I tried supermarket washing powders against Persil and Fairy – and a budget brand cleaned up
ALL laundry detergents claim to remove stains, whiten your whites and brighten colours with their “new and improved” formulas – we find out which ones really deliver.
With so many detergents on supermarket shelves, it can be difficult to choose which one really works best.
Most of us pick a familiar brand and stick with it – but that could be a mistake.
We conducted a test and found that in many cases cheaper washing powders were just as good at removing stains so sticking with big brands could be a waste of money.
We tested a mix of biological and non-bio powders.
Biological powders contain enzymes that break down fat, grease and starch and often make the toughest stains. But some people find these irritate the skin and can cause colours to fade.
We asked mum-of-three Lynsey Hope, 40, from West Malling, Kent, to test and rate some best-sellers. Here’s what happened:
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Aldi Almat Non-Bio
- £2.99 for 40 washes
- Price per wash: 7.4p
Lynsey says: “Aldi‘s powder was the best at removing food stains and marks on the kids clothes left by mud and grass.
“It was great at keeping whites bright too, even after multiple washes.
“There was some evidence of colour fading when used on coloured loads though.”
EFFECTIVENESS: 9/10
VALUE: 10/10
OVERALL RATING: 10/10
Total score: 29/30
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Lidl Formil Colour
- £2.99 for 40 washes
- Price per wash: 7.5p
Lynsey says: “It is annoying when your new top fades after a few washes. I have to say Lidl‘s powder didn’t seem to mute colours at all.
“There are better powders for whites, but I really rated this for coloured loads.
“It’s great value at just £2.99 for 40 washes so if you’re looking for a budget powder, consider putting this on your shopping list.”
EFFECTIVENESS: 8/10
VALUE: 10/10
OVERALL RATING: 9/10
Total score: 27/30
Tesco Colour Bio Detergent Powder
- £3.75 for 40 washes
- Price per wash: 9.3p
Lynsey says: “Brilliant at removing stains even when used at lower temperatures.
“The Tesco powder did a great job of removing mud and dirt and I had no issues with colour fading.
“I actually went back to buy another box but sadly, it was out of stock. At 9.3p a wash, it’s great value too.”
EFFECTIVENESS: 9/10
VALUE: 8/10
OVERALL RATING: 8/10
Total score: 25/30
Asda Sensitive Non-bio Powder
- £4 for 45 washes
- Price per wash: 9p
Lynsey says: “I found Asda‘s powder effective. It’s not overly scented like some of the others and washing came out nice and clean, which can be hard when you have three messy kids.
“It didn’t irritate my two-year-old’s sensitive skin and I thought it worked well on both colours and whites so could be a good all-round choice.
“Great value for money.”
EFFECTIVENESS: 9/10
VALUE: 8/10
OVERALL RATING: 8/10
Total score: 25/30
Sainbury’s Non Bio Laundry Powder
- £2.75 for 25 washes
- Price per wash: 11p
Lynsey says: “The Sainsbury’s Non-Bio did a great job of removing make-up and food stains from clothes.
“It also got some mud and grass stains off my son’s school shirts. Coloured clothes stayed bright after washing and whites stayed white.
“It’s a smaller box than Aldi’s or Lidl’s and pricier per wash, otherwise it would have been my best buy. I felt overall it did the best job.”
EFFECTIVENESS: 10/10
VALUE: 4/10
OVERALL RATING: 7/10
Total score: 21/30
Persil Non Bio
- £7 for 37 washes
- Price per wash: 18.9p
Lynsey says: “I’d never tried Persil before but this did a great job.
“The powder managed to get tomato soup out of my son’s school shirt and in past, I’ve found soup to stain.
“It was gentle on skin and didn’t cause any itchiness. The only downside is the price. It was the most expensive costing 18.9p a wash – a luxury most of us can’t afford these days.”
EFFECTIVENESS: 10/10
VALUE: 2/10
OVERALL: 8/10
Total score: 20/30
Morrisons Non-Bio Washing Powder
- £4 for 40 washes
- Price per wash: 10p
Lynsey says: “The Morrisons powder didn’t dissolve very well in the drawer and I ended up with solid lumps that I had to clean out and was a faff I could do without.
“This didn’t happen with the others.
“The powder worked well and my whites were nice and bright when they came out, but the clog it caused would put me off buying it again.”
EFFECTIVENESS: 5/10
VALUE: 4/10
OVERALL RATING: 4/10
Total score: 13/30
Fairy Non Bio
- £7.40 for 40 washes
- Price per wash: 18.5p
Lynsey says: “You expect big brands to do the best job, but what I’ve discovered here is that doesn’t always happen.
“I felt my coloured clothes were faded and worn after using it and they had a horrible feel, not the soft just washed feel you’d expect.
“It was better on whites but they still weren’t soft after washing. When you consider this is nearly twice the price of the Asda powder for less washes, it’s just not worth it.”
EFFECTIVENESS: 5/10
VALUE: 3/10
OVERALL RATING: 3/10
Total score: 11/30
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Elsewhere, we tried all the supermarket microwave noodles and compared them to a big brand and the results were surprising.
And on a more summery theme, we’ve tried all the Neapolitan ice creams to find the tastiest, and tested Magnum ice-cream dupes to pick our favourite.
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