From recent laundry detergent reviews in Choice, there are no detergents recommended for top-loaders. Does this mean Choice doesnât recommend top-loaders and if so I wonder why? Powder detergent also seems to be preferred to liquids. I wonder why? I have always found top-loaders and liquid detergent work well and would like reasons to consider when I get my next washing machine.
The 'How we testâ page may assist. Specifically check the section titled Can you use top loader detergent in a front loader?
BioZet didnt rate a mention? Iâm still using that after years and years. Also trialling Evercleaner which is a soap sheet you throw into a dry load and let it rip. I find it leaves clothes a lot softer when drying, than BZ.
I have read a few times in Choice articles that you may not need to use as much clothes washing powder/liquid as stated by the manufacturer and also that modern detergents can wash almost as well in cooler water. Can I suggest you put this to the test? Hereâs a protocol suggestion:
Put your best tested detergent in your best tested front loader and vary the dose to 50, 75 and 100% or what is recommended and wash at 20, 30 and 40 degrees - and compare the cleaning score for mild, moderate and very dirty clothes.
At the other end of the spectrum, put the worst detergent in the worst washer and follow the above same instructions.
It may be we can then get a better sense of how much energy we could save, or minimise detergent entering the environment, pending what you are washing and what machine and detergent you are using?
I suspect that this has been tested by Choice already.
Is this for curiosity only or do you have some decision that cannot be taken without the information?
An interesting discussion point @Informedatlast.
There are several now closed topics discussing laundry detergents, as well as the Choice guide linked in the latest review.
Worth a read: Laundry detergent testing - cold water
My recollection is Choice tests all detergents in cold water. On using less the suggestion some past advice was to experiment at home to find the best results for the least detergent. Water quality, what we wash and the model of washer can influence the outcome.
EG We only have roof, rain water stored in an unlined concrete tank. Everyday washing works fine in our small size top loader with a half scoop of an eco friendly powder. For the outdoor work in the yard clothing covered in grime etc the same product needs near to a full scoop, and warm water, with sometimes a hot wash. You can never tell what bacteria, mites etc come back with you from the bush.
Thanks for the link to the read.
My aim is to give reassurance to the average punter that they can save electricity by washing at 20 or 30 degrees instead of 40 degrees, particularly for lots of oil/grease, which probably needs more heat for the surfactant to work at its best.
It would be worthwhile to relook at the work from 2016-17 to see if cold water not only works when lightly soiled and with a best in class washer and 100% of the dose of detergent, and it still works if you have to go harder with a lesser detergent, more soiling or a lesser machine. When you have to use electricity to heat water for 10 (or more) washes per week for a family and pay for a full dose of detergent each time it adds up!
I am a regular follower and reader of Choice and often use the reviews when making purchasing decisions. I read the recent review of laundry detergents and notice that Biozet was not included in the testing in this case. In the past it has, I am wondering why it was not included this time?
In my family we need to use a detergent for sensitive skins. None of Can you explain this and do you have any suggestions about overcoming the problem?
Sorry, a sentence got left out of my last post. what I meant to say was none of the detergents for sensitive skins did very well in your tests. Do you have suggestions for overcoming the problem? Did you test to see if these detergents are suitable for sensitive skins?
Welcome to the Community @annemmarley
Testing for sensitivity may be an impossible task because what is OK for one person may be problematic for another - eg there is no absolute laboratory standard to apply. There are also complex factors such as perfuming/odour/smell compounded by how much gets used. Choice regularly indicates less than the recommended amount works well, but how would sensitive fit in - a full dose per manufacturer or what Choice would use? A sensitive consumer could have a different experience with one or the other for irritation as well as cleaning ability.
A description of what and how Choice tests detergents is
A Community search doesnât find it but I recall this being called out more than once over time and Biozet is available and sometimes featured as a sale item at Colesworths, yet is not mentioned in the âwhat we testâ. To wit:
âWhy do we choose one laundry detergent over another? There are a number of reasons for this, but our priority is to test what youâll see at the shops. This usually includes well known detergent brands like Cold Power, Dynamo, Drive and Omo, along with major grocery store brands like Aldi, Coles and Woolworths.â
Perhaps @BrendanMays could once again follow up on âwhat is it with Choice neglecting Biozetâ?
Hi @ToddE,
Apologies that we didnât include Biozet this time around. At the time of testing there can occasionally be supply issues, or if weâre aware a manufacturer is altering itâs formula, it may also necessitate leaving out a product. Iâll pass on your comments to our product testers, hopefully we should be able to include it in future review updates.
That has been the âstandard answerâ re Biozet over time. Perhaps if Biozet gets added to the list of commonly available products for a start it might assist buyers/testers in remembering it or mentioning why each time. 
Agree, Sue. Iâve also been using BioZet for ages, particularly the one with Stain Remover & wouldnât use anything else.
Depending on which product version supposedly âgrey water safeâ and readily degraded surfactants.
âhttps://www.biozetattack.com.au/product-information/
But is it all just marketing, and a similar product formulation as others?
We tried the cold water setting but shifted back to warm water after a few washers. Not happy with cold water results. Using a front leader.
Ray Carnegie
Thanks, I think Choice would be well-served by revisiting their work on cold vs 30 vs 40 degree water from 7 or so years ago.
Missing from your How to buy the best laundry detergent guide - no info on the impact of foaming in automated washing machines.
Its not on your test list but we had an interesting experience with BIOZET ATTACK. The usual choice is either OMO or Dynamo since it was on special we decided to give Biozet a go. It was doing its job as most detergents do, but it was a bit foamy.
Then the front loader started going strange and the wash cycles were misbehaving, the machine was aging and it may require a service? I checked the manual to see if I could do anything.
Found the machine wasnât dying it was going crazy because its foam detection was trying to make adjustments that it couldnât cope with. I wasnât aware that it had foam detection, a case of RTFM.
I note that among the highest rated was Aldi Almat Laundry Powder Concentrate Sunshine Fresh Front loader. Given its high rating and low cost per wash, I thought Iâd give it a try. Huge mistake. While the powder washed clothes well enough, it did not dissolve in the detergent dispensing drawer. Eventually there was enough residue to form a concrete-like deposit that I could not remove from the drawer, even by scraping with a screwdriver. I add that I have had no problems with other powders, and the water jets were not blocked.
Ah, so then I thought that I would not waste what was left, and so I got a large bowl and added hot water to form a slurry, which I then added to small, clean bottles. Even as I was working with the slurry, it was setting hard. I added it to the bottles, and next morning I had seven bottles of concrete!
This unexpected outcome is not something I would expect Choice testing to discover, but on searching Product Review I found that my experience was not unique. Others have found that the Almat powder reacts with water and hardens. I have soaked the detergent dispensing drawer in double strength vinegar overnight, but the hard residue cannot be shifted. I just hope my washing machine survives this.
