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Some links on this page are affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases — at no extra cost to you. We do not buy, test, or physically handle the products we cover; our rankings come from aggregated owner reviews, ratings and expert consensus. Commissions never change our verdicts. How we rank · full disclosure.
The short version: our #1 pick is Persil ProClean, and it suits any household whose white shirts and sheets have started looking grey rather than stained — whites dull through redeposited body soil, and Persil has the strongest soil-suspension package of any mainstream liquid. If your water is hard, Tide powder beats every liquid here because it still contains water-softening builders. And if the whites are already grey, no detergent fixes that — you need an overnight soak in OxiClean White Revive.
The distinction that runs through this whole page: keeping whites white is a detergent-and-process question, and rescuing whites that have already gone is a soaking question. Buying a stronger detergent to fix a garment that is already dingy is the most common wasted purchase in this category.
Why Whites Go Grey and Yellow
Three separate things happen and they need different answers.
Greying is redeposition. Detergent lifts soil off the fabric and then has to keep it suspended in the water so it drains away. When it cannot — because the dose was too small, the drum was overloaded, or hard water bound the surfactants — the soil settles back onto everything in the load. For the machine side of the equation, ENERGY STAR certified washers use about 20 percent less energy and about 30 percent less water than regular models. It is evenly distributed, which is why the whole garment looks dull rather than spotted.
Yellowing is usually oils and body chemistry. Sebum that was never fully removed oxidises over time and turns yellow, which is why stored white shirts emerge from a wardrobe yellower than they went in. Underarm yellowing is different again — a reaction between aluminium salts in antiperspirant and proteins in sweat, and it is made permanently worse by chlorine bleach.
Rust and iron staining looks yellow-brown and comes from the water supply, not the laundry. If your whites have an orange cast and your toilet has a similar ring, you have iron in your water and no detergent will address it.
Top Picks at a Glance
Our #1 Pick: Persil ProClean
The reason a European-tradition detergent wins a page about whites is that it is doing the thing that actually keeps whites white. Persil carries a higher enzyme concentration than most American liquids and a stronger soil-suspension system, and suspension is the property that stops lifted soil settling back onto the fabric. Enzymes deal with the stain you can see; suspension deals with the slow accumulation you only notice a year later when the sheets look ivory.
On the specific soils that grey a white shirt — collar and cuff grime, body oils, deodorant residue — it consistently outperforms the American mainstream in the owner-review record, and the most positive reviews come from people who switched because of one persistent problem rather than as a general upgrade.
The built-in Oxi boost also means a routine wash gets some whitening chemistry without a separate additive, which for most households is enough to maintain whites that are currently in good shape.
Honest caveats: the scent is distinctive and strongly polarising — people either love it or find it perfumed and lingering. It costs more per load than the value jugs. It is thick and can be awkward to dispense in a cold laundry room. And it will not recover a garment that is already dingy; that is a soaking job regardless of what detergent you buy.
The Ranked Field
Best for white shirts, sheets and towels that have started to go grey
- Higher enzyme concentration than most American liquids
- Oxi boost built in, so no separate booster for routine loads
- Strong on body soil and collar grime, which is what greys a white shirt
- Works in all water temperatures
Why buy it: whites go grey from body oils and redeposited soil rather than from stains, and this has the strongest soil-suspension package of any mainstream liquid.
Best for homes with hard water, where liquids underperform on whites
- Retains the water-softening builders that liquids largely dropped
- Higher alkalinity handles heavy soil
- Very low cost per load
- Long shelf life and nothing to spill
Why buy it: in hard water, calcium binds the surfactants before they reach the fabric, and powder is the only common format that still fights that.
Best for rescuing whites that have already yellowed or greyed
- Oxygen bleach — colour safe and far gentler on fibre than chlorine
- Works as an overnight pre-soak or an in-wash booster
- Handles yellowed collars, stored linen and dingy cotton
- Five pounds covers dozens of soaks
Why buy it: no detergent alone recovers whites that are already grey; a long oxygen soak is the domestic method that reliably does.
Best for mixed loads where whites are washed alongside everything else
- Broadest stain coverage of any single bottle
- Genuine cold-water performance
- Contains optical brighteners for maximum apparent whiteness
- Stocked everywhere
Why buy it: if whites are washed with everything else rather than as a dedicated load, breadth matters more than specialisation.
