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Best cheap laundry detergent (2026)

Our pick is Arm & Hammer Sensitive Skin Free & Clear at 9 cents a load.1 Reviewed: "It removed about 67% of all the testing stains, a full 7% behind the leader."2 BabyGearLab: "This product does a good job of getting clothes clean and avoiding stains."3 Our label read: no fragrance, MI or BIT, preservatives some people react to.

Arm & Hammer Sensitive Skin Free & Clear
Our pick

Arm & Hammer Sensitive Skin Free & Clear

The cheapest detergent we found that lists no fragrance or MI or BIT, with a good result in BabyGearLab's test.

$0.09 /loadas listed$8.99 on AmazonCheck price on Amazon

By Erin Rose · Updated

Laundry hanging on a line between trees

Which cheap laundry detergents still clean well?

Among the five cheapest detergents we could price on Amazon, only two product lines have a published result: Arm & Hammer Clean Burst (two sizes) and Arm & Hammer Sensitive Skin Free & Clear. The other two are Arm & Hammer listings no tester named, so we do not pick them. Each tester ran its own stains, so compare within a row, not across.

Detergent, as the tester named itCost per loadReviewedConsumer ReportsOther testers
Arm & Hammer Clean Burst liquid48 cents2025: tied for third in stain-fighting, but said it does not remove stains as well as other detergents in its guide5Not testedNot tested
Arm & Hammer Sensitive Skin Free & Clear19 cents2025: removed about 67% of the stains in its sensitive-skin test, 7 points behind the top product there2Not testedBabyGearLab 2025: does a good job of getting clothes clean and avoiding stains3
Molly's Suds Original powder616 cents2025: removed about 57% of stains, the lowest of the 6 products with a stated score in its eco-friendly test72026: "it removes blood stains like a champ," with a low overall cleaning score8Not tested
Tide Free & Gentle liquid 18 cents2025: removed 73% of the heavily soiled stains on average in its sensitive-skin test9Not testedNot tested
Tide Original liquid1020 cents2025: Best Value in its roundup; it lagged slightly behind Persil in its stain test11Not testedThe Quality Edit 2026: a hands-on test found it gets the job done in hot and cold water12
Persil ProClean Original liquid1320 cents2025: Best Overall in its roundup. Reviewed named Persil ProClean without a scent; we read that as this Original14Not testedNot tested
Tide Original powder23 centsNot tested2026: praised its ability to remove body oils15Not tested
Persil ProClean Free & Sensitive liquid, tested as Sensitive Skin24 cents2025: removed the most stains in its sensitive-skin test162020: best sensitive-skin detergent tested for grown-up stains17Not tested
Tide Plus Ultra Oxi powder27 centsNot tested2026: rated excellent for cleaning body oils18Not tested

Each cell is that tester's own result for that product line. Not tested means that tester did not test it, which says nothing about quality. Persil's old Free & Sensitive page redirects to its Sensitive Skin page, so we treat them as one line. None of these testers named a bottle size for Clean Burst, Tide Free & Gentle or Arm & Hammer Sensitive Skin. Where a tester named a line without a scent or variant, we show no result.

Our pick, and four more cheap detergents with test resultsFour more picks for other needs

Arm & Hammer Sensitive Skin Free & Clear

Arm & Hammer Sensitive Skin Free & Clear

Our pick

Cheapest that lists no fragrance or MI or BIT, with a good hands-on result. Pick this one for touchy skin on a budget. Pre-treat stains first. Our label read of this bottle shows a brightener, which makes whites look whiter.1

Recalls: noneProp 65: none
Arm & Hammer Clean Burst liquid

Arm & Hammer Clean Burst liquid

Lowest price per load. Pick this one only when the lowest price per load is the job. Reviewed says: "Because it doesn't remove stains as well as other detergents in this guide, you may wind up having to wash a garment multiple times with it."5 Pre-treat stains. Our label read of this bottle lists fragrance.4

Recalls: noneProp 65: none
$0.08 /loadas listed$13.98 on AmazonCheck price on Amazon
Molly's Suds Original powder

Molly's Suds Original powder

A short-list unscented powder, cheaper per load than Tide or Persil. Pick this one for a few-ingredient powder at a low cost. Pre-treat tough stains.6

Recalls: noneProp 65: noneEWG: A
$0.16 /loadas listed$38.99 on AmazonCheck price on Amazon
Tide Original Liquid

