Consumer Reports Wants Clarity on Concentrated Detergents

Consumer Reportshas examined concentrated laundry detergents and says that it is often unclear how much detergent is needed to get the done right, which is driving up costs for consumers.

The nonprofit group looked closely at products from All, Era, Purex, Tide and Xtra and “uncovered unclear instructions and inconsistent cap measurements that make using too much detergent easy to do and can drive up laundry costs.”

The full report on concentrated laundry detergents is featured in the March issue ofConsumer Reportsand at online at its website.

Consumer Reportsfound it’s often unclear how much detergent is needed to get the job done right and it can be easy to use too much.It cited two examples: the fill line in the cap of one All detergent was only visible extremely close up and two of the fill lines in a cap from Era were only about one-sixteenth inch apart, making accurate dosing a difficult feat, the group said.

In addition, Consumer Reports weighed in on the “X” factor, stating that most consumers don’t realize that the “X” is often tied to a previous formulation of the very same detergent, so 2X would give equal performance as the previous detergent while using half the dose.The group also called attention to the fact that the “X” does not apply to different models of the same brand or for comparisons across brands.

Until the measuring lines on laundry detergent caps are well defined,Consumer Reportsrecommends consumers follow the directions on the product’s label, use a marker to highlight fill lines, and measure, just don’t pour.