CLEAN UP
I tested supermarket washing up liquid – the winner is 50% cheaper than Fairy and will clean your dishes in two wipes
Plus watch our video on saving money at the supermarket
COULD you save money when it comes to doing the dishes?
Britain’s most well-known washing up liquid is Fairy liquid – but it’s double the price of supermarket versions.
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At 31p per 100ml, it is more than twice as expensive as buying a supermarket own-brand washing up liquid, which all work out at 14p per 100ml.
Fairy claims to be twice as effective as other products – so we put the cheaper versions sold at major supermarkets to the test.
We wanted to see if you could save by switching to a supermarket product, without compromising on quality.
For the test, we took 2.5ml of each brand of washing up liquid and mixed it with half a washing up bowl of hot water to see how many bubbles it generated.
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We then washed a dish coated in 2.5ml of cooking oil to test how well it cut through grease.
To test how long bubbles lasted, we also put a drop of each washing liquid into a beaker of water and shook it up to create bubbles.
We checked the beaker after 30 and 60 minutes to see how many bubbles were left.
We gave each washing up liquid a score out of ten for effectiveness, taking into account how many bubbles it generated, how long the bubbles lasted and how easy it was to clean the greasy dish.
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We also gave each a score for value for money.
Here’s how the washing up liquids scored:
Fairy Liquid
- 99p for 320ml
- 31p per 100ml
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A 2.5ml squirt of Fairy liquid was more than enough to create a mountain of bubbles in the washing up bowl.
It had a lovely, fresh smell and the bubbles lasted well in the time test, with most still there after an hour.
But our greasy dish didn’t come clean as quickly as we were expecting - it took three wipes.
Fairy is more than twice as expensive as any supermarket brand and we’re not totally convinced it’s twice as good.
- Effectiveness = 8/10
- Value = 6/10
- TOTAL SCORE = 14/20
Tesco Washing Up Liquid
- 69p for 500ml
- 14p per 100ml
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The label of the Tesco version showed it contained similar chemical ingredients to Fairy and it made a similar-sized mound of bubbles in the washing up bowl, but they immediately started to pop and disappear.
It didn’t perform well in the time test – by 30 minutes only a few bubbles were left.
But the greasy dish came out clean in 2.5 wipes.
- Effectiveness = 7/10
- Value = 7/10
- TOTAL SCORE = 14/20
Asda Washing Up Liquid
- 69p for 500ml
- 14p per 100ml
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Asda’s version had a harsh, chemical smell which wasn’t pleasant.
It made a smaller pile of bubbles compared to Fairy and the bubbles began to disappear quickly – although the dish came clean in 2.5 wipes.
In the time test, only a few bubbles remained at 30 minutes.
You would probably need to use more of this to get the same effect, so we gave it a lower score for value for money.
- Effectiveness = 6/10
- Value = 6/10
- TOTAL SCORE = 12/20
Sainsbury’s Washing Up Liquid
- 62p for 450ml
- 14p per 100ml
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At first glance, both Sainsbury’s and Morrisons washing up liquids appear very similar, with the same chemical ingredients, bottle design, size and price.
The Sainsbury’s version performed slightly better in the time test, as it had more bubbles at 30 minutes – although most had gone by an hour.
It cleaned a greasy dish in just two wipes, making it a decent alternative to Fairy.
- Effectiveness = 7/10
- Value = 8/10
- TOTAL SCORE = 15/20
Morrisons Washing Up Liquid
- 62p for 450ml
- 14p per 100ml
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Morrisons’ version was very similar to Sainsbury’s (see above) and also cleaned a greasy dish in two wipes.
But it created fewer bubbles in the bowl and didn’t perform as well in the time test as most bubbles had gone at 30 minutes
- Effectiveness = 6/10
- Value = 7/10
- TOTAL SCORE = 13/20
Aldi Magnum Washing Up Liquid
- 69p for 500ml
- 14p per 100ml
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Aldi’s version made lots of bubbles which completely filled the bowl and didn’t pop easily.
But it wasn’t as effective as some of the others and it took 3.5 wipes to get the greasy dish clean, meaning you’d need to keep topping up to clean dirty dishes properly.
In the time test, the bubbles shrank quickly.
Aldi’s washing up liquid has previously won awards but it seems it may not be quite as good a rival to Fairy as it used to be.
- Effectiveness = 7/10
- Value = 7/10
- TOTAL SCORE = 14/20
WINNER - Lidl W5 Washing Up Liquid
- 69p for 500ml
- 14p per 100ml
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Although the Lidl product smelled a bit like toilet cleaner, it was thick and cleaned a dish in just two wipes.
The liquid created a medium amount of bubbles in the bowl but we were pleasantly surprised to see how well they lasted – after an hour on the time test, only Lidl and Fairy still had a significant amount of bubbles.
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If you are looking for a cheaper brand to switch to, Lidl gives Fairy a run for its money.
- Effectiveness = 8/10
- Value = 9/10
- TOTAL SCORE = 17/20
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