(Most laundry detergents, including all of the ones listed above, contain enzymes, which work by breaking down large molecules into smaller ones. It also doesn’t contain enzymes, which makes it ideal for cleaning tricky fibers that contain natural proteins, like wool, silk, and cashmere. What’s special about Soak is that you don’t need to rinse a garment after washing it, which saves both time and water. It’s also my recommended detergent for caring for knitwear at home. Soak is a versatile yet mild detergent that is wonderful for hand-washing delicates, sweaters, and anything else that might be damaged by the agitation of a washing machine. In my experience, they often perform even better than liquid detergent, because they’re generally more concentrated and their compartmentalized design keeps different cleaning components like enzymes, optical brighteners, and surfactants separate right up until they’re used.) (And while I’ve focused on liquid laundry detergents here, note that it’s totally fine to buy any of the recommendations below in “pod” form, when available. Here, then, are the laundry detergents I’ve come to use most for keeping my and my clients’ clothing in tip-top shape. But stain removal is just one element of doing laundry - it’s also important to take the ingredients, price, and convenience of your detergent into account. After every swatch has been washed and dried, I use the spectrometer to quantify any remaining stains and compare the results.īased on this extensive testing, I’ve created a definitive ranking of laundry detergents based on how well they’ll clean your clothes. Finally, I wash the swatches in a normal cold-water cycle with the same control load of laundry, changing only the detergent. Then I let them sit for 24 hours, because the longer a stain marinates, the more difficult it will be to get out. My usual process is to stain identical white cotton swatches with notoriously hard-to-clean substances like tomato sauce, lipstick, foundation, grass, and chili oil. With the help of my trusty spectrometer, a device that measures color, I’ve tested more than 60 popular laundry detergents to assess how well they handle common stains. As part of our day-to-day operations, I present all things related to laundry, textile care, and stain removal on TikTok and Instagram, where I share industry secrets, laundry-care tips, and my favorite products the years, I’ve tried countless laundry detergents - and even gone so far as to submit many of the most well-known brands to rigorous testing.

Four years later, I am a fourth-generation dry cleaner and a big laundry nerd. Right out of school I went to work as a construction consultant focusing on high-end build-outs that’s when my dad, the managing director of luxury dry cleaner Jeeves NY, noticed that our clientele was similar and asked if I’d be interested in joining the family business. Photo-Illustration: The Strategist Photos: RetailersĪs a mechanical-engineering major, I never expected to become a laundry expert.

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