Ievaluated thirty laundry detergents to pinpoint the top stain remover option
Hey there! I'm all about laundry, especially since my mom drummed the "check before you toss" habit into me. When the chance came to test detergents for the annual Clean House Awards, you know I jumped at it. There were 30 contenders, which meant a lot of washing! Thankfully, my renovated laundry room has become my favorite room in the house, perfect for Netflix binges while I wash, fold, and iron.
So, how did I test 30 laundry detergents? First, I put together a bunch of clean, white rags and old bath towels I chopped up. I marked each one with a number, which would match the detergent being tested. I stained one rag at a time with a variety of tricky kitchen and makeup products like Sharpie, mascara, olive oil, balsamic vinegar, red wine, hot sauce, turmeric powder, chocolate, dirt, coffee, grass, tomato sauce, mustard, and more.
Once each stain had time to set, I rinsed the soiled rag under the sink before treating it with the detergent. If it was a liquid or powder detergent, I pretreated the stains first. But when it came to pods or dissolvable sheet detergents, those went straight into the machine without pretreatment.
I wanted a fair testing process, so I judged the detergents based on six categories: stain removal, scent, environmental friendliness, ease of use, affordability, and availability. I made notes on each category after each wash and dry cycle, jotting down my thoughts as I went so I wouldn't forget them all by the end.
After two months, a single detergent emerged as the most powerful stain remover, with impressive results across all other criteria: Mrs. Meyer’s Clean Day Ultra Concentrated Laundry Detergent in Compassion Flower. It stood out for its eco-friendly, plant-based formula that uses powerful enzymes for stain removal. With pretreatment, it almost completely removed every stain, except for the faintest hint of mustard-and no detergent could beat that!
Mrs. Meyer’s laundry detergent is also incredibly user-friendly because it requires no measuring. You simply squeeze the bottle into the dispenser, and some smart engineering takes care of the rest. It has a pleasant light floral scent that's not overpowering, and it's readily available in stores and online. Plus, it's affordably priced, making it the winner for me!
The stained rags were given numbers corresponding to the detergent being tested. I stained each rag with tricky kitchen and makeup products for a fair and comprehensive test. After pretreating and washing the stained rags, I observed the effectiveness of each detergent in terms of stain removal. Mrs. Meyer’s Clean Day Ultra Concentrated Laundry Detergent in Compassion Flower stood out for its powerful stain removal capabilities, even when it came to the most challenging stains like mustard. Additionally, this detergent was user-friendly, environmentally friendly, and affordable, making it the fairest choice according to my cleaning criteria.