Tide Original Liquid

Reviewed's Best Value pick. Pick this one if you want the familiar Tide scent for everyday loads. Our label read of this bottle lists fragrance and BIT, so skip it for touchy skin.10

Recalls: noneEWG: B
$0.20 /loadas listed$19.97 on AmazonCheck price on Amazon
Persil ProClean Original

Persil ProClean Original

Reviewed's best overall detergent (it named Persil ProClean without a scent; we read that as this Original). Pick this one when fragrance is fine and stains matter more than the last few cents. Our label read of this bottle lists fragrance and no MI or BIT.13

Recalls: noneProp 65: none
$0.20 /loadas listed$13.37 on AmazonCheck price on Amazon

How much does a load of laundry detergent cost?

The median detergent we could price on Amazon costs 25 cents a load, and 6 cost under 10 cents. Cost per load uses the Amazon price and the load count on the listing, read on the date at the top of this page. Arm & Hammer Clean Burst has the lowest of them all.19

Kirkland Signature Ultra Clean liquid is the name many cheap-detergent guides lead with. Reviewed notes: "Kirkland products can only be found in Costco stores and occasionally online."20 We have no Amazon price for it, so it is not a pick.

What do you give up with a cheaper detergent?

In Reviewed's 2025 sensitive-skin test, Tide Free & Gentle removed 73% of the stains and Arm & Hammer Sensitive Skin about 67%, a 6-point gap for 9 cents more a load.2, 9 Our label read of the Tide bottle lists BIT, and our read of the Arm & Hammer bottle does not.21, 22

Molly's Suds costs 16 cents a load. Consumer Reports says it "removes blood stains like a champ."8 Its overall cleaning score was low, so pre-treat tough stains.7

Do cheap laundry detergents list fragrance or MI-family preservatives?

Many do. Of the detergents we could price with a full ingredient list, 84 list fragrance, an essential oil or a named fragrance allergen, and 44 list MI or BIT. Only 43 list neither. Arm & Hammer Sensitive Skin is the cheapest of those. For a child with eczema, the American Academy of Dermatology advises: "Use only detergent that is fragrance-free and dye-free."23

For a ranking of low-tox labels by cost, see the cheapest low-tox detergent guide.

List fragrance84 of 142
List MI or BIT44 of 142
List neither one43 of 142

Questions people ask

What is the cheapest laundry detergent that works?

Arm & Hammer Sensitive Skin Free & Clear is our pick. BabyGearLab says it does a good job of getting clothes clean and avoiding stains.3 Clean Burst costs less per load, but Reviewed says it does not remove stains as well as other detergents in its guide.5

Is Tide or Persil cheaper per load?

Tide Original and Persil ProClean Original cost the same per load here. Reviewed says: "Across all tests, Persil removed, on average, 2% more stains than Tide."14

Does Molly's Suds clean well enough for the price?

Consumer Reports says it "removes blood stains like a champ."8 Its overall cleaning score was low, so pre-treat tough stains.7

Is Kirkland laundry detergent worth buying?

Reviewed notes: "Kirkland products can only be found in Costco stores and occasionally online."20 We have no Amazon price for it.

Sources (23)

