Laundry detergent is cleaning out our pockets in ways we’d rather it didn’t – by getting more and more expensive. We reported last week it has become such a valuable commodity that Iceland has even resorted to putting it in locked plastic boxes to stop thieves.
Do you really need to pay for the big brands?
Are they better than the cheaper alternatives? Hayley Minn tests Fairy and Ariel against the own-brand versions across the supermarkets, rating them on their scent, how effective they were in getting mucky tomato stains out of white T-shirts, and on value. Here are her marks out of five.
Fairy non-bio pods
£9.20 for 25, Tesco
37p per wash
Fairy is great for cleaning clothes but it is the most expensive wash on this list. Fairy is the go-to washing machine tablet for many people. I have to admit, it did an extremely good job of turning my tomato sauce-stained top back to gleaming white, and left it smelling really fresh and clean when it came out of the machine. But, at around 37p a go, I’m not sure if it is really worth it.
Effectiveness: 5
Smell: 4
Value: 1
Overall rating: 3
Formil non-bio washing powder
£3.95 for 40 washes, Lidl
10p per wash
Lidl’s own-brand powder unfortunately isn’t as strong as some of the others I tried. When I took my stained white T-shirt out of the washing machine, I could still see a lot of the sauce marks still there. However, there is no denying it is great value at just £3.95 for 40 washes, so it may be worth adding this to your shopping list.
Effectiveness: 3
Smell: 3
Value: 5
Overall rating: 4
Ariel all-in-one pods
£7.50 for 25, Tesco (£6.50)
30p per wash
You expect big brands to do the best job. But that doesn’t always happen, as I found with Ariel capsules. The T-shirt didn’t have the soft feeling you want from clothes when they came out of the wash, and smelled more like bleach than fresh linen. The pod did quite a good job of getting the stains out but it’s definitely not worth the high price tag for me.
Effectiveness: 3
Smell: 2
Value: 1
Overall rating: 2
Non-bio powder
£4.75 for 40 washes, Tesco
12p per wash
This powder did not dissolve very well in the washing machine drawer. I ended up with solid lumps that I had to clean out. This did not did happen with any of the other products I tried. And it was a real faff I could have done without. Having said that, the powder did its job and worked well in getting my clothes nice and clean.
Effectiveness: 2
Smell: 4
Value: 4
Overall rating: 3
Almat non-bio powder
£3.95 for 40 washes, Aldi
10p per wash
Aldi’s powder was very good at removing the stubborn food stains on my T-shirt. And the detergent kept it white bright, too. For 10p a wash, you can’t go very wrong really. The only downside for me was that the scent was not quite as strong as some of the other laundry detergents we tested.
Effectiveness: 5
Smell: 3
Value: 5
Overall rating: 4
Non-bio laundry powder
£4.75 for 40 washes, Sainsbury’s
12p per wash
This did an all right job of removing the messy tomato stains. But I could still see remnants of red when I took it out the wash. However, it did leave my clothes smelling lovely and fresh. Sainsbury’s says it has been extensively tested to guarantee brilliant cleaning results at 30C. It is slightly more expensive than that sold by Lidl and Aldi, but not by much.
Effectiveness: 3
Smell: 4
Value: 4
Overall rating: 4
Tropical capsules
£3.70 for 21, Morrisons
18p per wash
The gorgeous lychee and passion fruit scent made me feel so happy when I took my clothes out of the machine. It did very well getting rid of stains, too, and was my favourite of all the detergents I tried. It is slightly more expensive but I think it’s worth it.
Effectiveness: 5
Smell: 5
Value: 3
Overall rating: 4
Non-bio capsules
£3 for 20, Asda
15p per wash
I found Asda’s capsules effective and they were not overly scented, like some of the others. The washing came out nice and clean, with my messy white T-shirt completely stainless. Asda says they are formulated to protect sensitive skin. Considering capsules are usually more expensive than powder, I really thought these offered great value for money.
Effectiveness: 4
Smell: 4
Value: 4
Overall rating: 4
