Updated 14 Sep 2018
Persil
Sensitive
Bottom line: When tested in a TOP LOADER, this detergent performed only just OK overall and was just OK at removing everyday grime.
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Test results
Overall score
Everyday grime
Collar & cuff grime
Grass
Olive oil
Chocolate ice cream
Good points
- OK at removing grass stains.
- Good at removing tomato stains.
- OK at removing make-up stains.
- OK at removing chocolate ice cream stains.
- Good at removing baby food stains.
But
- Just OK at removing everyday grime.
- Poor at removing collar and cuff stains.
- Poor at removing olive oil stains.
- Poor at removing motor oil stains.
- Just OK at removing blood stains.
- Doesn't contain enzymes.
How we test
Overall score includes:
Everyday grime (35%)
Collar & cuff stains (20%)
Grass (15%)
Olive oil (6%)
Tomato (4%)
Make-up (4%)
Chocolate ice cream (4%)
Baby food (4%)
Motor oil (4%)
Blood (4%)
All individual stain tests are performed on white fabric impregnated with the applicable stain. We measured the recommended amount of detergent for a normally soiled load and used this to wash the test loads at a temperature of 20⁰C.
Most products have two sets of test results – front-loader and top-loader. To see results for only one type of machine, tick the appropriate box to the left of the product list.
For this test, both the front- and top-loader were set on “normal” wash cycles — the type of wash cycle an average consumer is likely to choose to wash an everyday load.
After washing, we measured how much dirt was removed from each swatch. We did this with a spectrophotometer (which measures how much light reflects off the swatches). It’s more accurate than the human eye.
Each load contains two swatches of each stain and each detergent is tested twice.
The average price is per pack size from an August 2018 survey. The cost per wash is as measured during testing using the manufacturer’s recommended dose for a regular wash (but may vary from the manufacturer’s stated number of washes per pack).
The likelihood of white marks is an indication of the amount of insolubles in the detergent. Choosing one marked "low" may leave fewer residues on your clothes when using a very water-efficient machine. Detergents marked "high" have a large amount of insolubles, and are best avoided if you are experiencing residue problems.