  1. Arm & Hammer Sensitive Skin Free & Clear Liquid: ingredient list, read November 8, 2026. Quote: “Arm & Hammer Liquid Laundry Detergent - Perfume and Dye Free (42017319): Water; C10-16 alketh; Sodium laureth sulfate; Sodium carbonate”
  2. Reviewed: The Best Laundry Detergents for Sensitive Skin of 2026, read November 8, 2026. Quote: “It removed about 67% of all the testing stains, a full 7% behind the leader.”
  3. BabyGearLab: The Best Baby Detergent, read November 8, 2026. Quote: “This product does a good job of getting clothes clean and avoiding stains.”
  4. Arm & Hammer Liquid, Clean Burst, 174 fl oz: ingredient list, read November 8, 2026. Quote: “Arm & Hammer Liquid Laundry Detergent - Clean Burst (material 42017323, 2024-04-26): Water; C10-16 alketh; Sodium laureth sulfate”
  5. Reviewed: The Best Laundry Detergents (Arm & Hammer Clean Burst), read November 8, 2026. Quote: “It tied for third place in the area of stain-fighting and stands out for its affordability. Because it doesn't remove stains as well as other detergents in…”
  6. Molly's Suds Original Laundry Detergent Powder, Unscented: ingredient list, read November 4, 2026. Quote: “Molly's Suds Original Laundry Powder includes only 4-5 simple yet powerful ingredients: Sodium Carbonate sourced from the Green River Basin in Wyoming…”
  7. Reviewed: The Best Eco-Friendly Laundry Detergents of 2026, read November 8, 2026. Quote: “Molly's Suds laundry detergent powder removed about 57% of our test stains.”
  8. Consumer Reports: Best and Worst Laundry Detergents of 2026, read November 8, 2026. Quote: “Surprisingly, it removes blood stains like a champ”
  9. Reviewed: The Best Laundry Detergents for Sensitive Skin (Tide Free & Gentle), read November 8, 2026. Quote: “It removed, on average, 73% of the heavily soiled stains we presented,”
  10. Tide Original Scent liquid, 125 fl oz: ingredient list, read November 8, 2026. Quote: “INGREDIENTS: Water, C10-16 Alketh, Sodium and MEA C10-16 Alkylbenzenesulfonate, Polyethyleneimines alkoxylated, Sodium and MEA Laureth Sulfate, Sodium Lauryl…”
  11. Reviewed: The Best Laundry Detergents of 2026, read November 8, 2026. Quote: “It lagged slightly behind Persil in our stain-fighting test.”
  12. The Quality Edit: The 6 Best Laundry Detergents of 2026, Tested on Sweat, Stains & Everyday Laundry, read November 8, 2026. Quote: “the Tide Original gets the job done in hot and cold water”
  13. Persil ProClean Original liquid, 40 oz size of the same line: ingredient list, read November 8, 2026. Quote: “Persil ProClean Liquid Laundry Detergent, Original, 40 Fluid Ounces, 25 loads ; water ; sodium laureth sulfate ; laureth-12 ; sodium C10-16…”
  14. Reviewed: The Best Laundry Detergents (Persil ProClean), read November 8, 2026. Quote: “Across all tests, Persil removed, on average, 2% more stains than Tide.”
  15. Consumer Reports: Best and Worst Laundry Detergents of 2026, read November 8, 2026. Quote: “stellar ability to remove body oils”
  16. Reviewed: The Best Laundry Detergents for Sensitive Skin of 2026, read November 8, 2026. Quote: “Persil ProClean Sensitive Skin removed the most stains.”
  17. Consumer Reports (Yahoo copy): Best and worst laundry detergents, sensitive skin, read November 8, 2026. Quote: “It is the best sensitive-skin detergent tested for grown-up stains”
  18. Consumer Reports: Best and Worst Laundry Detergents of 2026, read November 8, 2026. Quote: “rated excellent for cleaning body oils”
  19. ARM & HAMMER Liquid, Clean Burst, 174 fl oz: ingredient list, read November 8, 2026. Quote: “Arm & Hammer Liquid Laundry Detergent - Clean Burst (material 42017323, 2024-04-26): Water; C10-16 alketh; Sodium laureth sulfate”
  20. Reviewed: The Best Laundry Detergents (Kirkland Signature), read November 8, 2026. Quote: “Kirkland products can only be found in Costco stores and occasionally online.”
  21. Tide Free & Gentle liquid, 132 fl oz: ingredient list, read November 8, 2026. Quote: “INGREDIENTS: Water, C10-16 Alketh, Sodium C10-16 Alkylbenzenesulfonate, Sodium Lauryl Sulfate, Polyethyleneimines alkoxylated, Sodium Salts of C12-18 Fatty…”
  22. ARM & HAMMER Sensitive Skin Free & Clear Liquid: ingredient list, read November 8, 2026. Quote: “Arm & Hammer Liquid Laundry Detergent - Perfume and Dye Free (42017319): Water; C10-16 alketh; Sodium laureth sulfate; Sodium carbonate”
  23. American Academy of Dermatology: child-friendly products for eczema, read November 8, 2026. Quote: “Use only detergent that is fragrance-free and dye-free”

The paper trail

Every product on this page was looked up in the EPA Safer Choice list, CPSC recalls, California Prop 65 notices and EWG’s database. We read each maker’s full ingredient label and worked out what a load or an ounce really costs. Every fact links to where it came from. How we snoop.