The 10 Best Laundry Detergents
Updated by · How we research
Stain removal in lab tests, cost per load, scent and sensitive skin: nine laundry detergents and a booster compared, pods included. Tide Original liquid leads. When users buy our independently chosen editorial recommendations, we may earn commissions to help fund the Wiki.
Pods pose a poisoning risk to young children, and lab stain tests show real gaps between detergents. Laundry detergent lifts soil, oil and stains with surfactants and enzymes, then rinses away. Almost every home uses it, as a liquid, pod or powder, and most current jugs are safe for high-efficiency washers. Perfume-free formulas make reactions less likely but cure no skin condition.
Editor's Notes
October 19, 2026, by Ezvid Wiki Admin:
Tide Original is the new top pick: it does well in every test we could find and costs little per load. The 2021 list showed its age. True Heavy Duty and J.R. Watkins Powder are gone, Country Save now comes only in a 40-pound case, and Washeze 3-in-1 is a detergent sheet, a format that holds too little detergent to clean well. We also dropped Biz Stain & Odor Eliminator, Biokleen Liquid and Tyler High Maintenance Glamorous Wash, plus Gain Flings, since one pod pick is plenty and Gain stays as a liquid. Tide PODS 3-in-1 and Dreft Baby stay. Persil Intense Fresh covers heavy stains, all free clear covers sensitive skin, and Gain Original covers people who shop by nose. OxiClean Odor Blasters is here as a booster, because readers keep asking about one.
We leaned on published lab-style tests, the EPA's Safer Choice listings, owner feedback and the 2024 pod bag recall. Formulas change often, so we'll keep checking.
March 01, 2021:
Anyone who goes to the store often knows that you don't see a lot of changes to the laundry detergents available from year to year. Sure there are periodically new products, like when Tide first released their Tide Pods, and we see more plant-based options these days, such as Biokleen Liquid, and hypoallergenic choices like Dreft HE, but it's not like these companies are releasing new versions every single year. So, it may not come as much of a surprise that, after looking at the various options available, we determined that no changes needed to be made to our recommendations we selected when we last visited this list. Of course, we will keep an eye on the market to see if anything changes and a new contender or formula is released that should usurp one of our current choices.
September 27, 2019:
Because there are so many options on the market today, it can be overwhelming to choose the right one. While there are great contenders out there that are not on this list, we wanted our selection to showcase the best of the bunch, whether you're looking for an effective formula from a trusted brand (Tide Pods, Gain Flings), something that's easy on sensitive skin (True Heavy Duty, Dreft HE), a product formulated to be kind to the environment (Biokleen Liquid, J.R. Watkins Powder), or a detergent with an irresistible fragrance (Tyler High Maintenance Glamorous Wash).
We removed our previous #6 Earth Friendly Products Ecos in favor of the Biokleen brand, which we felt was more compelling both as a detergent and an eco-friendly product. As far as Dreft HE is concerned, it may be confusing for consumers now that the company provides different products for newborn and active babies. We want to clarify that the selection on our list is appropriate for babies of all ages, which we feel is more convenient than switching between formulas.
If you're using laundry detergent and still find that your clothes have a musty smell, don't chuck it out just yet. Your machine may have a buildup of mold, mildew, and other residues from previous washes and detergents, so consider using a washing machine cleaner. For the best results, always dispense the appropriate amount of detergent for the load size and water amount you're using, and consider adding a pinch more if your water is hard. Remember to keep laundry detergents and other cleaning materials well away from children and pets at all times.
Special Honors
Kirkland Signature Laundry Detergent Costco's house brand isn't sold through the usual online stores, but it keeps showing up near the top of detergent tests. Consumer Reports coverage lists a Kirkland liquid among its top performers at a low cost per load, and a 2026 dry-cleaner stain test scored Kirkland pods 97.4, close to the best Tide pods, at about 15 cents a load. You need a Costco membership to buy it. costco.com
EPA Safer Choice Product Finder The Environmental Protection Agency's Safer Choice program screens every ingredient in a product and requires it to perform before the label goes on. Its free search lists certified laundry detergents by brand, which helps if you want a fragrance-free or lower-impact formula and don't trust marketing words like "natural" or "green." epa.gov
Match The Detergent To The Problem
There's no single best detergent, because households fight different things.
There's no single best detergent, because households fight different things. For stains, the lab-style tests agree that Persil and Tide lead. Reviewed ran swatches through a top-loader and read them with a spectrophotometer: Persil ProClean removed about 2% more stains than Tide, and Gain trailed the winner by about 10%. A New York dry cleaner's 2026 stain index of about 78 products put Tide pods and liquids, Kirkland pods and Gain Plus near the top. Consumer Reports, whose full ratings are paywalled, also puts Tide formulas at the top of its liquid ratings.
