Several popular brands of laundry detergent sheets are little more effective – and in one case, less effective – than plain water in front loading washing machines, testing by consumer group Choice has found.
A relatively new form of detergent, laundry detergent sheets are usually advertised as an environmentally friendly alternative to traditional forms of detergent such as powder and liquid, as they don’t contain single-use plastics.
“In principle, I don’t know why they shouldn’t be able to perform as well,” said Chris Barnes, who manages product testing reviews at Choice, and was involved in this year’s test of more than 50 laundry detergents – including powders, liquids, capsules and sheets. “I suspect they’re not actually delivering as much actual detergent in each dose.”
Choice tests detergents annually to find the best and worst products on shelves for front and top loading washing machines. A score above 70% for front loaders and above 60% for top loaders were what the experts recommended for an effective wash, as top loaders are generally less efficient at washing than front loaders. Front loaders have longer wash cycles, which means they’re able to wash the clothes more thoroughly, Barnes said.
For the second year in a row, Omo products cleaned up, taking out the first, second and third spots for front loaders. Omo powder scored 81%, followed by the Omo Ultimate 3 in 1 capsules and Omo Ultimate 3 in 1 Sensitive capsules with scores of 77% and 76% respectively.
Capsules, which tend to be the most expensive detergent category, were hit or miss for front loaders. The highest scoring capsule, the Omo Ultimate 3 in 1 Sensitive capsules, receiving 77% – at $1.29 a wash – but the lowest scoring capsule, Active Expert 3 in 1 laundry capsules, scored just 52%.
However, in front loaders and top loaders, laundry sheets ranked at the bottom of the list, performing little better than water. For front loaders, Skipper’s laundry detergent sheets scored 46% and Lucent Globe’s scored 45%. Restor’s Fresh Linen laundry detergent sheets scored 44%. Water alone was ranked at 45%.
A Restor spokesperson responded to the score, saying: “We have conducted extensive independent testing on Restor laundry detergent sheets, where the new formula demonstrated incredibly strong performance in both cleaning power and stain removal.”
A Skipper spokesperson said : “The testing focused on stain removal of specific soiling types, not whether the products remove oils and bacteria to keep clothes hygienic and fresh.”
“Comparing our sheets to plain water makes for a catchy headline, but it does not reflect their everyday utility in the household.”
Aldi’s Green Action laundry liquid concentrate was the next lowest non-sheet detergent for front loaders, scoring 45%. “We will investigate this allegation, however we are confident of our stringent processes in place that ensure our product quality meets and exceeds shoppers’ expectations,” an Aldi spokesperson said.
For top loaders, Aldi’s Trimat Advanced Laundry powder concentrate emerged as the most effective, with a score of 66%, beating Omo Powder Ultimate by one point.
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While Omo’s top-scoring products cost upwards of $0.83 per wash, three products with scores between 71% and 74% cost less than $0.30 per wash: Active Expert laundry powder, Aldi’s Trimat Advanced laundry liquid concentrate and Coles’s Ultra Concentrate laundry powder.
Barnes said that a typical load of laundry for most consumers is not very dirty, so in those cases a mild or weak detergent will actually do the job.
“It’s encouraging that there is a good mix out there of really good performers, but also decent and cheap performers,” said Barnes.
“It is actually worth doing a little bit of homework just to see what the cost per wash is – it can be quite surprising.”
However, Barnes said buying a better washing machine might be a more sensible use of money than spending more on detergents.
“A large amount of the actual cleaning process … is actually done by the mechanical action of the machine itself,” he said.
“A good detergent will not make up the difference for a really terrible washing machine.”
