Aldi has emerged as a winner in a stain remover test by consumer group Choice, with its budget-friendly spray outperforming many name brands. The Aldi Di-San Pro Ultra Degreaser With Enzymes scored 78% overall, tying for first place with Sard Super Power Stain Remover Toughest Stains in the pre-treater spray category.
While both products performed similarly on stains like sweat, olive oil, baby food, and collar grime, Sard was better on blood stains. However, the Aldi product is significantly cheaper at 28¢ per 100ml ($2.09 a bottle) compared to Sard at $1.90 per 100ml ($8 a bottle). Choice senior product officer Chris Barnes noted that budget-conscious consumers would find it hard to justify spending more on Sard when Aldi offers equivalent performance.
Other supermarket sprays also fared well: Aldi Di-San Pro Oxy With Enzymes came third (75%, $2.09), followed by Coles Ultra Pre-wash Stain Remover (73%, $2.10) and Woolworths Clean Ultimate Oil & Grime With Enzymes Pre-wash Stain Remover (72%, $2.10). Among brand names, only Sard and White King Fabric Stain Lift Colour Safe Pre-Treatment (73%, $5) scored above 70%.
In contrast, stain remover powders were dominated by brand names. Sard Super Power Stain Remover Toughest Stains Antibacterial Soaker topped the list (76%, $1.22 per 100g), followed by Sard Whiter & Brighter (75%, $1.10 per 100g) and Vanish NapiSan Oxi Action Gold Advanced Crystal White (73%, $1.70 per 100g). Barnes said this was unusual, as cheaper supermarket powders often perform well.
Choice tested 23 powders and 20 sprays on stains including sweat, grass, mud, cooking oil, chocolate ice-cream, tomato, baby food, blood, and makeup. Fabric swatches were sprayed or soaked according to product directions, and whiteness was measured with a spectrometer for objective results.
Barnes advised that pre-soaker powders are best for heavily soiled garments, while sprays are ideal for spot cleaning smaller stains like grimy collars or ice-cream drips.
