The Ultimate Guide to the Best Laundry Detergents

1. Liquid laundry detergents can dissolve perfectly in all temperatures and work well in low powered energy-efficient washing machines. The most important thing with liquid detergents is to apply the right amount to your wash. Applying too much can leave residue on clothes and harm high-efficiency (HE) washers.
2. Powdered detergents are generally less expensive per load, and are best for best for cleaning grass and mud stains. On the downside, powdered detergents dissolve poorly is especially cold water - mix the detergent in with the water before putting your clothes into the wash.  Alternatively, stick to using powdered detergents using lukewarm water.
3. Single dose packs are powerful, effective and incredibly convenient. However, they cost more per laundry load than power or liquids. In addition, when cleaning particularly tough stains, you may need to use two packs. Finally, households with small children should be very careful, as the packs can easily be mistaken for candy.

• Use powdered detergents to save money and remove grass and mud stains
• Use laundry pods for easy convenience
• Use liquid detergents for greater control over portioning 

Buying the right detergent for your laundry will involve looking at some factors.

• Efficiency in Cleaning – Make sure that you get what you paid for a detergent. Some laundry detergents are more expensive than others. It does not mean that they are more effective. Test laundry detergents to find out which one is best for your needs.
• Allergies – Does anyone in your family have skin and other allergies? Children have more sensitive skin so their clothes should use less scented fabric softener and detergents. It may be best to go for scent- and dye-free laundry detergents. There are also specially formulated non-irritating laundry detergents that you can choose from.
• High Efficiency (HE) and non-HE – Check your washing machine. There are washing machines that are labeled “HE” or High Efficiency. These machines use less water and need to use laundry detergents formulated for them. Use “HE” labeled washing detergents for “HE” washing machine.
• Scents – Most washing detergents are scented these days. Whether you are using the powdered, liquid or single dose packs, you have to consider their scents. Consider that some people in your family or in your office are very sensitive to certain smells. Highly- scented detergents may trigger allergies. It is not advised to use highly-scented laundry detergents around newborns and infants.

Most of today’s laundry detergent formulas contain colorless dyes that bind to fabrics during a wash. These absorb light from part of the ultraviolet spectrum invisible to humans. At the same time, they reflecting back a blue wavelength part of the spectrum that is visible to humans as increased brightness.

Frankly, this is more like optical illusion than a professional solution. That’s because detergent alone is not enough to ultra whiten your whites.

To get your towels and linens as crisp and bright as top hotels do, add ½ cup of bleach to 1 quart of water; add this solution to your machine 5 minutes after the agitation cycle starts.

Based on our tests, here are the best laundry detergents on the market:

1. Tide Purclean Liquid Laundry Detergent for Regular and HE Washers (Honey Lavender Scent, 75  fl. oz)
2. Tide PODS Ocean Mist HE Turbo Laundry Detergent Pacs (81 loads)
3. Arm & Hammer 2-IN-1 Laundry Detergent Cleanburst Power Paks (70-count)
4. all Powercore Pacs Laundry Detergent Plus (50-count)
5. Gain Flings Original Laundry Detergent Pacs (81-count)