The range of color detergents is large. They should wash textiles clean and still protect color and fibers. The detergents are available as powder or liquid detergents. Warentest reveals how the laundry gets clean without the color fading.
Color detergents should preserve the colors of the items of clothing to be cleaned and still clean them thoroughly. That is why, unlike heavy-duty or white detergents, they contain neither bleach nor optical brighteners. A so-called color transfer inhibitor should also protect against staining by other textiles.
Stiftung Warentest has examined how well the corresponding products achieve this. 7 powder and 13 liquid detergents were tested – including 4 that were advertised as sensitive. The test points: removing everyday dirt, removing stains, maintaining color tone, avoiding skin irritation.
The result: Most powders have a good washing performance. But only four of the liquid ones can keep up. The sensitive ones, on the other hand, are not convincing. Those who value classic brand names pay up to 0.28 euros per wash – but comparable results can be achieved for as little as 0.16 euros.
The most important test point for the color detergent was the washing performance in the 40-degree program. On the one hand, the agents had to remove normal dirt such as dust and sweat that ended up on the laundry in 57 selected households. On the other hand, they had to prove themselves in stain removal. From blood to cocoa and grass to red wine, everything that can cause problems at home was there – a total of more than 43 types of stains.
It turned out that regardless of whether they are in liquid or powder form, the best color detergents can successfully remove dirt and stains with effective combinations of surfactants and enzymes. 5 out of 20 products from the test convinced with good results overall. On the other hand, eight detergents were only “sufficient” in terms of washing effect, one of which was even “insufficient” (“Sodasan Color Sensitiv”).
A total of six out of seven powders are “good”, five of them also in terms of color retention. Test winners are “Persil Megaperls” for 0.28 euros per wash (grade 1.8). Good retail brands, such as Domol powder from Rossmann (1.9), clean much cheaper. As strong in performance as Persil, it only costs 0.16 euros per wash. Just like the “Edeka Gut
When it comes to liquid color detergents, around every second is just “sufficient”. Among other things, the “Denkmit color detergent” from DM (grade 2.2, 0.15 euros) and the “Formil Color” (2.3, 0.18 euros) from Lidl received a “good”.
(This article was first published on Wednesday, January 25, 2023.)
