The Best Laundry Detergents That Take Your Clothes From Funky to Fresh

As essential as it is, laundry detergent is one of those household products that you might only think about when it comes time to replace your current bottle. Instead of reaching for the first brand of detergent that you see at the store, consider shopping for one that's formulated for your specific needs and washing machine that comes in a form that's comfortable for you to use.

The Best Laundry Detergents

• Best Scented Detergent Pods: Tide Pods 3-in-1 Laundry Detergent Pacs
• Best Unscented Detergent Pods: Dropps Sensitive Skin Laundry Detergent Pods
• Best Scented Liquid Detergent: Grove Collaborative Ultra-Concentrated Liquid Laundry Detergent
• Best Unscented Liquid Detergent: All Free & Clear Liquid Laundry Detergent
• Best Plant-Based Detergent: Cleancult Natural Liquid Laundry Detergent
• Best Bleach Detergent: Purex Liquid Laundry Detergent Plus Clorox
• Best Boxed Detergent: Gain Liquid Laundry Detergent Soap Eco-Box
• Best Laundry Sheets: Dreambly 6-In-1 Organic Laundry Detergent Sheets
  

What to Consider

Everyone's priorities are different, and your considerations in finding the best laundry detergent may span from convenience, skin sensitivities, cost-effectiveness, or wanting to do right by the planet by choosing a plant-based formula. Also, if you have a high-efficiency (HE) washing machine, you may want to consider checking that your detergent is compatible with a machine that uses less water to clean clothes. Many of the most widely available brands are now formulated to be used in older and in HE washing machines.

If you have sensitive skin or have experienced contact dermatitis from detergents in the past, you may want to narrow your search to detergents labeled "free and clear," which are dye-free and unscented formulas. And according to Max Appel, a veteran of product development in the home-cleaning category, it doesn't hurt to check the ingredients list a little more closely before you buy these. "Other surfactants to avoid with sensitive skin are LAS (linear alkylbenzene sulphonate), SLS (sodium lauryl sulfate), and SLES (sodium laureth sulfate) ... However, dye typically doesn’t have any allergenic or negative impact to the consumer due to low use levels."

Our guide to the best laundry detergents covers affordable formulas in a range of different forms from liquid to pods to sheets, with plenty of unscented and eco-friendlier choices in the mix, too. Read on to see what we're spinning!