What Are the Best Laundry Detergents
Doing the laundry is one of those chores that nobody looks forward to, and yet it is an essential part of life. Some people are happy using the first laundry detergent that comes to hand, others take the time to seek out the best laundry detergents to get the whitest shirts and the brightest colours.
Does it make a difference which laundry detergent you use? Any detergent will get the clothes clean, right?
Any detergent will remove surface dirt and freshen up the clothing a little, but many cheaper detergents will redeposit the dirt back into the clothing making them dull. It takes a good detergent to remove stains, keep your colours bright and provide the smell of clean laundry, which is why Love2Laundry only uses the best laundry detergents for your dry cleaning.
Here are the top 5 laundry detergents that we recommend for use at home.
Top 5 Laundry Detergents
Laundry is an expensive part of life so we can understand when people opt to buy the cheapest laundry detergent. However, the wrong detergent can ruin your clothes. These detergents may seem more expensive on the surface, but the long-lasting benefits mean that you will not have to replace your clothing as often which can save you a fortune.
Gain Liquid Detergent
Gain is well known for leaving clothes fresh with a variety of scents to choose from. Using Gain ensures that your laundry comes out of the washing machine with a fresh smell that can linger for up to six weeks.
This detergent works well in both hot and cold washes. It is cheaper than Tide however it is also not as effective as Tide when removing stains. That doesn’t mean Gain will not remove stains, but you may need to do some pre-laundry work with some stain remover first.
Tide Detergent
Tide has been around since Procter & Gamble developed the Tide formula in 1946. It has many years of developing and perfecting under its cap making it a laundry detergent you can trust. While it doesn’t come with as many scent options as the budget-friendly Gain detergent, it is well known for its enhanced stain-removing abilities.
To wash your clothes with a tide detergent is to have confidence that most stains will be removed without having to do a prewash of any sort. Tide is the best-selling laundry detergent in the USA for good reason. Time and time again, Tide proved to be an award-winning brand.
Persil Detergent Pods
For a European detergent that can rival the USA’s Tide, you want Persil. The Persil detergent works almost as well as Tide with one major difference. They offer a smaller more direct collection that works best overall while Tide offers something for every job.
While Persil does not offer many different scent options, the two scents they offer last a long time. Henkel and Cie have been perfecting the Persil formula since 1907, so you know it has been tried and tested. Both Tide and Persil are ranked high amongst cleaners, but Persil is a clear-cut winner if stain removal is important. Persil pods received the top tested cleaning awards in 2019 when it beat 42 detergents to the top of the list.
Ariel Washing Powder
When it comes to detergents you will find families swearing by liquid while others say washing powder is the best. In truth, both are excellent options depending on the results you need to achieve.
If you wash in cold water most of the time, you are better off sticking with liquid detergents because they are more likely to dissolve into the water. However, if you are dealing with tough stains powder detergent is often stronger than a liquid. This is the case with Ariel Washing powder.
Ariel powder is excellent at removing tough stains and keeping whites looking fresh. Renowned amongst mums for its no-nonsense cleaning ability, this option will remove stains as tough as tomato ketchup on white shirts.
However, as it is a powder, many have noted that you need to use Ariel powder on a temperature wash in your washing machine for full effectiveness.
Ariel Liquid Detergent
While it is not as effective as removing stains from laundry as Ariel powder, Ariel detergent has many things going for it. For one, it gives your laundry a freshness comparable to Febreze. Ariel liquid detergent can work well on stains in a cold wash, but for this to work effectively you need to take the time to do some pre-laundry work.
By rubbing some of the liquid directly into the stain before washing the item you can help the detergent lift stains in a cold wash. To avoid having to do pre-laundry work, use the powder detergent on a hot wash.
Which is the Best Laundry Detergent for Washing Clothes
There is a difference between getting your linens clean and getting your clothes clean. Clothes, especially in families with young children, are put through the mill every single day. They need to contend with sweat stains, grease stains, mud, oil, food and drink. A detergent that can get rid of all of that must be a clear winner.
Ultimately, the best laundry detergent for clothes will depend on your needs. For a family-friendly affordable brand, you want Ariel Powder. If you simply want a brand that will get your whites, white, remove all stains and leave your clothes smelling fresh, Persil is the brand for you. For a wide array of fresh-smelling laundry options, you need Gain.
Gain: Cheaper than some of the other brands, Gain is a budget brand that will give your clothes a good overall clean. However, it is not as effective as other brands in directly removing stains. This is the brand you want for a wide range of amazing smells that will last on your clothes for a long time.
Persil Pods: For proving your clothes with an ultimate clean, the Persil pods remove 2% more stains and marks than Tide. This brand is excellent for cleaning the clothes of people with sensitive skin but is also one of the more expensive brands on this list.
Ariel: If you have a lot of kids that regularly get their clothes covered in mud, ketchup, and other school stains, this is the brand for you. The powder is one of the cheaper options, it will also get deep into the fibres of your clothing to remove stains. On the downside, this option will not work very well with a cold wash, for you want Ariel liquid. The liquid option is better for sweat and grease stains and can be used on a cold wash. For the toughest of clothing stains, though, you will need to do some pre-laundry work first.
What is the Best Laundry Detergent in the UK
Persil or Ariel are the best laundry detergent options in the UK. They can both be classed as mid-price to premium brands depending on the version you want to buy. However, the best two for the UK are Ariel Powder and Persil Liquid so Ariel wins on affordability but that is where the clear-cut winning ends.
Pros of Ariel Powder
Ariel Powder has everything you need to keep your clothing and linens clean, fresh, and bright. It is another detergent by the company Procter & Gamble, creators of Tide and Gain, so you know the formula is good.
- The powder is cheaper than liquids.
- Removes tough stains in one wash.
- Leaves a long-lasting fresh smell on laundry.
- Protects the washing machine from limescale.
- Excellent detergent for sensitive skin.
Cons of Ariel Powder
- Powder detergents require a washing machine to be run on a hot cycle of at least 30 degrees. Failure to do this can result in powder deposits on clothing and in the washing machine itself.
- You have to endure you measure out the right amount of detergent to use for a wash load or you can damage your clothes.
Pros of Persil Liquid Pods
Persil detergent is a premium award-winning brand that has had an excellent track record since 1907. It has been around longer than Ariel so has had the time to earn its merits and improve its formula.
- Liquids can be just as effective on a cold cycle as they are on a hot cycle.
- Removes tough stains in one wash.
- Long-lasting, Febreze-like fresh smell.
- Protects the washing machine from limescale.
- Designed to care for sensitive skin.
- Pods are pre-measured so there is no need to measure out the required amount of liquid and less chance of causing unintentional damage to your clothing.
Cons of Persil Liquid Pods
- Liquid detergents cost more than powders; liquid pods are among some of the more expensive options.
Conclusion for Best Liquid Detergents
We hope you have found this article useful in explaining some of the finer points of laundry detergents. The best laundry detergent is not something that can be told as it is going to depend on your needs and the needs of your family. Ultimately, we want you to have the best laundry detergent for you.
To us, at Love2Laundry you are our family, so we ensure that we use the best available detergents to suit your needs and the needs of the laundry we clean. We work hard to save you time and money on your laundry.
As seen on our Trustpilot page, we continually meet our aims of providing a flawless, quick and clean service that you can rely on. We are proud to have the privilege of taking care of the laundry of London.
