Tide Original HE Turbo Clean Liquid Laundry Detergent

Tide Original HE Turbo Clean Liquid Laundry Detergent is a top performer among original formulation liquid laundry detergents. Our hands-on parent testers noted that Tide smells pleasant, but is definitely on the stronger side. On the plus side, none noticed any skin irritations after using the product—a common issue with heavily scented detergents.

To test Tide’s cleaning power, we stained a pile of pre-washed 100-percent cotton white onesies with an assortment of notoriously hard-to-get-out messes, including spaghetti sauce and grass. After letting stains sit overnight, we hit the laundromat, washing everything in cold water with the HE formula. Tide completely removed any trace of sweet potato puree, formula, grape juice and washable marker, while grass and coffee stains were significantly lightened. The most stubborn stains that we dealt with were mud and spaghetti sauce, and Tide did the best job of removing these compared to the other detergents we tested.

Our hands-on parent testers felt strongly that Tide Original HE Turbo Clean Liquid Laundry Detergent did a good job of removing sweat and body oils, formula, spit-up and vomit, dirt or mud, and even poop. Overall, the testers said the quality was above average and they agreed that Tide did a good job of cleaning their family's clothing.

We also evaluated dispensing the detergent as part of our ease of use tests. The last thing you want to worry about when you're doing laundry is how much detergent you should be using, but it's important—too little, and the detergent won't get your clothes clean; too much, and the suds may not rinse out properly, plus it'll hit you in the wallet because you'll get fewer loads from each bottle of detergent. Our editors and hands-on parent testers all found the lid measurements on Tide easy to read, and the instructions on the bottle were clear. Almost all testers also found that the design of the cap and bottle helps avoid messy drips and leaks.

Final word

While Tide Original HE Turbo Clean Liquid Laundry Detergent was the most expensive detergent that we tested in terms of cost per load, the extra few cents is worth it given the stain-fighting results. The majority of our hands-on parent testers would buy this detergent and would recommend it to other parents.