7 Best Detergent Sheets for Removing Stains, Tested by Laundry Experts
Move over liquids and pods, there's a new choice in the detergent aisle.
Reviewed by Carolyn FortéHome Care & Cleaning Lab Executive Director
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- Best Value: Clean Cult Laundry Detergent Sheets
- Best For Stains: Earth Breeze Eco Sheets
- Best From A Familiar Brand: Arm & Hammer Power Sheets
All you have to do is scroll through social media or watch a few commercials and you've likely noticed that there's a new type of detergent muscling its way into your laundry room. It's detergent sheets and they have a compelling story to tell. With the sheets, there are no heavy tubs or jugs to lift or store, and no messy liquids to measure or ruptured pods to handle. And lighter weight and minimal recycled and recyclable cardboard packaging mean it takes even less energy to ship, making it a viable eco laundry detergent option.
Through the years, our experts in the Good Housekeeping Institute Home Care & Cleaning Lab have tested hundreds of the best laundry detergents, including the best baby detergents. That's why when detergent sheets hit the market, we wanted in. For our first round of testing several years ago, we evaluated 25 detergent sheets, strips and swatches from 20 brands. But the market has grown since then. To supplement this work, we just finished testing an additional 10 brands, applying and rating 100 stains, like oil, ink and grass, to our test cotton fabric swatches.
Over time, we're noticing an improvement in performance as newer versions incorporate enzymes for better stain removal, though sheets still can't beat liquids when it comes to pre-treating stains. Here is our latest list of recommend picks from all the testing we have done.
Pros
- Contains enzymes
- Comes in a sturdy box
- Well-priced
Cons
- Struggled with some tough stains
Cleancult is a brand we've come to know well for its laundry detergent, dish soap, hand soap and other cleaning products with refills packaged in recyclable milk carton-style containers. So we were excited to test the laundry sheets and happy to see that they are formulated with stain-removing enzymes and come at such a great price per load. The sheets aren't perforated so you use one full sheet for a regular medium load, two for large.
In our test, Cleancult did not disappoint. It was among the best at removing oil, ketchup, coffee and beef gravy, though it struggled with lipstick and ink. It comes in three scents — Fresh Linen, Wild Lavender and Juniper Sandalwood — and Free & Clear and the sheets are packaged in a sturdy box with a pullout tray that keeps the sheets neatly stacked and organized.
Sheets per package: 60 | Cost per medium load: $0.23 | Made in: China
Pros
- Tackles tough stains
- Dissolves quickly and completely
- