How we test detergents vs other consumer organisations ⚖

We compare detergent testing methodology between CHOICE, Consumer NZ, Which?, Consumer Reports and Clean Cloth Nappies.

When it comes to laundry, Clean Cloth Nappies overlap with consumer advocacy organisations like CHOICE. We are independent and mostly member funded, and we test detergents. There are several of these organisations around the world, and it’s interesting to look at the various ways we all do things. 

Australia: CHOICE

Founded in 1959 and originally known as the Australian Consumers’ Association, CHOICE (always spelled in all capital letters) is Australia’s leading independent consumer advocate. It maintains strict independence by refusing commercial advertising and government funding for its core operations. 

CHOICE is primarily funded through paid digital and magazine subscriptions. It also engages in commercial endorsement licensing after a product has successfully passed testing. This means it licenses terms like ‘CHOICE Best Brand’ or ‘CHOICE Recommended.’

Most Australian public libraries provide digital access to current and past issues of CHOICE magazine, so you can read its findings for free.

When it comes to detergent testing, CHOICE provides some details about its process on the website:

We use pre-stained swatches because comparing laundry detergents fairly means you have to use identical conditions for all of them. The swatches of cloth that are embedded with a specific amount of dirt are identical and made up of a very specific formula. These are used all over the world by large detergent makers, plus other consumer organisations and are considered a standard in testing detergents. Using them minimises the amount of variables so you can see which detergent comes out best when comparing them.

After we put the recommended dose of detergent in either a front loading washing machine or a top loading washing machine (we have four identical washers of each type so there is minimal difference in machine type), we use a cold wash (20°C) on a standard wash for our testing.

Once we run the wash, we retrieve the stained swatches and compare how clean they are post wash to how dirty they were pre-wash. We use a spectrophotometer to measure the difference which is a better measure than the human eye.

~ CHOICE

This is quite different to how we test detergents, so we were spurred on to look at other consumer advocacy groups around the world. 

New Zealand: Consumer NZ 

Consumer NZ was established in 1959 (the same year as CHOICE) and was originally called the Consumers Council. It is predominantly funded through member subscriptions and public donations. Although it bars commercial advertising to protect its objectivity, it does have commercial endorsement programmes. 

Consumer NZ’s detergent testing methodology is very similar to CHOICE. Testers wash stained fabric swatches in 20ºC water using a ‘normal’ cycle, as that ‘is what a consumer is most likely to choose for an everyday load.’ They also run a control test without detergent, to show how stains fare in water-only washes.

UK: Which?

Which? was founded in 1957 and was originally called the Consumers’ Association. It shares the same traditional, independent consumer-advocacy model as CHOICE and Consumer NZ. It is a registered charity that refuses corporate advertising and buys all test products anonymously from retail stores.

Its income is primarily generated through member subscriptions to its magazines and digital services. Like CHOICE and Consumer NZ, Which? also runs an endorsement programme under the ‘Best Buy’ licence.

Which? outlines some of its testing process on its website, but that doesn’t mention cycle length or temperature specifically. We emailed them in early June to ask for more information on wash cycles and temperatures, but didn’t receive a response. Based on its blog posts espousing 20ºC washes, we suspect Which? mirrors CHOICE and Consumer NZ with short, cold cycles. 

USA: Consumer Reports

Consumer Reports is the oldest, largest, and most heavily funded independent consumer-testing organisation in the world. It was founded back in 1936.

Like the others, it is a non-profit member entity, funded through magazine and digital subscriptions, direct donations, and philanthropic grants. Unlike the others, it does not make money from endorsements. 

Consumer Reports’ testing process is similar to the others: washing stained cloth swatches in cold water. Its reason for using cold water is that ‘today’s washers are designed to operate with cooler water than traditional top-loaders.’ 