Best for large households washing white bedding and towels weekly
- 107 loads per jug at the lowest cost per load here
- Baking soda base for odour control on sheets and towels
- Contains brighteners for everyday whiteness
- HE compatible
Why buy it: white bedding and towels are high-volume laundry, and the cost difference across a year is larger than the performance difference.
Best for adding whitening to every wash without a separate soak
- Pours straight into the drum alongside detergent
- Colour safe, so it can be used on mixed loads
- Easier to dose accurately than powder
- Water-activated oxygen chemistry
Why buy it: a liquid booster is what keeps whites from greying in the first place, which is a much easier problem than fixing them afterwards.
Quick Comparison
| Product | Best for | Rating | Price | Buy |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Persil ProClean Liquid Laundry Detergent, Plus Oxi Power | Best Overall | 4.71,113 ratings | ~$18 | Price |
| Tide Powder Laundry Detergent, Original Scent (143 oz, 125 loads) | Best for Hard Water | 4.816,047 ratings | ~$25 | Price |
| OxiClean White Revive Laundry Whitener and Stain Remover Powder (5 lb) | Best Booster | 4.746,087 ratings | ~$16 | Price |
| Tide Liquid Laundry Detergent, Original (92 oz, 64 loads) | Best Everyday | 4.89,918 ratings | ~$16 | Price |
| ARM & HAMMER Clean Burst Liquid Laundry Detergent (144.5 Fl Oz, 107 loads) | Best Value | 4.866,632 ratings | ~$13 | Price |
| OxiClean Laundry Liquid Stain Remover, White Revive (50 oz, 40 loads) | Best Liquid Booster | 4.51,543 ratings | ~$14 | Price |
Consensus Scores
Each score is our reading of the owner-review picture for that product — star average weighted by review volume and recency, adjusted for how the negative reviews cluster. It is never a measurement we took ourselves, and the verified review count sits on the card above.
| Product | Consensus Score | What the reviews cluster on |
|---|---|---|
| Persil ProClean | Consensus Score █████████░░░ 8.8 | best on body soil, scent divides |
| Tide Powder Original | Consensus Score ████████░░░░ 8.4 | hard-water performance, dissolving in cold |
| OxiClean White Revive Powder | Consensus Score █████████░░░ 8.9 | rescues dingy whites, needs hours |
| Tide Original Liquid | Consensus Score █████████░░░ 8.9 | works on everything, fragrance strong |
| Arm & Hammer Clean Burst | Consensus Score ████████░░░░ 8.2 | value, weaker on set soil |
| OxiClean White Revive Liquid | Consensus Score ████████░░░░ 8.5 | easy dosing, milder than powder |
How We Rank
We do not buy these products or run loads with them. We read the owner-review record at volume, because whiteness is judged over months of repeated washing and no single trial captures the redeposition effect that actually causes greying. Four things carry the weight. Soil suspension, inferred from reviewers reporting whites staying white over time rather than a single dramatic result. Hard-water performance, which decides whether a liquid or a powder is right for a given household. Recovery ability, meaning what reviewers report on already-dingy garments. And fibre safety, particularly the difference between oxygen and chlorine chemistry on elastane, wool and silk. Prices were checked at the time of writing. Full method on how we rank.
The Products, Reviewed
1. Persil ProClean — Best Overall
Covered above. What owners like: that collar and cuff grime finally comes out; that whites stop drifting grey; strong performance in every water temperature; and that it can be used neat as a pre-treat. Recurring complaints: a polarising scent; higher cost per load than the value jugs; thickness in cold weather; and no ability to recover an already-dingy garment. Check price.
2. Tide Powder Original — Best for Hard Water
Powder is unfashionable and it is the correct answer in one specific and very common situation. Roughly 85 percent of US households have hard water, and in hard water dissolved calcium and magnesium bind surfactant molecules before they reach the fabric. Powders retain the water-softening builders that liquid formulations largely dropped for cost and packaging reasons, and a hard-water household that switches often sees an immediate improvement in whites they had attributed to the machine.
Cost per load is also among the lowest here, and there is nothing to spill.
