Wow, very surprised at #14. I used Tide he turbo liquid each week and I absolutely love it. I wonder why Persil Power caps did not make the list? I think they clean better than Persil liquid or Pearls.

The Persil Proclean Power-Perls is at #9, ummm. I really like it. Is that they only powder in the group? Or are they all powders unless labeled liquid?

Gain and Seventh Generation were the only other powders tested (surprisingly). I wished they would have tested some Tide and A&H powders.

Larsi, I was also surprised at the Tide HE Turbo liquid. The Power-Caps tested well (the same cleaning ability as Tide PurClean). I'll revise the list to incorporate pacs.

littlegreeny, are the top ones not HE or most of them HEC. I'm reluctant to try any Tide that not HE Turbo.

Here is CR's ranking in entirely. Sorry I accidentally omitted pacs from the original list. I also added CR's score.

1. Tide Ultra Stain Release (82)

2. Persil ProClean Power-Liquid 2in1 (82)

3. Tide plus Bleach Alternative (liquid) (74)

4. Persil ProClean Power-Liquid (74)

5. Tide Pods Plus Febreze (72)

6. Clorox Green Works (this was a surprise to me) (72)

7. Wisk Deep Clean HE (72)

9. All Mighty Pacs Oxi (71)

9. Persil ProClean Power-Liquid Sensitive Skin (71)

10. Tide Pods (71)

11. Member's Mark Ultimate Clean (70)

12. Persil ProClean Power-Pearls (70)

13. Tide Coldwater Clean (69)

14. Kirkland Signature Ultra Clean (69)

15. Persil ProClean Power-Caps (68)

16. Tide PurClean (68)

17. All Radiant (67)

18. Tide HE Turbo Clean (66)

19. Nice! Advanced Clean (66)

20. OxiClean Laundry Detergent Liquid (66)

21. Wisk Deep Clean PowerBlasts (66)

22. All PowerCore Pacs Oxi (65)

23. Tide Free & Gentle Liquid (64)

24. Gain Flings (64)

25. Gain Original Powder (62)

26. All Stainlifter (60)

27. Gain Icy Fresh Fizz Oxi Boost (60)

28. Up & Up Free & Clear (60)

29. All Small & Mighty (60)

30. White Cloud (58)

31. Gain HE Liquid (57)

32. Ecover Zero Liquid (57)

33. Purex Plus Clorox 2 Stain Fighting Enzymes (55)

34. Mrs. Meyer's Clean Day (55)

35. Tide Simply Clean & Fresh (54)

36. Kirkland Signature Free & Clear (54)

37. Arm & Hammer Plus OxiClean Liquid (53)

38. Method 8X (53)

39. Cheer Colorguard Liquid (52)

40. Era 2X Original (50)

41. Dropps Oxi Scent + Stain Fighting (49)

42. Purex Natural Elements (47)

43. Era 3X Oxibooster (44)

44. Arm & Hammer Clean Burst Liquid (43)

45. Seventh Generation Powder-Compact Formula (42)

46. Woolite Darks (41)

47. Woolite Everyday (40)

48. OxiClean Paks (40)

49. Home Solv (37)

50. Xtra plus OxiClean (37)

51. Sun Triple Clean (36)

52. Arm & Hammer Ultra Power Paks (32)

53. Xtra ScentSations (30)

54. Trader Joe's Liquid (29)

55. Great Value Naturals (22)

All are HE or HEC. CR said they no longer test detergents that are non-HE or HEC. I believe all Tide formulas are HE Turbo besides the PurClean and F&G variants.

Wow! Surprised the Tide pods were lower, considering the enzyme cocktail. I tried the Stain Release he turbo and it was cray, cray sudsy.

In looking at just the scores, Tide Pods was fourth overall. So not bad.

Beagle, do you have soft water? I use Tide Ultra Stain Release for my mom's laundry and it's a little sudsy in my moderately hard water.

Wow, Sears Ultra Plus either wasn't tested or didn't make the list at all.

Jody, it looks like they didn't test Sears detergent. Is that what you use? If so, what formula? That's what my mom used my entire childhood and it got out everything.

I have more Sears than I know what to do with. All the varieties except the Kenmore branded. As a stand alone detergent its ok, add STPP to it and its a great detergent. I doubt anyone that likes scented would like it as the scent is extremely mild, citrusy.

Jody if the Sears works well for your needs it doesn't matter what CR thinks. I will say its a good thing you like it...didn't you move the cars out of the garage in order to move in the Sears detergent LOL...

I won't give up using powdered tide or Gain or Cheer. The American public has been sold a bill of bad goods with all these liquids.

