Laundry detergent buying guide

Detergents are coming down in size. Many single-use packs can fit in the palm of your hand thanks to their highly concentrated formulas. Procter & Gamble (P&G), the largest detergent maker, is a major force behind the move, and its Tide Pods are a high-profile addition to the new category of single-use detergents. Other P&G detergent containers are also shrinking. For example, a 50-ounce, 32-load bottle of the new 2X Tide weighs less than four pounds, while its unconcentrated 100-ounce, 32-load predecessor tips the scales at more than seven pounds, according to the manufacturer.

P&G, along with other manufacturers, touts the environmental benefits of new concentrated detergents. The packages require less plastic for bottles, less corrugated cardboard for crating, and less fuel for the trucks that deliver the detergent to the stores. Retailers are benefiting too. Walmart, the largest retailer of detergents and P&G's biggest customer, has been pushing manufacturers to reduce volume to allow a wider array of models and brands on store shelves. Whatever the incentives, sales of concentrated detergents are booming, according to the marketing research company ACNielsen.

But with single-use packs in particular, safety is a concern, since the packs can be especially harmful if ingested or rubbed into eyes. Indeed, in the months after many of these products first hit stores, poison control centers received hundreds of calls involving children ages five or younger. P&G will be offering a safer double latch for its Tide Pods plastic containers with lids. We advise keeping all detergents out of the reach of children.

Our tests show that some laundry detergents deal especially well with specific stains, such as ring around the collar, grass, tea, chocolate, or clay. But most people need a detergent that can tackle a wide range of common stains.

CR's new tougher tests of more than 60 laundry detergents also revealed that more brands are pricing low-sudsing, high-efficiency detergents designed for front-loading and high-efficiency top-loading washers comparably with those for top-loaders. We compare conventional and HE detergents on the same scale.

All the detergents we tested cleaned reasonably well overall, with scores ranging from fair to very good. None of the products we tested use nonylphenol ethoxylates, chemicals that help to get clothes clean but that are toxic to aquatic plants and animals.

Household habits can be hard to break. While single-use packs make proper dosage simpler for average-size loads, it's all too easy to inadvertently waste the new 2X and 3X concentrated products by using the same amounts you added of the old products. Remember to follow the directions on the packaging and actually measure--the best detergents have clearly marked lines on their fill caps and pictures of the actual caps on their instructions.

To compare prices of detergents, divide the total cost by the promised number of loads and forget about volume. Hard water will require more detergent; check the label for any hard-water instructions.

Washing-machine manufacturers generally recommend HE products for front-loading washers and high-efficiency top-loaders, which use less water than most top-loaders.

These are usually best for conventional top-loading machines, where low-sudsing HE formulas might be too weak.

Manufacturers of these detergents claim that they are safe and effective in all washing machines.

These generally give clothes a bluish glow, giving the impression of whiteness. Use detergents with brighteners judiciously; they can make dark clothing look faded.

This is P&G's name for its bleach additive. Bleach alternative is generally Sodium Perborate or Sodium Percarbonate. Both are milder than sodium hypochlorite (aka chlorine bleach), but they work.

Many laundry detergent manufacturers make green claims. Until recently, there were no federal guidelines for these claims. But the Department of Agriculture has come out with an organic standard, which requires at least 95 percent organic ingredients for its "Organic" seal. Performance has been an issue so far for those products we've tested that meet the standard, but that could change as manufacturers fine tune their organic formulas.

You can buy fabric softener (also called fabric conditioner) separately as a liquid or in sheet form. Added to the drier, it can reduce static cling and make fabric feel softer. Some detergents that include a softener claim to clean and soften clothing "in a single step" by eliminating the need to add softener separately. But our tests of two such products indicated that the claim doesn't wash. A caveat: CR has long advised against the use of liquid fabric softener on children's sleepwear and on any clothes that have been treated with fire retardant. It's been shown to reduce flame resistance.

Sun Products Corporation's All Small & Mighty formula has a brand share of 11 percent. The All Small & Mighty 3X Concentrated detergent is available in 64- and 32-ounce sizes and with a variety of ingredients and fragrances for specific uses, such as Stainlifter, Free & Clear HE, and Fresh Rain HE.

Arm & Hammer, owned by Church & Dwight, holds an 8.25 percent share. New Arm & Hammer 2X Concentrated laundry detergent is available in conventional and HE formulations and also in a Free of Perfume and Dye formula.

Cheer is a Proctor & Gamble product. It is available in HE and standard formulations. Special formulations include Original Color Guard and 2X Ultra Dark Formula Color Guard for conventional and high-efficiency washers.

Gain, which is owned by Proctor & Gamble, holds a market share of 7 percent. New Ultra Gain 2X Concentrated is available in conventional and high efficiency, and a variety of scents and ingredients for specific uses.

Method HE has a triple-concentrated formula, is phosphate-free and biodegradable, and can be used to pre-treat laundry. Method is a "green" product that can be used in conventional and high-efficiency washing machines.

Purex has brand share of 12.5 percent. Dial Corporation launched New Purex Ultra Concentrate 2X liquid in 2007. The New Ultra Purex is 2X more concentrated than regular Purex, and the 50-ounce package does 32 loads. It’s available in conventional and HE formulas and with additional ingredients such as Purex Plus Fabric Softener, Purex Ultra Concentrate plus Renuzit Fresh Scent, and Purex UltraConcentrate HE After the Rain.

SA8 Premium with "bioquest" is an Amway product. It is super concentrated with biodegradable cleaning agents and biological enzymes. It can be used in standard or high-efficiency machines.

Seventh Generation is a major brand in the "green" product category that has plant-derived cleaning agents and enzymes. Formulations include Natural Powder HE, which can also be used in conventional washers.

Tide is the leading brand in liquid laundry detergent with a 28 percent share. In 2007 Proctor & Gamble introduced a full replacement of its liquid laundry detergent lineup, which includes Tide and Gain. The new 2X concentrated formulation provides the same number of loads in a more compact bottle. Tide also makes a wide variety of different detergents for specific uses: HE, Coldwater, Totalcare, Tide With a Touch of Downy, and Tide Ultra with Dawn Stainscrubbers are just a few formulas.

Win claims that its high-performance sport detergent is designed to target offensive odors and stains. The oxy-cleaning technology is supposed to eliminate embedded sweat molecules and odors from athletic gear and other clothing.