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Best and worst household products of 2019

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Need to know

  • CHOICE tested hundreds of supermarket products in 2019
  • Six multipurpose cleaners failed to outperform water
  • In great news if you're on a budget, we often find that price isn't always an indicator of quality: many expensive products were outclassed by cheaper alternatives

In 2019, our experts tested hundreds of supermarket products that you probably add to your shopping basket each week, from detergents to toilet paper, nappies and fabric softener. Each product is rigorously tested and rated in our labs to help Australian shoppers find the best and dodge the duds.

Here’s a selection of products we can recommend, and some you should avoid.

Multipurpose sprays

Multipurpose cleaners

The best 

Nifti Hardworking New Look scored 88% in our multipurpose cleaners test. 

The worst

These multipurpose cleaners failed to outperform plain water, which scored 40% on our test:

  • 30 Seconds Multi Surface Cleaner (39%)
  • Pine O Cleen Multi Purpose Cleaner Pine with Vinegar (40%)
  • Pledge Multisurface Cleaner Rainshower (40%)
  • Pine O Cleen Multi Purpose Cleaner Lemon Lime Burst (40%)
  • Strike Multi Purpose Cleaner Pomegranate & Vanilla (40%)
  • Orange Power Multi-Purpose Cleaner (40%)
Text-only accessible version

Multipurpose sprays so bad you might as well use water. 

Plain water scored 40% in our tests. 

These products are no better than water:

  • 30 Seconds Multi Surface Cleaner (39%)
  • Pine O Cleen Multi Purpose Cleaner Pine with Vinegar (40%)
  • Pledge Multisurface Cleaner Rainshower (40%)
  • Pine O Cleen Multi Purpose Cleaner Lemon Lime Burst (40%)
  • Strike Multi Purpose Cleaner Pomegranate & Vanilla (40%)
  • Orange Power Multi-Purpose Cleaner (40%)
Best window cleaner 2019
Best window cleaner 2019

Glass and window cleaners

The best

It’s a tie! Our two top performers got a CHOICE Expert Rating of 74%:

  • Windex Multi-Purpose Cleaner Surface & Glass
  • Windex Multi-Purpose Cleaner Surface & Glass Mountain Fresh

The worst

Plain water scored just 35% in our surface cleaner review, which isn’t exactly surprising. What is surprising is just how many products failed to outperform plain water, or only delivered a marginally better result. 

Here are the worst performing glass cleaners we tested:

  • Ecostore Ultra Sensitive Glass & Surface Cleaner (33%)
  • Aldi Power Force Pro Glass Cleaner (35%)
  • Community Co Clean Freak! Glass & Window Cleaner (35%)
  • Earth Choice Window & Glass Crystal Clean (36%)
Worst stain remover 2019

Stain removers

Turns out, stain removers are one of those categories where brand loyalty won’t serve you well. Our best and worst performers both come from Sard Wonder!

The best

Sard Wonder SuperPower Stain Remover topped this test with a CHOICE Expert Rating of 79%. But if you’re on a budget, we found that Coles and Aldi’s own-brand products worked pretty much as well, scoring just one percentage point lower for around half the price per 100mL. 

The worst

Sard Wonder Deo and Sweat Stain Remover scored just 52% in our test. By comparison, detergent with water (no stain remover) also scored 52%. This product also didn’t do much for perspiration stains: it scored just 46% for our perspiration test. 

Best laundry detergent 2019
Worst laundry detergent 2019

Laundry detergent

We test laundry detergents by using cloth swatches embedded with specific amounts of dirt. 

We wash the swatches with the laundry detergent we’re testing, then use spectrometers to compare how much of the stain remains. 

The best

Omo with a Touch of Comfort Inspired Freshness (for front loaders)

  • CHOICE Expert Rating: 84%
  • Cost per wash: $0.51

The worst

Woolworths Essentials Laundry Liquid Clean Wash Apple Fragrance (for top loaders)

  • CHOICE Expert Rating: 39%
  • Cost per wash: $0.06

Yes, it’s a bargain, but this Woolworths liquid performed even worse than plain water, which scored 42% in our test. It was outdone by plain water on just about every stain, including blood, baby food, tomato, perspiration and grass/mud. 

