Crystal rain, moonflower and ylang, ruby jasmine – not words that are normally associated with washing your clothes. Are you enticed by laundry detergents with fragrant-sounding names?
During your most recent trip down the supermarket aisles, did you notice how many laundry detergents have names that you’re more likely to associate with aromatherapy than with washing your whites?
Take Asda’s ‘star fruit and amber’ range. Star fruit is so exotic to me that I have no idea what it smells like. And amber? I wasn’t aware of it having a fragrance at all.
Choosing laundry detergents
I’m a bit practical when it comes to cleaning my clothes. I want a detergent that I can rely on to get my laundry clean, and stain removal is important to me. I know I should be able eat chocolate without dropping it on my trousers by now, but there you go. And don’t get me started on cooking bolognaise sauces while wearing a white top…
What’s the most important factor to you when you’re deciding which laundry detergent to buy? Many of us are attracted by special offers and tend to buy the detergent that offers the best deal that week, rather than staying loyal to just one brand.
But then there are those of us who really like how a particular detergent makes our clothes smell. If you’re really attached to a fragrance, trying another brand doesn’t make sense until the dreaded day when the packaging of your favourite powder or liquid boldly declares ‘new and improved!’.
Sold on a scent
I’m used to fabric softeners having exotic and enticing names, but to me one of the main purposes of fabric softeners is to make my laundry smell lovely. It makes sense that the fragrance of a particular product needs to be distinctive, and fancy-sounding names are more appealing.
By contrast, laundry detergents seem like a very practical product and I’m intrigued to see if products with impressive names are also impressive at cleaning. We’ve just tested 12 liquid capsule detergents to see how good they are at tackling tough stains, protecting colours and keeping whites white. We even looked into the level of fragrance left behind on your clothes.
Are you loyal to particular laundry detergent? If so, is it because you like the fragrance or is the cleaning power more important? Is a strong fragrance more likely to put you off?