WASHING powder is a regular purchase for most households but pick the wrong one and you’ll notice a difference on your clothes.
Many of us like to stick to what we know and find it hard to steer away from big brands like Persil and Fairy.
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But given a medium-sized box of the big brand detergent will now set you back over £6, it’s time to consider the alternatives.
Fairy was the most expensive in our test costing around 24p per wash, whilst Asda‘s own-brand non-bio cost just 9.3p per cycle.
But are these cheaper brands any good for your clothes?
I put some non bio powders to the test to find out.
Read more tests
My favourite left my washing soft and whites bright – and was far cheaper than the priciest brand.
In fact making the switch, based on one wash a day, would save as much as £5,183 a year.
Lidl’s Formil Non Bio (2.6kg)
- £3.95 for 40 washes
- 9.8p per wash
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Lidl‘s detergent is great at tackling food, drink and make-up stains, not so good at oil or fat-based stains. But overall, I was very happy with it.
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My whites stayed super bright and clothes were very soft after washing.
Which? recently awarded it an Eco Buy badge as it has recyclable packaging and an ingredient list with fewer long-term environmental effects than some others.
It worked well even on cool washes and claims to be effective from 20 degrees. For the price, I’d definitely invest in a box of this again.
- Effectiveness: 9/10
- Value: 10/10
- Overall score: 10/10
Morrisons Non-Bio Washing Powder (2.6kg)
- £4.75 for 40 washes
- 11.8p per wash
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My least favourite, this powder didn’t dissolve very well and was constantly blocking up my machine.
It would get stuck in the draw and I’d have to rinse it out after every wash, which was a faff I could do without.
It wasn’t getting to the clothes. Stains more often than not remained and whites came out looking yellow.
The box did last ages. Cheap but certainly not cheerful.
- Effectiveness: 3/10
- Value: 4/10
- Overall score: 3/10
Fairy Non Bio (1.62kg)
- £6.50 for 27 washes
- 24p per wash
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I’ve not been impressed with Fairy in the past but this formula left my clothes soft and smelling nice.
It worked better on whites. When using to wash coloured clothes I thought they looked a bit faded and worn after using it.
It is expensive – double the price of the Sainsbury’s powder and no better. It was gentle if you have sensitive skin or a young child.
- Effectiveness: 7/10
- Value: 5/10
- Overall score: 6/10
Tesco Non Bio Detergent Powder
- £3 for 25 washes
- 12p per wash
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This is worth a try if you want to save money. I found it worked well on white and coloured loads and it didn’t irritate sensitive skin either.
The smell is lovely and I thought it was just as good as the top brands, plus it’s 13p cheaper per wash than Fairy and 3.4p cheaper per wash than Persil.
- Effectiveness: 9/10
- Value: 8/10
- Overall score: 9/10
Sainsbury’s Non Bio Laundry Powder (1.25kg)
- £3 for 25 washes
- 12p per wash
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This Sainsbury’s powder was one of my favourite. It left clothes stain-free, soft and smelling fresh.
It wasn’t heavily scented, was gentle on skin and it didn’t clog up in the machine.
I only wish I’d bought a bigger box, which would have made it even better value. I’d definitely recommend it.
- Effectiveness: 10/10
- Value: 9/10
- Overall score: 10/10
Persil Non Bio (2.1kg)
- £6.50 for 42 washes
- 15.4p per wash
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Persil is expensive but it did do the job and if you want a big brand, it’s cheaper than Fairy.
It smells amazing and did a great job of getting dirt and grime out of clothes.
I didn’t even need a full scoop in every wash to get them clean so it went further than I expected and was reasonable value for money.
- Effectiveness: 9/10
- Value: 7/10
- Overall score: 8/10
Asda Sensitive Non-bio Powder (1.15kg)
- £2.15 for 23 washes
- 9.3p per wash
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Asda’s powder was the cheapest per wash at just 9.3p but was also one of the most effective.
It wasn’t overly scented like some of the others and clothes washed up well. My three-year-old has quite sensitive skin but it didn’t irritate her at all.
It worked well on colours and whites making this Asda powder a good all-round choice.
The powder did sometimes clog up in the washing machine drawer, and I’d have to rinse it out afterwards.
- Effectiveness: 7/10
- Value: 8/10
- Overall score: 7/10
Aldi’s Almat Non-Bio
- £3.95 for 40 washes
- 9.8p per wash
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Aldi’s washing powder has gone up in price since we last tested it and it will now cost you about 9.8p per wash.
This was only 7.4p in 2022. But it’s still one of the best at getting stains and marks such as mud and grass off of the kids’ clothes.
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Whites stayed bright even after multiple washes. There was some evidence of colour fading when used on coloured loads.
- Effectiveness: 8/10
- Value: 7/10
- Overall score: 8/10
