Credit:
Reviewed / Jonathan Chan
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Credit:
Reviewed / Jonathan Chan
Reviewed's mission is to help you buy the best stuff and get the most out of what you already own. Our team of product experts thoroughly vet every product we recommend to help you cut through the clutter and find what you need.
Learn more about our product testing
Across all tests, Persil removed, on average, 2% more stains than Tide. While not clearly visible to the eye, it makes a difference over repeat washing, eking out a win over a longstanding favorite. Read More
The best-selling detergent in the U.S. for decades. It performs like a champ in most cases, but isn't the best with sensitive skin. Read More
Persil ProClean Sensitive Skin contains many possible irritants like borax, but it is a superior stain remover. Read More
Tide Purclean offers similar cleaning power to regular Tide but with a 75% plant-based formula. Read More
A perfume- and dye-free detergent that tied for third in our cleaning tests. In spite of a strong medicinal scent in the bottle, it left virtually no scent behind, as promised. Read More
Americans spend billions of dollars every year on laundry detergent. Since we're here for you and don't want you to waste any of your hard-earned cash, we embarked on a testing adventure to find the best laundry detergent out there on the market. We pitted the top-selling liquid laundry detergents against each other to see which reigns supreme over heavily soiled laundry.
Ultimately, Persil ProClean (available at Amazon) came out on top, because it had the best stain-removing prowess, especially over the tough stuff. For even more of a deal, our Best Value winner is an old favorite: Tide.
If you prefer more environmentally-friendly laundry detergents, we tested and evaluated those, too, and found Tide Purclean is the best eco-friendly laundry detergent.
On average, Persil removes an average of 2% more stains than Tide detergents—and that's why it's our top-ranked liquid laundry detergent.
Persil ProClean Sensitive Skin removed the most stains.
Tide Purclean is the best eco-friendly laundry detergent you can buy.
Perfume-free means less risk of irritation.
Affordable
No-mess dispenser
Limited availability with best deals available only at Costco
Hi, I’m Jon Chan, the senior manager of lab operations at Reviewed. If you use a product to clean your home with, I've likely tested it. Over the years, I've tested dozens of laundry detergents, including eco-friendly detergents and detergent alternatives. When it comes to detergents, I'm most interested in stain removal and cost-effectiveness.
To simulate the messes you might encounter in the garden or on the soccer field, we uniformly coated white T-shirts with grass and dirt stains.
To ensure testing is consistent, we use mechanically dyed swatches covered in sweat, oil, pig blood, red wine, and cocoa. We also produce our own stains in addition to the ones that are mechanically created. We use dirt, grass, tomato sauce, and fresh red wine in our testing and even dragged a colleague through dirt and grass!
Once our laundry has been sufficiently dirtied, it's time to clean! All of the detergents are tested using the Maytag MVWC565 top-loading washer on the normal cycle using warm water, using a standardized load of laundry: eight pounds total of pillowcases, towels, and bedsheets. This ensures we aren't just running a cycle with a few shirts and a stain strip in there, as underfilling your washer reduces the total scrubbing action present, which affects the results.
After running the wash cycles, we let the swatches and laundry dry overnight.
Finally, we use a photospectrometer—a device designed to detect changes in color—which allows us determine exactly how much of the stain was removed by each detergent. This approach gives us insight into how each detergent is performing on any specific stain, and also how they're performing in the aggregate sense, which allows us to pick a best overall or a best for any given stain. For the purposes of our testing here, we're more interested in the all-around best cleaners rather than singling out the cocoa-stain-fighting champion.
By law, manufacturers are not required to list the ingredients in their fragrances. So it can be difficult to know if you’re allergic to certain products. Even products labeled “unscented” can contain fragrances.
However, companies like P&G have vowed to be more transparent with what goes into making the scents of its products. If you’re concerned about fragrances, look for products that have the EPA’s Safe Choice seal.
There are many laundry detergents on the market that are marketed for people with sensitive skin. They have phrases like “free-and-clear'' and “hypoallergenic.” On the surface, hypoallergenic translates to products low in allergy-causing compounds.
It may sound counterintuitive, but using too much detergent will actually leave your laundry dirty. This happens because the base components of detergent work in specific concentrations. When those concentrations are too high, bad laundry mishaps can occur.
The more detergent you use, the more suds there will be. Newer washing machines have sensors that check for remaining dirt in the suds. Smart washers have programming that makes the assumption that you used the correct amount of detergent.
If you use too much detergent, then you'll get too many suds. These extra suds won't pick up any dirt and will obscure the fact there are more stains to be removed. When the sensors see only clean suds, then the machine will think that the wash is done, prematurely ending the cycle.
Using too much detergent can also cause damage to your washer. Detergent that doesn't get washed away dries up as residue inside your machine. Repeated overuse of detergent causes residue to build up, which eventually leads to blockages.
In a nutshell: Follow the instructions on the detergent bottles, as this will have the best guidance specific to whichever detergent you’re using. Beyond that, we recommend for a normal load of laundry, never fill the cap up more than a third of the way. On heavier loads, up to half way on the cap should do.
Laundry detergent does not expire in the same sense that food expires. However, laundry detergents do have a “best use by date.” Liquid detergents contain water, which can evaporate over time, leaving behind a sticky and clumpy mess.
The opposite is true of powder detergent, if moisture gets in, it can turn the detergent into a difficult-to-use rock.
The short answer is no, but you should be careful. And you should never intentionally ingest laundry detergent.
OSHA has a detailed scheme to indicate chemical hazards. Laundry detergents are a mixture of many chemicals. Most help with cleaning; others provide color and scent. Some ingredients irritate the skin or eyes and are harmful if swallowed.
Toxic chemicals cause severe harm even in small amounts. By this definition, laundry detergents aren’t considered toxic.
Liquid detergent is irritating if splashed on the skin or eyes, but rinsing usually clears this up. Long-term damage is unlikely.
We’ve all gotten soap in our eyes; it’s basically the same deal, but laundry detergent is more concentrated than shampoo or body wash.
“Free-and-clear” typically refers to a lack of dyes and perfumes, which can cause irritation. It also usually means that the detergent lacks any optical brighteners. We frown on the addition of optical brighteners because they use an actual trick of the light to make clothes look cleaner without removing any stains.
If you want a non-toxic laundry detergent, then minimize your risks by looking for Safe Choice products and using them correctly.
Jonathan Chan currently serves as the Lab Manager at Reviewed. If you clean with it, it's likely that Jon oversees its testing. Since joining the Reviewed in 2012, Jon has helped launch the company's efforts in reviewing laptops, vacuums, and outdoor gear. He thinks he's a pretty big deal. In the pursuit of data, he's plunged his hands into freezing cold water, consented to be literally dragged through the mud, and watched paint dry. Jon demands you have a nice day.
David Ellerby
Chief Scientist
Dave Ellerby is Reviewed's Chief Scientist and has a Ph.D. from the University of Leeds and a B.Sc. from the University of Manchester. He has over 25 years of experience designing tests and analyzing data.
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