I'm sure you'll get varied opinions on your question.

While not all of CR tests may be "perfect", how hard can it be to stain fabric and see how each detergent fares removing them? Seems fairly straight forward to me.

I know, what's the water hardness, what machine did they use, what cycle, etc ... I think if all the swatches were washed with the same parameters it doesn't really matter.

What I don't think they account for is different washing needs. While Tide with Bleach might be the best at removing a myriad of different stains, not everything I wash needs that kind of power. The gentler detergents which come in down the list (like Vaska) treat fabric more gently.

I have several detergents in my "arsenal" and I use them according to what I'm washing.

I would like to see CR include information like how well a detergent rinses and how it fades/doesn't fade colors. I sure wish we had detergents like in Europe (one for whites and one for colors).

As for SA8 - yes contains OBAs.

Sodium Carbonate, Pareth-25-7, Citric Acid, Fumaric Acid, Hydrated Silica, Cellulose Gum, Water, Amylase, Protease, Fluorescent Brightener (Distyryl Biphenyl Derivative), Fragrance

livebetter,

I concur!

Thank you for providing the ingredient info on the SA8, where did you find the info if I might ask?
I smelled some of the powder detergent at a clients and I really liked the scent! Mild and pleasant IMO.

@bookert, see link attached for where I got the ingredients.

Here is a link that might be useful: Amway - SA8 Bioquest

I'm embarrassed to say I googled and found the info after posting my reply. DUH! So sorry!
Thanks livebetter!
I don't think I will buy any at $40 + shipping + tax for 120 load box of powder. Oh well....

So where is the CR list. We all don't subscribe.

@Kappen - We cannot publish the list here, because it is copyrighted material. Perhaps your local library has a hard copy.

I seriously doubt you can get in trouble for posting the brands they tested in no particular order unless of course CR is going to attempt to assert they own all the brand names. I didn't ask for their review or any content they created.

I also assumed you were asking for the CR rank list? Why would you want to know which brands they tested if not to know the order in which they rank them?

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OMG ... I posted the wrong info ... duh ...

This should be the right one :)

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Nope I don't want rankings (nor do I really care how they were ranked by CR based on their broken tests) just brands so the above does not apply. I want brands to see if there are any I was unaware of.

Looks like I'd better turn myself in, criminal that I am.....and have been for so many years.

Asolo these online magazines would have you believe that anything they utter is theirs to dictate how its used. They however seem to be totally forgeting fair use laws which they can't have you sign away.

Kappen: Nope I don't want rankings (nor do I really care how they were ranked by CR based on their broken tests) just brands so the above does not apply. I want brands to see if there are any I was unaware of.

And therein lies the rub. A problem with just about every Consumer Reports test is that typically there are hundreds of brands, and often several variants within brands, and each variant and brand has its own strengths and weaknesses and directions to follow for most effective use.

Consumers Union cannot possibly test them all, and therefore must test only a select portion. CU's filter criteria most commonly are the rather arbitrary duet of sales figures (where available) -- to test the most prevalent brands -- and whether the products are readily available in southern Connecticut where CU is located. Occasionally, CU will wander off the reservation to test a regionally distributed product that is not found on Greenwich or Cos Cob supermarket shelves, but such instances are rare.

Moreover, if the purpose is to run standardized tests, then, a priori, any special use instructions for individual products must be ignored.

Over many years, we have used just about every variant of Tide, and had no complaints. But for the past decade or so, we have used Biokleen All-Temperature Liquid (which is the version free of enzymes), with a scoop (about 1/3 cup) of Borax added to each load. Our clothes never have been washed cleaner, and we never have had any odor problem whatsoever with our front-loading washers.

But the November 2011 issue of Consumer Reports, where the results of tests of laundry detergents were published, did not include tests of Biokleen, and did not test the effect of adding borax to a wash load.

Oh for goodness sake... Consumer Reports can copyright the actual article content as well as the graphics it created, but cannot restrict people from discussing the article as well as its conclusions. Here is what CR concluded in terms of HE detergent ranking (in order):

1. Tide HE Plus Bleach Alternative
2. Tide Ultra HE
3. Wisk New Stain Spectrum Techonology Deep Clean HE
4. Tide Plus Febreze HE
5. All with Oxi Active HE
6. Tide HE
7. Up & Up HE Fresh Breeze (Target) * BEST BUY *
8. Kirkland Signature Ultra HE
9. Seventh Generation Natural Superconcentrated
10. Era 2X Ultra HE
11. Legacy of Clean SA8 plus Bioquest HE
12. Seventh Generation 2X Concentrated Natural liquid Free & Clear HE
13. Gain Ultra Original HE Concentrated
14. Method SmartClean Technology Fresh Air 8X Concentrated HE
15. Ecover Laundry Wash HE
16. Mrs. Meyer's Clean Day HE
17. Legacy of Clean SA8 Triple Liquid HE
18. Clorox Green Works Natural Laundry Detergent
19. Purex Complete with Zout
20. Cheer BrightClean HE
21. Purex 2X Ultra Coldwater
22. All 2X Ultra with Stainlifter HE
23. All 3X Ultra Small & Mighty HE
24. Purex Complete 3-in-1 Laundry Sheets
25. Whole Foods Market 2x Concentrated
26. Purex Ultra
27. Oxydol 2X Concentrated Fresh 'N Clean HE
28. Vaska 2x Concentrated Herbatergent HE
29. dropps 6x Concentrated
30. Woolite Complete
31. Ecos 2X Ultra Magnolia & Lily HE
32. Biokleen Cold-Water 3X Concentrated HE
33. Martha Stewart Clean Laundry Detergent HE

Who makes Kirkland, I never heard of it. I was also hoping sears would be on the list.

@sshrivastava, way to live dangerously ... LOL ... ;)

Kirkland is Costco.

Interesting to see Wisk so high up on the list. I almost bought a bottle when I was at Walmart yesterday as they had a good price on it, but I didn't care for the scent.

My daughter is bringing me some UK Persil and Ariel to try when she comes home for Christmas so I'm looking forward to that.

I don't think it's possible to have a one size fits all list for detergent because everyones water, washers and wash habits are all different. IMO, experiment around to find out what works for your situation.

P&G has snagged 5 out of the top 10 spots... Does anyone wonder why P&G produces so many different versions of Tide? This way Tide always dominates the charts. I don't think this is fair, and Consumer Reports should test the basic Tide HE powder/liquid and not the variants. Fewer Tide varieties tested = more non-P&G products