Top Buy washing powder and laundry detergent | The Chemicals Man

Laundry detergent, or washing powder, is a type of detergent (cleaning agent) that is added for cleaning laundry. While detergent is still sold in powdered form, liquid detergents have been taking major market shares in many countries since their introduction in the 1950s.

Branded laundry detergent can cost more than twice as much as a supermarket product, yet you could still be left with mucky clothes and white shirts turning grey. Or you can use our test results to save money – as we’ve found brilliant laundry detergents that are also great value. Which? independent reviews reveal which washing powders, laundry liquids and gels, and washing capsules are the best stain-busters.

Our tests go further than anyone else’s to ensure that the Best Buy laundry detergents we recommend are really the best on the supermarket shelves. We don’t just reveal the best – we also highlight poor-scoring Don’t Buy products that fail to make the grade, so you don’t stock up on a dud detergent you’re keen to see the end of.

We use red wine, grease, blood, curry, mud stains and more in our tests. So you can be sure that whatever you’ve spilt on your clothes, your Best Buy laundry detergent can remove the stain.

We reveal the laundry detergents that might ruin your best white shirt by turning it grey after several washes.

You can use our cost per wash calculations to find the best detergent for your budget, as well as using our test results to find the best for your laundry.

How we uncover the best washing powder and laundry detergents

We test all the most popular washing powders, liquids, gels and washing capsules. This includes big brands, such as Ariel, Persil and Fairy, as well as supermarket own-brands. So when you use a Best Buy laundry detergent, you can be sure that it will remove stains and preserve your garments better than rival products.

Stain removal We set detergents to work on 17 stains, including those that Which? members tell us are the toughest to remove. The best banish almost all traces, while the worst leave visible marks.

Whiteness Our laundry experts wash four different types of material six times to find out which detergents keep them bright – and which will turn your whites grey.

Colour maintenance 

Our testers examine 14 different brightly coloured fabrics after 20 washes to assess how badly they fade over time.