Recurring complaints: dissolving in cold water is the real one — powder needs warm water or a machine that dispenses into filling water rather than dumping it on dry fabric. Undissolved granules show as white marks on darks. It is messier to handle. And the box is bulky. Check price.
3. OxiClean White Revive Powder — Best Booster
The single most useful product on this page for anything that has already gone. Oxygen bleach releases hydrogen peroxide in solution, which breaks the chromophores — the coloured molecules — in accumulated staining without attacking the fibre the way chlorine does. A four-to-six-hour soak in warm solution recovers whites that no detergent will touch.
It is also colour safe, so it can be used on a mixed load, and five pounds covers dozens of soaks.
Recurring complaints: it takes hours, and people expecting a wash-cycle miracle are disappointed. It dissolves poorly in cold water, so mix it hot before adding the garment. It is not suitable for wool, silk or anything with a special finish. And it does nothing for grease. Check price.
4. Tide Original Liquid — Best Everyday
If whites go through the machine with everything else — which for most households they do — breadth beats specialisation. Tide has the broadest stain coverage of any single bottle, genuine cold-water performance, and a full complement of optical brighteners, which maximises how white white fabric looks even if it is a cosmetic effect.
Recurring complaints: price per load against the value brands; a fragrance a significant minority find overpowering; and periodic reformulations that long-term buyers notice and dislike. It is a step behind Persil on collar soil specifically. Check price.
5. ARM & HAMMER Clean Burst — Best Value
White bedding and towels are the highest-volume laundry in most homes, and volume is where cost per load starts to matter. A hundred and seven loads per jug at the lowest price here, with a baking soda base that handles the odour that builds in towels, and brighteners for everyday whiteness.
Recurring complaints: clearly weaker on set-in soil and body oils than the premium bottles, which means whites drift grey faster without a booster. The jug is heavy and the spout drips. And the fill lines encourage over-dosing. Check price.
6. OxiClean White Revive Liquid — Best Liquid Booster
The same oxygen chemistry in a form you pour into the drum with your detergent. It is milder than a long powder soak, and that is the point — it is a maintenance product rather than a rescue one, and maintenance is much easier than recovery. It is also colour safe, so it can go into a mixed load.
Recurring complaints: it is noticeably weaker than the powder soak on already-yellowed fabric, and reviewers who bought it as a rescue say so. Cost per load is higher than the powder. And 40 loads per bottle goes quickly in a large household. Check price.
What Owners Actually Complain About
Four themes, and three are process.
Whites still look grey. Redeposition. Under-dosing, overloading, or hard water. Fix the load size before changing the bottle.
Bleach made it yellow. Chlorine on elastane, wool or silk, or chlorine reacting with iron in the water. Both are permanent. Use oxygen bleach instead.
Whites dulled after switching detergent. Usually a move to a free-and-clear formula, which removes optical brighteners. That is cosmetic, not dirt, and an oxygen booster restores it.
Powder left white marks. Undissolved granules in a cold short cycle. Warm water, or dissolve it first.
How to Keep Whites White
Wash whites as their own load. This is the single most effective change and it costs nothing — mixed loads transfer loose dye and lint, and both dull white cotton within a few washes.
Then get the process right. Do not overload; the drum should be two-thirds full so water can circulate and carry soil away. Dose for the load size rather than filling the cap. ENERGY STAR reckons washing full loads alone saves more than 3,400 gallons of water a year. Use the warmest water the fabric allows, since suspension chemistry works better warm and whites usually tolerate it. Add an oxygen booster to every white load rather than reaching for chlorine occasionally. And take white shirts out of the wash promptly — leaving damp cotton in a drum is how the grey creeps in.
For already-dingy items, soak overnight in oxygen powder before washing, and expect to repeat it. For underarm yellowing specifically, see our stain remover picks, which cover the targeted rust and perspiration chemistry that general products lack. And if your water is hard, detergents for hard water is the more relevant page.
The Verdict
For most households, Persil ProClean is what the owner-review record supports: the strongest soil-suspension and enzyme package in the mainstream, which is what actually keeps whites from drifting grey. Switch to Tide powder if your water is hard, and keep a tub of OxiClean White Revive for the overnight soak that is the only reliable way to recover whites that have already gone. Check price on Amazon →
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