Cold Power Liquid (all varieties excl. Sensitive)

Excellent results at a competitive price point.

| (updated )
  • Liquid
  • Enzymes
  • Top-rated

Performs best in:

  • Soft water
  • Medium water
  • Hard water
Great clean. Low sudsing. Lots of variations.
≥40°C Warm/ hot

Main wash: 1-1.5 lids (75ml cap/lid)

Use our detergent dosage calculator for a tailored dosage amount.

Long-form detergent review

Experienced members of our community test detergents with cloth nappies and general laundry.

Cold Power is a staple on the laundry shelves of most supermarkets in NZ and Australia. We’ve tested it before, but it’s time to retest and make sure that it still deserves that mark. 

There is a large variety of Cold Power Liquids available. Other than the sensitive and extreme options, they are all much the same with fragrance. 

For this review I tested Advanced Clean.

Some brands (like this one) have a large range of varieties or product lines. The underlying formula is almost always the same, with the same mix of surfactants and enzymes.

First impressions

Very competitive price point coming in at $15.50 NZD (November 2024) for 2L and claiming to wash 40 loads, it works out to be 38c a cycle. The packaging is basically the same as FAB & Dynamo which isn’t surprising considering they’re all Henkel offerings and using the same mould reduces costs.

Easy to use with nice grip on the lid, there isn’t much more to say with that.

Fragrance-wise, the scent is moderate, not floral and definitely not as strong as FAB tends to be. The same consistency as Dynamo and FAB but thinner than Persil Liquid, I had high hopes already.

The results

Excellent. The dose on the bottle is the same as FAB & Dynamo which makes it easy to remember when rotating detergents. I did find that I needed  2/3  a cap for the first wash and 1 2/3 caps for my main wash. 1 cap was sufficient for family washing, which is a little less than I needed for Dynamo. 

Fragrance was mild once dried and stain removal was on par with Persil Ultimate. Although, much like Dynamo, I needed to use more Cold Power compared to Persil Ultimate.

There were still some stains, particularly from delicious honey-roasted carrots when washing at 40ÂşC however a bit of pretreating would have lifted this or if I hadn’t left it for 4 days before washing. Life gets in the way sometimes and it did come out in a second wash so still a good result.

I ran a couple of loads of family laundry through at 30ÂşC and it performed reasonably well. However, I don’t think this would be a good idea long term, especially not for heavily soiled items like nappies. 

Testing information

Soft water.

Whirlpool 8kg Freshcare+ Front Loader

Cycles: 

  • Mixed (40ÂşC, 1hr, spin speed 1000rpm) – First Wash
  • Cottons (4hr15m, 40 degrees, spin speed 1400rpm) – Main Wash
  • Whites (2hr35m, 40 degrees, spin speed 1400rpm) – General Laundry 

What others have to say

Cold Power has been used by many members of the admin team and they all have good things to say.

I ended up using between 1-1.5 full caps in 9kg front loader depending on the soil. It has worked well. I have only done 3 nappy main washes with it. The bottom of my pail was musty by day 7 but that as much from wet washing sitting in the heat, I may have to change my routine up a bit for the summer.

This has worked well for my household. Better than standard Cold Power

~ Megan, Australia, Cold Power Extreme Clean

It’s super similar to the Blue OMO. Absolutely no issues with nappies.

The main wash came out great. I used 1.5 caps, suds were ok, might need 1.75 caps for perfect suds in my 9kg Bosch. The smell is very similar to Trimat liquid.

~ Amy, Australia, Cold Power Advanced Clean

It’s what my mum uses and it seems on par with OMO. She washes at 40ºC for family laundry and 60° for sheets and towels. She doesn’t come asking me for stain removal advice anymore so that’s a big green flag!

~ Marisa, Australia, Cold Power with a touch of Fabric Softener

I’ve just used up a 4l bottle of this and loved it. Cleaned exceptionally well. No nappies to test though.

~ Alice, Australia, Cold Power Advanced Clean

Overall impression:

  • Fragrance: Mild
  • Stain Removal Power: Good
  • Value for money: Excellent

Final thoughts

There were some situations where Cold Power didn’t achieve a satisfactory clean. One was due to overloading (vomit staining on a duvet) and another due to lack of pretreating (heavily soiled socks). These are difficult if not impossible conditions for any detergent, and not a true reflection on Cold Power.

Cold Power has earned its place in my laundry cupboard and at 96c for a main wash and 38c for a first wash, it is excellent value for money. 

Parent company: Henkel Australia