Sspeer, I totally agree with you, especially about CR testing for rinsing and gentleness. I submitted a suggestion about testing for rinsing a few weeks ago. They just might start testing for that if more of us suggest it.

Littlegreeny, I do have soft water and agree with you and sspeer,on the rinsing and gentleness test. Also have found on several things CR says is great is not great for me. If something works for you and you're pleased with it stick with it no matter what CR says. Each persons situation is different. But yeah rinsing is a big issue with me. My Speed Queen loves to "hide" suds between the inner and outer tub. As the rinse water level rises you can see suds seeping out of the holes. And that is with dosing for a FL in a water hog, but I do always use Borax to condition the water. For the most part everything comes out clean and fresh.

I use the orange box of Sears Ultra Plus, with the stain fighting formula.

You are very close MamaP. I probably have enough to last me at least 7 years. I had plenty to start with, but when I heard about Sears and Kmart possibly closing for good, I bought 5 more boxes.

I have a problem, I know.

I'm going off topic here but need to rant about the new ratting system CR is using. I find I have to constantly go up to the key to understand what each symbol means.

I just can't get used to it.

Jody, I think the orange box variant is the "original" single enzyme formula.

And the Sears green box is the Duel Enzyme formula.

I mixed the green and the orange box together once as the scents are exact. LOL.

So the Tide Pure Clean is a pretty good performer. I still haven't tried my free Costco sample. I still prefer powders hands down. I noticed it's getting hard to even find regular Tide HE powder here. The store I was in yesterday only sold one giant box. Sigh.

" declining use of powders"? Their use was not in decline, they just quit selling powders, so now we're all using liquid or pods, what choice did you have? My personal guess is that powders are a lot less expensive for the consumer and have much lower profit margins for the manufacturer.

The Mom blogs are going to hate on this list. How they can ignore that market is a mystery to me.

We like Purex Natural Elements. It cleans well, and it costs a fraction of what I used to spend on Tide. I also like the scent; it's mild and fresh.

I've had repairmen tell me that powders are harder on the washer than liquids. (They've said this about dishwashers, as well - that liquids will make the machine last longer.) I don't know if anyone has tested this idea.

msellenl, I was told by Miele NOT to use liquids in my dishwasher. He said that they never really dissolve and thus leave a residue. Especially in these machines that use less water to clean.

I've used liquids and powders in my washing machine. I'm fine with either, just not a fan of the pods. Most on that list would be out for me. I cannot stand the fragrances. They're so strong!

@Compumom, They do fully dissolve, in fact.. they used to be recommended by Miele for those in very soft water conditions. If someone is experiencing, a residue.. it's Calcium Carbonate, reacting to the Water Softeners used in the detergent, which since the Phosphate "Ban"... is common :/

I actually used some Trader Joe's Dishwasher Powder not too long ago, and everything came out with a awful film on everything :( The Glasses were almost Opaque.

I've had front loaders for the last 10 years. I found that liquid detergent is too sudsy for these machines. Afraid of leaving too much residue on laundry. since reading an article rating detergents years ago, I have stuck with and been happy with Tide HE powder. I often do an extra rinse just to be safe, but not always. Really need no more than 1 to 1 1/2 tablespoon, plus, I always add 1/2 tablespoon of powdered oxiclean and some hydrogen peroxide, instead of bleach. My laundry looks very clean, and the whites are very white. I also wash everything very frequently, so who knows.

AFAIK any liquid soap -- body wash, shampoo, detergent -- has to contain a preservative (even formaldehyde) to prevent mold, and an emulsifier to keep the liquid, liquid. I have *water* at home. I don't need to bring it home in a jug-o-suds.

I can see the improvement in my laundry using Persil granules instead of Tide Whatever.

I don't want a liquid.

I don't want 'pods' either. I want to measure less detergent for a small load in my front load washer. Same in my Fisher Paykel dishdrawer.

I don't want additives like 'softener'. I put 1/4 cup of white vinegar in the 'softener' compartment to rinse any remaining detergent. Many people use too much detergent, which creates the 'need' for softeners. (Detergent left in the fabric makes it feel 'hard'.)

Chisue, the Persil Pearls are a fabulous detergent. Whiten whites very well, that being said you don't use it on colors or darks do you? I ask because its a Whites detergent and will cause fading with its high concentration of sodium percarbonate and bleach activator.

I've had no fading with Persil Pearls on darks. I use hot water with whites; cool with darks. I will treat a spot or stain with bleach water, but I don't add bleach to my wash.

It's possible that my dark clothes are so old that they faded long ago!

