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.
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:
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.
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 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.
Margaret Rafferty joined CHOICE in 2018 as a Content editor and since then has filled the roles of Commissioning editor, Managing editor and now Editorial consultant. Margaret has written on a wide variety of topics and enjoys making complex subjects easy to understand.
With over 20 years of media experience, Margaret brings a strong storytelling background to CHOICE. She works closely with people across the organisation to help tell stories that make a positive difference to people.
Margaret is passionate about uncovering bad practices and helping Australians understand how to avoid falling victim to shonky products and services.
Find Margaret on LinkedIn.
Margaret Rafferty joined CHOICE in 2018 as a Content editor and since then has filled the roles of Commissioning editor, Managing editor and now Editorial consultant. Margaret has written on a wide variety of topics and enjoys making complex subjects easy to understand.
With over 20 years of media experience, Margaret brings a strong storytelling background to CHOICE. She works closely with people across the organisation to help tell stories that make a positive difference to people.
Margaret is passionate about uncovering bad practices and helping Australians understand how to avoid falling victim to shonky products and services.
Find Margaret on LinkedIn.
Alice Richard is a Content creator and marketer. Alice writes on a range of topics, from health insurance to heaters and BBQs to bargain-hunting, always with the aim to help consumers find the best products to buy, and which to avoid.
Alice can take vast amounts of data from CHOICE product tests and turn it into content that is easily digestible and fun for readers.
Alice has a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Queensland. LinkedIn
Alice Richard is a Content creator and marketer. Alice writes on a range of topics, from health insurance to heaters and BBQs to bargain-hunting, always with the aim to help consumers find the best products to buy, and which to avoid.
Alice can take vast amounts of data from CHOICE product tests and turn it into content that is easily digestible and fun for readers.
Alice has a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Queensland. LinkedIn
For more than 60 years, we've been making a difference for Australian consumers. In that time, we've never taken ads or sponsorship.
Instead we're funded by members who value expert reviews and independent product testing.
With no self-interest behind our advice, you don't just buy smarter, you get the answers that you need.
You know without hesitation what's safe for you and your family. And our recent sunscreens test showed just how important it is to keep business claims in check.
So you'll never be alone when something goes wrong or a business treats you unfairly.
