I’m the kind of person who takes laundry seriously. Growing up, my mother pretreated everything and she instilled in me a “check before you toss” habit—meaning look for stains before you throw anything into the washing machine.

So when the call came for testers for our annual Clean House Awards, I put my hand up to spearhead the laundry trials. There were 22 brands in the running, with some offering multiple variations, for a grand total of 30 detergents. That’s a lot of washing!

Luckily, I renovated my laundry room several years ago and it’s become one of my favorite rooms in the house. I often put a show on my iPad, shut the door, and while away the time washing, folding, and ironing, so I was ready for this challenge. Here’s how I tested 30 laundry detergents—and which one came out on top. 

The Detergent Testing Method

I wanted the detergent-testing process to be as accurate as possible. Simply running a regular load of laundry from one week to the next with different detergents wasn’t going to cut it. I needed to compare apples to apples.

So, like a school science fair project, I devised a method: I gathered a bunch of clean, white rags and ready-to-be-retired bath towels that I cut into squares. I used a permanent marker to write a number on each one, which would correspond to the detergent I was testing. Then I stained one rag with a variety of notoriously fickle ingredients:

• Sharpie
• Mascara
• Olive oil
• Balsamic vinegar
• Red wine
• Hot sauce
• Tumeric powder
• Chocolate
• Dirt
• Coffee
• Grass
• Tomato sauce
• Mustard

I only applied the stains to one rag at a time so each had the same amount of time to set before washing. Next, I rinsed the soiled rag in the sink to remove as much as I could with water alone. Then, if I was testing a liquid or powder detergent, I pretreated stains before tossing the rag in the wash with my family’s weekly laundry. This wasn’t possible when I was testing a pod or a dissolvable sheet detergent, so those just went straight into the machine without being pretreated.

Measuring Effectiveness

After each wash and dry cycle, I made notes about the results. These are the categories I judged on: 

1. How well did the detergent remove stains? 
2. How did the laundry smell? 
3. How environmentally friendly were the ingredients? 
4. How easy was the detergent to use? 
5. How affordable was the detergent?
6. How readily available was the detergent to consumers? 

I jotted down the answers to these questions as each rag came out of the dryer. This way, I wouldn’t forget what I thought about the first few detergents by the time I finished washing the last few. After all, I’d still be able to see the results, but probably not smell them!

The Results

After countless loads of laundry over two months, one detergent proved to be the most powerful stain remover and yielded great results across all other testing factors as well: Mrs. Meyer’s Clean Day Ultra Concentrated Laundry Detergent.

Mrs. Meyer’s Clean Day Ultra Concentrated Laundry Detergent in Compassion Flower

There’s a misconception that eco-friendly ingredients don’t work as well as the chemical stuff. But I’m here to tell you that this biodegradable, plant-based detergent’s powerful enzymes were second to none. With pretreatment, it removed all traces of stains except for the faintest hint of mustard. No detergent got mustard out completely, but this one was so faded you could blink and miss it. And it removed stains all without chemicals that are harmful to people or the planet.

This detergent is also incredibly easy to use: no measuring needed. You simply squeeze the bottle into the dispenser and some clever engineering allows for a pre-measured amount of liquid to come out. One squeeze = one load. This took a moment to get used to. Because it’s ultra concentrated, you feel like you’re not putting enough detergent in the machine—but you are!

It also has a nice light floral scent (derived from essential oils) that lets you know your clothes are clean but isn’t overpowering. (I don’t know about you, but I don’t want to walk around smelling like laundry detergent all day).

If all that wasn’t enough, the Mrs. Meyer’s laundry detergent is readily available in stores and online and—drumroll—it’s affordably priced. What’s not to love?