use in front loaders.
Historically, Omo has performed well, with at least one product recommended by our experts in every test over the last decade.
Omo Active Clean Powder and Ultimate Powder were the front runners for front loaders, both with CHOICE Expert Ratings of 82%, followed by Omo Ultimate Liquid, which earned a CHOICE Expert Rating of 81%.
But those kinds of results don’t come cheap. Omo’s Ultimate Powder is the most expensive recommended product in our test – it costs a whopping $36 for a 2kg pack, or $1.16 per wash.
Fortunately for those of us on a budget, there’s one top scoring detergent that’ll give you great results without pouring your money down the drain: Aldi’s Trimat Advanced Laundry Powder Concentrate.
It tied for first place alongside the Omo products with a CHOICE Expert Rating of 82% and it’ll only set you back 44c per wash.
Top scoring detergents for front loaders
These laundry detergents are all recommended by our experts.
Omo products dominated in our front loader test.
Aldi Trimat Advanced Laundry Powder Concentrate: 82% (44c per wash)
Omo Active Clean Powder: 82% (71c per wash)
Omo Ultimate Powder: 82% ($1.16 per wash)
Omo Ultimate Liquid: 81% ($1 per wash)
Cold Power Advanced Clean Laundry Powder: 80% (65c per wash)
Active Expert laundry powder: Good for your wash and your wallet.
These products didn’t make the cut to be recommended by our experts, but they’ll give you a great clean without taking you to the cleaners.
That’s why we call them our “Best buys”.
They all cost less than 30 cents per wash and have a CHOICE Expert Rating of at least 70% in our front loader detergent test.
Active Expert Laundry Powder: 78% (16c per wash)
Aldi Trimat Advanced Laundry Liquid Concentrate: 74% (20c per wash)
Active Expert Laundry Liquid: 71% (12c per wash)
Worst detergents for front loaders
These laundry detergents scored lowest when we tested them in front loaders. We’ve included plain water for comparison (you’ll see some products barely did a better job of cleaning than no product at all).
Ecostore’s lemon laundry powder is cheap but that doesn’t make it a good buy.
Water only: 48%
Ecostore Laundry Powder Lemon: 57% (21c per wash)
Biozet Attack Plus Softener Liquid: 57% (76c per wash)
Ecostore Laundry Powder Ultra Sensitive: 58% (22c per wash)
Biozet Attack Plus Sensitive Liquid: 58% (76c per wash)
Aldi Almat Laundry Liquid Front Loader: 59% (6c per wash)
You may notice that ratings for top loader detergents are much lower than those for front loader detergents. That’s because our testing has consistently found over the years that top loading machines don’t wash as well.
Our testing has consistently found that top loading machines don’t wash as well
“With that in mind, choosing a high-performing detergent is even more important for people with top loaders,” says Chris.
Aldi Trimat Advanced: Top laundry powder for top loaders.
So what are the top detergents for your top loader?
Top of the tops is Aldi’s Trimat Advanced Powder, coming in ahead of Omo Ultimate Powder which costs more than two-and-a-half times as much per wash.
Cold Power Advanced Clean Powder was hot on Omo’s heels, delivering almost as good a wash for 50 cents less per load.
“The Aldi Trimat laundry powder delivers decent performance at a fraction of the cost of the leading brands,” says Chris.
The Aldi Trimat laundry powder delivers decent performance at a fraction of the cost of the leading brands
Chris Barnes, CHOICE expert
Our experts recommend detergents that score 60% and above when used in top loader washing machines.
These are the top-scoring top loader detergents:
Aldi Trimat Advanced Laundry Powder Concentrate: 66% (44c per wash)
Omo Ultimate Powder: 62% ($1.16 per wash)
Cold Power Advanced Clean Laundry Powder: 60% (65c per wash)
These single-use detergents are a convenient alternative to liquids and powders. They’re concentrated liquid laundry detergent in a dissolvable plastic wrapper that can be dropped straight into your washing machine – no measuring, scooping or pouring required.
They’re hit and miss in terms of performance: some capsules are among the best performers, but others didn’t knock (or wash) our socks off. They can also be more expensive per wash than some powder and liquid detergents, and you can’t adjust the dose.
Some capsules are among the best performers, but others didn’t knock (or wash) our socks off
Our experts say you can get just as good a wash with only half the recommended amount of detergent, which will obviously halve the cost per wash. But with laundry capsules you’re stuck with the pre-prepared dose, so you’ll pay the full cost per wash.
The top scoring capsules for front loaders
Omo wins again – this time for laundry capsules.
These capsules are our experts’ top picks for your front loader:
Omo 3 in 1 Capsules – Active: 76% ($1.07 per wash)
Dynamo Professional Discs 7 in 1: 74% ($1 per wash)
Cold Power Advanced Clean Laundry Capsules: 71% (90c per wash)
Aldi Almat Laundry Capsules: 70% (26c per wash)
Cheap and cheerful: The best buy capsule for front loaders
Looking to save some cash on your capsules?
The Aldi Almat Laundry Capsules will give you the best bang for your buck: they’re recommended by our experts and they cost around a quarter for the Omo capsules.
The capsules that flounder in front loaders
Active by name, but not by nature: these were the lowest scoring capsules in our tests.
If you’re thinking of switching to capsules, don’t go with these:
Active Expert Laundry Capsules: 59% (33c per wash)
Surf Capsules – Tropical: 62% (47c per wash)
Bosisto’s Sensitive Laundry Capsules: 62% (85c per wash)
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Alice Richard is a Content creator and marketer. Alice writes on a range of topics, from health insurance to heaters and BBQs to bargain-hunting, always with the aim to help consumers find the best products to buy, and which to avoid.
Alice can take vast amounts of data from CHOICE product tests and turn it into content that is easily digestible and fun for readers.
Alice has a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Queensland.
Alice Richard is a Content creator and marketer. Alice writes on a range of topics, from health insurance to heaters and BBQs to bargain-hunting, always with the aim to help consumers find the best products to buy, and which to avoid.
Alice can take vast amounts of data from CHOICE product tests and turn it into content that is easily digestible and fun for readers.
Alice has a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Queensland.
For more than 60 years, CHOICE has been fighting the good fight for Australian consumers.
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