If you've been slaving over a hot (or cold) washing machine only to end up with laundry that doesn't look much cleaner than before you washed it, you don't have to resign yourself to grubby garments.
CHOICE's laundry experts have been testing laundry products from washing machines and laundry detergent to irons and steam stations for decades, so they know what it takes to get a winning wash.
These insider tips will help you on your way to laundry success.
1. Shop smart
First things first: to get the best results, you need the best products. All the techniques in the world won't help if you're working with a washed-up washing machine, a dud detergent, or a sub-standard stain remover.
Buying the best doesn't have to mean buying the most expensive, though. Our testing frequently turns up products that deliver top performance for low prices. If you shop smart you can get whiter whites and brighter brights without blowing your budget.
If you shop smart you can get whiter whites and brighter brights without blowing your budget
Take laundry detergent, for example. The top performing products in our review aren't cheap – some cost as much as $1.35 per wash.
But our experts also found some brilliant bargains that perform almost as well as the pricey products but cost far less. These three powders cost less than 30 cents a wash but will give you almost as good a wash as the expensive ones:
- Active Expert Laundry Powder Expert: CHOICE Expert Rating: 74% (16 cents per wash)
- Aldi Trimat Advanced Laundry Liquid Concentrate: 73% (26 cents per wash)
- Coles Ultra Concentrate Laundry Powder: 71% (24 cents per wash)
Just want the best, regardless of price? Our laundry detergent reviews will tell you which wash is which.
CHOICE tip: You can get the same results from using half the recommended dose of laundry detergent – so you'll spend half as much for the same clean.
It's a similar story with stain removers: cheap sprays and powders from Coles, Woolies and Aldi held their own against more expensive brand-name products in our testing.
Here are the cheap stain removers our experts recommend, plus the best from our tests.
2. Keep your cool
If you're dealing with particularly persistent stains, you might assume that blasting them with hot water will make them disappear.
But unfortunately, heat will actually make stains set in more stubbornly – this is especially true for blood stains.
We recommend you soak and wash in cold water, and air dry rather than tumble dry.
The one exception to this is grease stains. If you're dealing with a garment that's grubby from oil, squirt some dishwashing liquid on it, leave it to soak and rinse with hot water. Then run it through a hot wash and line dry.
It's an open and shut case: front loaders will give you a better wash than top loaders.
3. Get the right tool for the job
Are you a front loader family, or a top loader tribe? Our testing shows that one is better than the other: front loaders overwhelmingly outperform top loaders in our laundry lab.
In our washing machine reviews, nearly 33% of front loaders made the cut to be recommended by our experts – but only 13% of top loaders were good enough to impress our seasoned testers.
Front loaders are superior on just about every front: they clean better, cost less to run, use less water, and they're gentler on your clothes.
It'll cost you more to buy a front loader, but you'll save money on your bills and on clothes because they won't wear out as quickly.
4. Full steam ahead
Want to re-wear your favourite shirt but don't have time to wash it? Try getting steamy with it instead.
While it's not quite a replacement for a whirl in the washing machine, giving your clothes a going-over with a garment steamer can freshen them up enough to get another wear out of them.
Clothes that have been in storage for a while can also benefit from a quick steam – when it's time to pull your summer wardrobe out, steam can help to send any mustiness packing.
Garment steamers are also great for refreshing upholstery, rugs, curtains, pet beds and blankets and reducing lingering smells.
5. Less is more
If your clothes are coming out of the wash looking dirty, that doesn't necessarily mean you're not using enough laundry detergent.
Those white marks that sometimes appear on your clothes after you've washed them can be caused by detergent building up in your machine. (It's called 'scrud', in case you were wondering.)
While it might seem to make sense to throw more detergent at the problem, it won't actually get your clothes cleaner – and it could even make it worse.
To deal with the issue, give your washing machine a spring clean (read on to find out how) and, to stop it happening again, don't overdo it on the detergent.
Fabric softener can also make your clothes dirtier, not cleaner. That's because it coats your laundry with chemicals that make them feel more slippery, so they're actually coming out of the wash with more gunk on them, not less.
Plus, fabric softener can team up with laundry detergent to create even more scrud – which is bad news for your machine and your laundry.
Wipe the rubber door seals on your machine regularly to stop mould from forming.
6. Clean the cleaner
While you rely on your washing machine to get your clothes clean, what do you do to return the favour?
It's pretty simple: you won't get clean clothes with a dirty washing machine, so every so often you should give it a thorough spring clean to make sure it's as clean as you want your laundry to be.
So, how do you do it? Well, it depends on your specific machine, but running an empty load on a hot cycle should do the trick. If your machine has a dedicated cleaning cycle, use that instead.
You can use a bit of detergent or some vinegar (but check the instruction manual first – some manufacturers say you should avoid vinegar).
Other tips to ensure a clean machine:
- Wipe the rubber door seals each time you use it to help prevent mould
- Leave the door or lid open in between washes so it doesn't get musty
- Use hot soapy water to clean mould and detergent build-up
- Once a year, use a toothbrush to scrub detergent out of nooks and crannies (including the detergent dispenser)
We're on your side
For more than 60 years, we've been making a difference for Australian consumers. In that time, we've never taken ads or sponsorship.
Instead we're funded by members who value expert reviews and independent product testing.
With no self-interest behind our advice, you don't just buy smarter, you get the answers that you need.
You know without hesitation what's safe for you and your family. And our recent sunscreens test showed just how important it is to keep business claims in check.
So you'll never be alone when something goes wrong or a business treats you unfairly.
Learn more about CHOICE membership today
Stock images: Getty, unless otherwise stated.
