Big-name detergents aren't much better cleaners than their competitors, but they can cost two to three times as much per load. You needn't pay that kind of premium.

WHAT'S AVAILABLE

We tested two dozen detergents for our most recent Ratings. Most are regular products for typical top-loaders. Five are low-sudsers made for high-efficiency machines. The test included Ajax, All, Arm and Hammer, Cheer, Era Max, Purex, Tide, Trend, and Whisk, as well as store brands from Albertson's, Costco, Kroger, Quixstar, Sears, and Winn Dixie.

Price: Costs per load range from 11 cents to more than 30 cents.

HOW TO CHOOSE

The majority of detergents are excellent at cleaning. We laundered white cotton swatches stained with coffee, grass, spaghetti sauce, mud, blood, grape juice, chocolate syrup, and ring-around-the-collar soil. The better detergents removed nearly all the stains every time. (Even the best detergent, however, can't be expected to eliminate every stain from every fabric every time. Hence the market for special stain removers.)

Our tests showed some detergents were far less successful than others at brightening, which makes whites look whiter, and at preventing color transfer, the migration of colors to whites in a mixed load of laundry. (If you always wash white clothes separately, color transfer won't matter.)

We also tested for fading and what's known as soil redeposition (the propensity for dirt that's been loosened in the washing to settle back onto the clothes). Results were excellent or very good for virtually every detergent.

Here are some more features to take into account when choosing detergent:

Consider powder vs. liquid. Powders are often slightly more effective at cleaning; liquids are more convenient. They dissolve instantly even in cool water, and their bottles are easy to carry. If you don't mind giving up a bit of convenience, try a powder. Avoid chalky marks on dark clothes by letting the wash water dissolve the powder before you add clothes. If you choose a detergent with bleach or bleach alternative and aren't sure a fabric is colorfast, test a small amount of the product on a hidden part of the fabric.

Beware shifting sizes. Packages, caps, scoops, and prices can grow or shrink in a seemingly unrelated manner. At some stores, old and new bottles cost the same.

Check the weight. Package weight and wash-load number may not track. To buy smart, divide the price by the number of uses, generally listed on the front of the box or bottle.