Some of the simplest things bring the greatest joy. That’s certainly true for specific smells. For example, it’s hard to beat the fragrance of freshly-cut grass, the air following a rainstorm, a newly-bathed baby, and fresh, clean clothes.
As far as laundry, by switching your detergent, you’ll notice two things. Your clothes are cleaner and they smell amazingly fresh. While multiple brands exist, the 10 listed below rank as the best.
1. Best Overall Single Dose Laundry Detergent: Tide 3-in-1 Pods, $0.25 per pod
There’s a reason Tide has become such a popular brand of laundry detergent … it works. These pods can remove even the most stubborn stains, including grass, blood, chocolate, coffee, and more. They’re even backed by the Good Housekeeping Seal.
Why we love it: The 3-in-1 Tide pods do an amazing job at removing stains, they’re available in different scents and formulas, and they’re super convenient to use.
2. Best Overall Liquid Laundry Detergent: Persil Proclean + Stain Fighter Liquid, $0.40 per load
If you like liquid detergent as opposed to pods, this is a fantastic choice. Even in cold-water testing, this product excelled at eliminating tough stains. That means you can launder clothes using cold water, which will help lower your energy bill.
Why we love it: It’s great at removing stubborn stains and works great in cold water.
Take note: This product is more expensive than others and the scent is rather strong.
3. Best Overall Powder Laundry Detergent: Tide+ Plus Bleach Powder, $0.24 per load
If you like powder detergent, this is an ideal choice. Whether using cold or hot water, you’ll get the same outstanding results. Formulated with activating ingredients and color-safe bleach, it brightens colors and whitens whites. This detergent is safe and effective.
Why we love it: It works to brighten colored clothes and whiten whites, dissolves easily in cold water, and it removes stains.
Take note: You don’t want to store this product near moisture to avoid clumping.
4. Best Value Laundry Detergent: Kirkland Signature Ultra-Clean Liquid, $0.12 per load
If you love shopping at Costco and have a larger family, this is the detergent for you. As a hard-working product, it does a great job getting out stains, even in cold water. You can buy it directly from Costco or order it online through Amazon.
Why we love it: This detergent works great in cold and warm water and it’s inexpensive. It also comes in a large family-size container.
Take note: For the best bargain, you’ll need to purchase this from Costco, which requires a membership. While you can get it online through Amazon, you’ll notice a price increase.
5. Best Deep Cleaning Laundry Detergent: Tide Power Pods Hygienic Clean Heavy-Duty 10x, $0.57 per pod
Tide wins this category, as well. Unfortunately, some detergents only make laundry look clean when in fact, dirt becomes trapped within the fibers. This detergent gets into every crevice to dissolve and eliminate body oils and other trapped substances.
Why we love it: This product does an outstanding job of cleaning dirt you can’t see with the naked eye and as larger pods, they’re perfect for bigger loads.
Take note: Due to the larger size of the pods, this detergent is more expensive.
6. Best Laundry Detergent for Babies: Dreft Newborn Liquid, $0.31 per load
Babies have ultra-sensitive skin. But they also make huge messes. With Dreft, you never have to worry about this detergent irritating your little one’s skin yet it also eliminates stubborn stains.
Why we love it: This detergent gets out hard-to-remove stains yet it protects babies’ skin. Dreft is also available in a fragrance-free formula for infants that need a hypoallergenic product. It comes in multiple formulas to tackle laundry needs as children age.
Take note: Unless you purchase the fragrance-free formula, this detergent has a fragrance. Also, compared to other products made for babies, it’s slightly more expensive.
7. Best Laundry Detergent for Dark Colors: Woolite All Darks Liquid, $0.22 per load
Woolite has a long history of making top-quality laundry detergents. The All Darks is formulated specifically for darker-colored clothes and linens. As a result, colors won’t fade.
Why we love it: This product does an excellent job at preserving dark colors and it’s effective for both sturdy and delicate fabrics.
Take note: When it comes to extremely stubborn stains, this laundry detergent misses the mark.
8. Best Liquid Laundry Detergent with Bleach Alternative: Tide+ Bleach Alternative Liquid, $0.20 per load
When looking at liquid laundry detergents, this Tide product excels. Rather than containing bleach, which can easily ruin clothes, it’s formulated with a bleach alternative. That means it’ll get out tough stains and whiten whites but without causing damage when washing colored clothes.
Why we love it: You don’t have to pretreat clothes to get them bright and white. This product is affordably priced and it works great for both colored and white laundry.
9. Best Plant-Based Liquid Laundry Detergent: Gain Botanicals Liquid, $0.26 per load
To get clothes amazingly clean and make them smell like a fresh garden, this is an awesome detergent. During testing, it even removed tea stains, which is nearly impossible. This formula is backed as a USDA Certified Biobased product due to 65 percent of it being plant-based.
Why we love it: This formula is 65 percent plant-based, it doesn’t contain any dyes, and it comes in two incredible scents.
Take note: If you don’t like strong-smelling laundry detergent, you might want to pass on this product.
10. Best Plant-Based Laundry Detergent Pack: Seventh Generation Free & Clear, $0.27 per load
One of the key benefits of this laundry detergent is that when tested against comparable brands, it was the only one that removed oil stains from cotton. The powder packs contain no scent or dye, making them ideal for people with sensitive skin. This is also EPA Safer Choice certified and a 94 percent USDA Certified Biobased Product.
Why we love it: This detergent doesn’t contain dyes or scents, the single-use packs are convenient, and it’s supported by reputable government agencies.
Take note: If you want a detergent that can brighten both whites and colors, you could use this product but you’d also need a separate additive.
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