Oh but Chisue you are using bleach...Oxygen Bleach LOL..LOL....I'm surprised you arnt having fading but that's good...happy washing..

I see some new clothes in my future...LOL I'm happy to experiment. What powder detergent would you suggest for darks?

I use Tide HE powder for all laundry items. I use cold water for darks and I've never had a problem. I also add 1/2 tab of powdered oxi clean to every load.

These are all liquids? Tide with Bleach powder out performs Persil 2 in 1. Members Mark out performs Wisk hands down.I seriously question anything CR puts out. Those of us who use many of these products know these results are skewed.

Chisue, I can't remember if you have a front or top loader. If you have a top loader I highly recommend Cheer powder, not the liquid. The powder has a *guard* in it to neutralize chlorine in tap water to prevent fading from that end. The powder also has no OB's which cause a dusty appearance to dark clothes.

A plus with the Cheer is it has that old fashioned clean scent and very light. LOL

I use All Free and Clear because we need scent free. It didn't make the list.

Which detergent do you guys recommend for me? I like powder and I have a top load Speed Queen (for now).

Thanks.

Red..dang it I wrote a long list of detergent recommendations than realized you want scent free LOL.

Tide Free and Gentle powder is a great detergent but not a whitening detergent. However Tide sells booster pods that are scent free that you could add along with the powder for whites. There's not a lot to choose from in powder and scent free. I always liked Tide Free and Gentle powder.

As far as your Speed Queen. Why *for now* lol

Consumer Reports chose not to test All Free and Clear (F&C) for some strange reason. The regular F&C liquid variant is a decent detergent but lacks enzymes (which increase the detergent's effectiveness on stains). Both All F&C Oxi and All F&C Stainlifters Plus (available at Costco) have enzymes. The All F&C powder has enzymes as well.

All F&C Oxi was tested last year by Consumer Reports and was found to be a good middle-of-the-line detergent. It was very effective at removing body oils. Body oils and odors are the primary concern for many of us here in the laundry room.

If you are happy with the performance of your current detergent, there is no need to change.

Generally speaking liquid detergent is better at removing oils..I no longer listen to a word CR says..I mean look at the water temp they use for testing and do they even tell consumers oh by the way we gave such and such a poor rating but if you use it with hot water it would raise the rating to a winning level.

Mama and little...the reason I ask about detergent is that my twin boys are 14 now and I am noticing that their clothes are "smelly" even after washing.

I think I may try the tide free powder and the booster pods with the whites and see how that goes.

I didn't know there was a All f & c oxi. Is it liquid or powder? Maybe that would be a better choice for my stinky boys clothes.

my Speed Queen is in our basement. We are living in my dh's childhood home temporarily until we build. The w/d will stay with this house when the new house is done. It's a good set.

thank you for the advice.

All Oxi F&C is a liquid. Is your SQ a newer model? The normal eco cycle uses mostly cold water for the wash and only has a spray rinse. You can use whatever temperature you want in the heavy duty cycle, which also does a traditional deep rinse. Most of us in the laundry room recommend hot water washes for whites, sturdy colorfast fabrics, towels and bedding.

There are two possible reasons why you are having the issue with your sons laundry; body oils aren't getting washed out (cold water wash) or the detergent has built up (spray rinse).

@ILoveRed, you should try adding Borax into the wash. :)

All F&C Oxi also comes in pods.

No wonder I couldn't tell any difference between Tide Ultra and Persil 2in1. The best way I've found to get out stains is to simply to rub detergent onto the satin. My water, no matter what detergent I use, won't get my husband's white work t-shirts clean UNTIL I discovered White Brite.

Moni have you tried a true whites detergent? Not liquid as that doesn't have sodium percarbonate even though the label may say oxi...

Tide with Bleach powder and Persil Pearls are both TOL detergents for whites. Along with real hot water and you should see nice and white without the caustic chemicals that I think White Brite has.

I forgot to say the Tide Ultra and Persil 2in1 although both very good detergents are not formulated to whiten whites.

Monica do what Mamap says about the Persil Pearls (hard for me to find now) or Tide with Bleach. Both powders. I love the Persil Pearls but Walmart doesn't always have it. It is so hard to find powders. My water is good but a bit hard at 7 grains hardness. I also use about 2 TBS of STPP along with the Persil. My DH Tshirts are bright and so are my white hand towels that he cleans his grimy farm hands on (they seem to be part of the cleaning process, cause they are always blackened) Below at the bottom the 2 right jugs are the powder. The one on the left is a liquid sensitive Persil, I believe.

Enduring, I saw Persil in Menards a couple of weeks ago but didn't notice whether it was liquid or powder.