Read more:
How much can you save by choosing a water-efficient washing machine?
Best dishwasher detergent 2019
Worst dishwasher detergent 2019

Dishwasher detergents

The best

Earth Choice Dish Tablets

  • CHOICE Expert Rating: 77%
  • Cost per wash: $0.39

The worst

Woolworths Shine Dishwasher Powder Concentrate

  • CHOICE Expert Rating: 38% 
  • Cost per wash: $0.08
Best fabric softener 2019
Worst fabric softener 2019

Fabric softeners

Our testers say that not only are fabric softeners bad for the environment and leave your clothes coated in chemicals, but they’re often largely unnecessary and expensive (and some that we tested don’t even work!). To find out more, read our fabric softener buying guide. But if you must buy one, here are our best and worst buys…

The best

Huggie Easy Iron Fabric Conditioner Lavender

  • CHOICE Expert Rating: 82%
  • Cost: $0.80 per 100mL

The worst

Cuddly Concentrate Soft & Sensitive Fabric Conditioner

  • CHOICE Expert Rating: 46%
  • Cost: $0.90 per 100mL
Best nappies 2019
Worst nappies 2019

Disposable nappies

The best nappy can make the world of difference to your bub, so if you haven’t yet settled on the perfect brand, see our test results to see what rated best in our labs. We test disposable nappies for absorbency, leakage, rewet factor (the absorbency of the nappy five minutes after it’s been wet), and the velcro strength. 

The best

Pampers Baby Dry Size 3 

  • CHOICE Expert Rating: 95%
  • Cost: $0.52 per nappy

The worst 

Little One’s Infant 

  • CHOICE Expert Rating: 52%
  • Cost: $0.20 per nappy
Best toilet paper 2019
Equal worst toilet paper 2019
Equal worst toilet paper 2019

Toilet paper

Either you’re one of those people who gets pretty fussy about toilet paper, or you just pick up whatever’s on special. Either way, our tests prove that all loo roll is not created equal! See our toilet paper review. 

The best

Quilton Toilet Tissue Double Length Floral 

  • CHOICE Expert Rating: 83%
  • Cost: $0.29 per 100 sheets

The worst

It’s a tie!

Who Gives a Crap Premium Bamboo Toilet Paper 

  • CHOICE Expert Rating: 65%
  • Cost: $0.32 per 100 sheets

Pure Planet Club Superhero Large 

  • CHOICE Expert Rating: 65% 
  • Cost: $0.51 per 100 sheets
Alice Richard

I'm a content creator and marketer here at CHOICE – which basically just means that I write stuff. CHOICE's testing is so comprehensive that we publish vast amounts of data on all the products we test. We know that not everyone likes to wade through numbers to find the best product, so my job is to take the data and translate it into something more easily digestible for readers who are time-poor or just want to know the best products to buy – and which to avoid. I also get to dream up fun ways of taste-testing products, like the Tim Tam challenge and the Democracy Sausage taste test. I write about all kinds of things, from health insurance to heaters and BBQs to bargain-hunting, so each day is different and I'm lucky that I get to learn about all the different things CHOICE does to help consumers.

Margaret Rafferty

I joined CHOICE in May 2018 as a content editor and since then have performed a number roles within the editorial team, most recently contributing articles as a journalist.  Coming to CHOICE after more than 20 years in media means I can use my experience to contribute to stories that really make a positive difference to people. I spend a lot of time working with people across the organisation to understand the work we're doing and develop the stories that we want to tell about that work. Over the course of my career, I've written on a wide variety of topics and enjoy making complex subjects easy to understand.  The opportunity to uncover bad practices and help Australians understand how to avoid falling victim to shonky products and services is one of the best things about working at CHOICE. Find me on LinkedIn.