2018 Laundry Powder

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Compare laundry powders in New Zealand at Canstar Blue. Earthwise, Coldpower, Ecostore, Fab, Persil, Reflect, Shotz and Surf were compared on value for money, quality of clean, environmental friendliness, scent, feel of clothes after wash, packaging and overall satisfaction.

See our Ratings Methodology.

Quality of clean tops customer satisfaction when it comes to laundry powder

If you are putting on a load of washing, you want it to come out looking cleaner than it went in so this might just be the reason that 50% of Kiwis say they stick to buying the same brand of laundry powder.  However, to see if this was the case, Canstar Blue asked 1,782 people, and here’s what they said:

Quality of clean

There’s nothing worse than getting a huge stain on your favourite top, sticking it the wash and finding it’s still there, stuck fast and drawing obvious attention.  It’s annoying and feels like a waste of time and money when your clothes come out of the wash still looking dirty so this is probably why the quality of clean is the number one driver in satisfaction for consumers.

Award winner Earthwise earned a maximum five stars for this category together with Shotz.  Four stars went to last year’s Customer Satisfaction winner Ecostore, Fab, Persil and Surf.  All other brands received three stars.

Feel of clothes after wash

As well as looking clean, we want our clothes to feel good when they come out of the washer and this was the second most important driver of satisfaction according to our survey results.  We didn’t ask people to qualify what ‘feel good’ meant to them but we’ll take a guess and say probably not like cardboard, a prickly or your Granny’s starched sheets!

Five stars were again awarded to Earthwise along with Ecostore, Shotz and Surf.   All other brands scored three stars apart from Persil who registered a respectable four stars.

Scent

According to scientists, we have the ability to smell over a trillion different odours.  For many of us one of our favourites is the aroma of freshly laundered washing so the fragrance of our detergent is pretty significant.  Our survey revealed that for women, fragrance was more of a driver of satisfaction in their washing powder than for men, but maybe that’s because the scientists (yes, the same ones!) say that women have a better sense of smell than the opposite sex.

Value for money

Just about level pegging with scent was value for money and this can be pretty subjective depending on exactly what you think that represents.  But, in general when it comes to the essentials like washing powder, we like to think we’re getting bang for our buck.  For the budget conscious, Shotz, available from The Warehouse, came top of the pile scoring a maximum five stars with Coldpower, Earthwise, Fab, Surf and Reflect scoring four stars.  Ecostore and Persil each scored three stars.

Packaging

If you’ve ever had to try and clear up a laundry powder spill (not one of life’s great pleasures!) you will know the value of a well packaged product that is robust and easy to store.   As we become more aware of our environment, and specifically the damage we are doing to it, consumers are getting more clued up on minimising waste, recycling and using recycled materials whenever possible.  This is also front of mind for our Customer Satisfaction award winners Earthwise who, along with Ecostore and Shotz scored five stars in the category.  Fab, Reflect and Surf scored four stars with Coldpower and Persil registering three stars.

Environmental friendliness

Laundry detergent is something we all need, but as our understanding of the impact we have on the world around us increases, nearly one third of us try to do our bit for the environment by opting for an eco-friendly product.  In addition, 34% of women and 26% of men are conscious of what they expose their own body to and choose a low irritant brand that is kinder to sensitive skin.

So, when it comes to keeping your whites white, your colours fast, and your environment friendly, we hope our insights gathered from your fellow consumers help!