For skin, look for "free and clear," which means no perfume and no dye. "Unscented" isn't the same thing: some unscented products add a masking fragrance. The EPA's Safer Choice label means every ingredient was screened and the product had to perform. Phrases like "dermatologist tested" and "hypoallergenic" have no legal definition.
For scent, Gain is the crowd favorite, but scent and cleaning don't always go together. In Drew & Jonathan's front-loader test, Tyler's perfumed Diva wash had the longest-lasting smell and removed none of the stains, while Tide Hygienic Clean removed all of them.
Most detergents on store shelves come from three companies: Procter & Gamble (Tide, Gain, Dreft), Henkel (Persil, all) and Church & Dwight (Arm & Hammer, OxiClean).
Liquid, Pods, Powder Or Sheets
Liquid is the most flexible form. It dissolves in cold water, doubles as a stain pretreater, and lets you pour less for a small load. It's also usually the cheapest per load.
Pods trade cost for convenience. In Yahoo's January 2026 test of 24 detergents, the best pods cost about 29 cents a load, and the same reviewer found liquids around 20 cents. You can't split a pod, so small loads get a full dose. Pods go in the drum before the clothes, never in the dispenser.
Powder is the only form that can carry oxygen bleach, which helps whites and muddy clothes. Yahoo found Tide Ultra Oxi powder removed the most stains of its group. Powder can leave a residue in very cold washes, so dissolve it first if your machine fills cold.
Detergent sheets are light and plastic-free, but they hold little detergent. The dry cleaner's guide says a sheet carries about 4 grams against a normal dose of about 24, and House Digest reports that Consumer Reports doesn't recommend any sheets because they scored poorly in its tests. None are on this list.
Dosing, HE Washers, Hard Water And Pod Safety
HE stands for high efficiency. HE washers use far less water, so they need a low-sudsing detergent marked with the HE symbol. Nearly every major brand's jug now carries it, and HE detergent also works in older top-loaders.
More detergent doesn't mean cleaner clothes. Overdosing leaves residue that stiffens towels, traps odors and builds up in the washer, especially in front-loaders. Use the cap line for a normal load, and wipe the door gasket and run a cleaning cycle now and then. Hard water, rich in calcium and magnesium, weakens detergent, so households with hard water may need the label's higher dose or a booster. Soft water needs less.
Pods deserve special care. A U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission recall in 2024 covered 8.2 million bags of Tide, Gain, Ace and Ariel pods whose zippers could split. A Canadian study of laundry packet injuries found most involved children 4 or younger, and most cases were poisonings or eye injuries. Keep pods in their original closed container, up high and out of sight. If someone swallows detergent or gets it in their eyes, rinse with water and call Poison Control at 1-800-222-1222. Never mix detergent with chlorine bleach and ammonia cleaners.
How we researched this
We compared 25 laundry detergents and boosters, read makers' labels and product information, studied published lab-style stain tests from Reviewed, Drew & Jonathan, Yahoo Shopping and a New York dry cleaner, plus coverage of Consumer Reports' ratings, analyzed owner feedback patterns, and checked every brand against U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission recalls.
Sources (10)
- Reviewed: The best laundry detergents
- Jeeves NY: Best laundry detergent guide
- Yahoo Shopping: Best laundry detergents
- Drew & Jonathan: Best laundry detergents
- Consumer Reports: Best and worst laundry detergents
- House Digest: Consumer Reports on detergent sheets
- Better Homes & Gardens: Best laundry detergents
- EPA: Safer Choice frequently asked questions
- CPSC: Procter & Gamble recalls 8.2 million bags of laundry packets
- Laundry packet exposures in children (PMC)
Frequently asked questions
What does HE mean on laundry detergent?
HE means high efficiency. HE washers use much less water, so they need a low-sudsing detergent. HE detergent works in regular top-loaders too, and most major brands now make every formula HE-safe.
Are pods better than liquid detergent?
Not for cleaning. Pods are convenient and pre-measured, but they cost more per load and can't be split for small loads. Liquid is cheaper, works as a stain pretreater and lets you adjust the dose. Pods also pose a poisoning risk to young children.
Is free and clear the same as unscented?
No. Free and clear means no perfume and no dye. An unscented product can still contain a masking fragrance that hides the chemical smell. For sensitive skin, free and clear is the safer bet.
Who makes most laundry detergent in the U.S.?
Three companies: Procter & Gamble (Tide, Gain, Dreft), Henkel (Persil, all) and Church & Dwight (Arm & Hammer, OxiClean). Store brands like Kirkland and eco brands like ECOS make up much of the rest.
What's the best laundry detergent for hard water?
No recent test focused on hard water. Minerals in hard water weaken cleaning, so use a strong detergent such as Tide or Persil at the label's higher dose, or add an oxygen booster for whites.
Are laundry detergent sheets any good?
Consumer Reports doesn't recommend them. Sheets hold far less detergent than a normal dose, and they scored poorly in its tests. They're light and low on plastic, which is their main appeal.
