Getting started

Thanks to new ingredients, many detergents have been reduced to a half or a third of their former volume (you'll see 2X or 3X on their packaging). And yet each downsized package promises to wash the same amount of clothes as the bulky old package it replaces.

Procter & Gamble is a major force behind the move. P&G, the largest detergent maker, is promoting the new sizes as a convenience for consumers: A 50-ounce, 32-load bottle of the new 2X Tide weighs less than 4 pounds, while its unconcentrated 100-ounce, 32-load predecessor tips the scales at more than 7 pounds, according to the manufacturer.

P&G is also touting the environmental benefits of its new detergents. The concentrated products 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.

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 40 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. The new testing compares 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. 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.

Types

The type of laundry detergent you use depends on the type of washer you own. Here are the two types of detergent to consider.

Washing-machine manufacturers generally recommend HE products for front-loading washers and high-efficiency top-loaders, which use less water than most top-loaders. While some low-sudsing HE detergents can be used in top-loading machines, you have to be very careful to increase the amount.

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

Features

Confusion can set in at the market when you are confronted with myriad formulations that promise loads that are Brighter! Softer! Cleaner! Here are the laundry detergent features to consider.

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.

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.