You won't believe which budget-friendly spray is a superhero in disguise for your laundry! It turns out, the most affordable laundry stain remover from a major Australian supermarket isn't just kind to your wallet; it's also a top performer, according to a rigorous test by consumer advocacy group Choice.
Choice put a whopping 23 stain remover powders and 20 pre-treater sprays through their paces, tackling a range of common and stubborn garment woes. We're talking about everyday culprits like sweat, grass, and mud, plus trickier foes such as cooking oil, chocolate ice-cream, tomato sauce, baby food, blood, and even makeup. The goal? To see which products truly deliver on their promise to make stains disappear.
Now, let's get to the juicy details in the pre-treater spray category. The Aldi Di-San Pro Ultra Degreaser With Enzymes emerged as a champion, achieving an impressive 78% overall score. And here's the kicker: it tied for first place with Sard Super Power Stain Remover Toughest Stains! When it came to banishing stains like sweat, olive oil, baby food, and those persistent collar grimes, both sprays performed remarkably similarly. However, the Sard spray did show a slight edge when dealing with tough blood stains.
But here's where the real win for your budget comes in. The Aldi Di-San Pro Ultra Degreaser is a steal at just 28¢ per 100ml (or $2.09 per bottle). Compare that to the Sard spray, which comes in at $1.90 per 100ml (or a hefty $8 per bottle). As Chris Barnes, Choice's senior product officer, pointed out, "If you’re on a budget it’s hard to justify why you’ll spend so much on a Sard spray when you could get an Aldi one which is just as good."
And this is the part most people miss: it's not just the top-tier products that are impressive. Other more affordable supermarket sprays also held their own. Aldi Di-San Pro Oxy With Enzymes secured a commendable third place with a 75% score and a price tag of $2.09. Following closely were Coles Ultra Pre-wash Stain Remover at $2.10 with a 73% score, and Woolworths Clean Ultimate Oil & Grime With Enzymes Pre-wash Stain Remover, also $2.10, achieving a 72% score.
Interestingly, outside of the top-performing Sard product, only one other brand-name spray managed to score over 70%. The White King Fabric Stain Lift Colour Safe Pre-Treatment, priced at $5 a bottle (or $1 per 100ml), earned a 73% score.
But here's where it gets controversial: when it comes to stain remover powders, it seems brand loyalty might not pay off as much. Unlike the sprays, the test results for powders didn't show the same trend of budget options outperforming premium brands. "With powders, what we’ve usually found in the past is some of the cheapest supermarket brands perform better or as well as big name brands. We didn’t quite see that this time," explained Barnes.
The top spots in the pre-soak powder category were firmly held by Sard and Vanish. Leading the pack was Sard Super Power Stain Remover Toughest Stains Antibacterial Soaker with a score of 76% and a unit price of $1.22 for 100g. Hot on its heels was Sard Whiter & Brighter Stain Remover Major Stain Types Antibacterial Soaker (75% and $1.10 for 100g), followed by Vanish NapiSan Oxi Action Gold Advanced Crystal White Stain Remover (73%, $1.70 for 100g).
How did they actually test these? Choice used specially manufactured fabric swatches that were pre-stained with identical amounts of sweat, grass, mud, oil, chocolate ice-cream, tomato, baby food, blood, and makeup. This ensured a fair and consistent comparison. After applying the products according to their instructions, they didn't just rely on a visual check. Instead, they used a spectrometer to measure the reflectance of light off the fabric, providing an objective assessment of how much stain was actually removed.
Barnes also offered some practical advice: pre-soaker powders are fantastic for tackling heavily soiled garments, like a whole load of kids' sports clothes after a muddy game. Sprays, on the other hand, are your go-to for targeted spot treatments on collars or when you've had a minor spill, like a dollop of ice-cream on your shirt.
So, what do you think? Are you surprised that a budget supermarket spray can rival pricier options? And when it comes to powders, do you find brand names make a difference, or do you trust the cheaper alternatives? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!
