Three brands of laundry detergent failed to clean clothes any better than water when washing products sold in New Zealand were put to the test.
Consumer NZ has released results after conducting a product review on 46 laundry soaps – including powder, tablets and sheets – to evaluate their efficacy and determine their performance.
The Warehouse, which owns one of the worst-performing brands, says it is treating the results seriously and is now looking at its brand’s formula in light of the findings.
Restor said, despite the results, that it was standing by its product, claiming its updated formula was not tested by Consumer NZ.
Scores were given based on the detergent’s ability to treat 10 different common stains such as grass, olive oil, ice cream and everyday grime in a front-load washer and ranking them out of 10.
The tally was then combined to create a final score out of 100, with three categories – poor, average and good.
According to Consumer NZ, at least three products proved no better than washing in water, while a selection of Persil products proved the most effective.
Two detergents, Shotz Laundry Liquid and EcoLiving Laundry Detergent Sheets (with lavender), scored 27 out of 100, putting their efficacy on par with washing the load of laundry with water.
The two detergents cost $10 and $10.50 a litre respectively.
Ryan Murphy, general manager of groceries at The Warehouse, said the company was “surprised by these results”, given Consumer NZ previously gave its Shotz range a better rating.
“We regularly hear positive feedback from our customers about Shotz, and have the range independently tested to ensure quality.
“However, the results for this product aren’t the standard we or our customers expect, and we’re treating them seriously.
“We’re going to review the formulation to ensure it delivers the performance our customers expect and deserve.”
Restor Laundry Detergent Sheets (fresh linen scent), which is priced at $11.99, received a lesser score of 24 out of 100.
The Restor sheets received poor ratings for their ability to remove every type of stain except baby food, which received an average rating.
In comparison, washing with just water received poor ratings for all except baby food and grass and mud stains, which were both given average ratings.
“At Restor, we stand behind the performance of our products,” the company said.
“We have recently upgraded our formula to include four bio-enzymes specifically designed to target these tougher stains.
“This enhanced formulation was not included in the most recent Consumer NZ testing as it has only just launched in New Zealand.”
Consumer NZ used only half a sheet in earlier testing, Restor claimed, “which is below our recommended dose for optimal stain removal”.
In 2022, Restor criticised another Consumer NZ study for its findings, saying the claims made were damaging to its small business and the company would consider legal action if there was no retraction.
But the poor performance of the laundry sheets wasn’t surprising, said Consumer NZ’s head of testing, James le Page.
“They only weigh a couple of grams, so when you put them in your machine, they’re just not going to do a good job compared with a capful of laundry liquid or scoop of powder, both of which have the potential to contain more active ingredients.”
However, it was possible that laundry sheets could improve their scores over time.
“They’re early in their developmental journey as a product. They’re years behind the other options, so they’re playing catch-up,” le Page said.
Persil, meanwhile, had the three most effective laundry detergents in the Consumer NZ test.
Persil Ultimate Powder was the top-scored product, receiving 94 out of 100.
It was the only product to receive good ratings for all types of stains.
In second and third place were Persil Active Clean Powder, with a score of 92, and Persil 3 in 1 Ultimate Capsules, with a score of 89.
Overall, Consumer NZ gave 10 products a tick of approval, and le Page said people should review their detergent of choice to determine whether it’s worth making a switch.
“You might find something that will do a better job for a better price.”