Canada

Canada does not have a home-grown equivalent like CHOICE, Consumer NZ, Which? or Consumer Reports. Historically, the Consumers’ Association of Canada (CAC) followed the same model as other consumer organisations, peaking in membership in the early 1980s. However, the CAC faced a severe decline, ceased publishing its product-testing magazine in the early 1990s, and fractured due to funding drops and changing government priorities.

The Canadian and US retail markets are heavily integrated, so many Canadians subscribe to Consumer Reports.

What sets Clean Cloth Nappies apart

We don’t use pre-stained swatches like the organisations above. Instead, we test for real-world performance. Part of what drives our testing methodology is the fact that we assess whether detergents will effectively clean cloth nappies – heavily soiled laundry that needs to be thoroughly cleaned. We set the bar high, and we know how to tweak the cleaning factors to maximise the performance of any detergent. If a detergent can produce clean cloth nappies, we know it will also effectively launder clothing. 💅

As a team, we are familiar with the top-performing detergents in each country, so we use these as our benchmark. In addition to cloth nappies, we also test each detergent against muddy toddler socks, grime-covered t-shirts, and all sorts of food stains. So, basically real life for families with young children.

A subpar detergent might pass in a single wash, but grime and funk will build up over time. This is why we test each detergent for several washes, often using up the whole bottle or box, to fully assess its effectiveness.

Our detergent-testing kindred

Testing for smells as well as stains is a far more involved and subjective assessment than consumer advocacy organisations do. Our testing methods are more closely aligned with the detergent testing mainstay Hohenstein than with CHOICE. 🫶🥹

Like us, Hohenstein conducts wash and wear tests. Participants wear clothes during physical activity over five consecutive wash-and-wear cycles. Trained Hohenstein panellists and everyday consumers then assess ‘odour intensity’ or what we could sum up as ‘stinkiness.’

Adjusting temperature and detergent amounts

What sets us apart from consumer advocacy groups is that we adjust the detergent dose to water hardness, machine size, and level of soiling. We don’t fail a detergent based on a manufacturer’s optimistically tiny recommended dose. Instead, we increase the dosing until we get a decent amount of suds.

Our baseline test is a long 40°C cotton wash. If items have stains, visible grime, or smells after the wash, we increase the temperature to 60°C or add an additional stain removal product like laundry booster or chlorine bleach.

If a detergent needs a 60ºC wash alongside an additional stain removal product to get a decent clean, we don’t recommend it. We want our recommended detergents to be something you can use without constant babysitting. 

The push back on short cold cycles

Every week, we answer multiple posts from new members who don’t know how to adjust their laundering to deal with the inevitable mess that babies and small children bring. These members have smells and stains that they can’t shift. 

One in four Facebook group members currently join for non-nappy laundry. We don’t advertise or promote our non-nappy offerings; these members find us completely through word-of-mouth. 

We never expected such a groundswell of need for reliable, hands-on general laundry advice. Our experience shows many people don’t know how to use their washing machines properly, and small changes such as using warm/hot cycles and a quality detergent can be life-changing.

Closing out

Researchers have found that short, cold cycles lead to the buildup of bacteria in washing machines and clothing. Academic papers illustrate how sweat and dead skin cells remain trapped in fabric fibres and inside the machine, becoming a food source for bacteria and leading to smelly washing.

This post is not a criticism of the work of CHOICE or other consumer rights organisations. These organisations aggressively champion consumer rights and produce positive, real-world changes. In Australia, complaints from CHOICE have prompted the ACCC to launch several investigations just over the last 12 months. However, when it comes to laundry, these organisations do have some blind spots.

Using short, cool/lukewarm cycles might mirror current consumer behaviour, but it also creates a feedback loop of bad washing advice. After years (or decades!) of consumer advocacy organisations stating cold washes are the default, we ask: is the tail wagging the dog?

Psst … Our patrons get full access to our detergent index, which features 225 different detergents from Australia, New Zealand, Europe, and North America. You can sort and filter the entries to find something that suits your family’s needs and values. 🙂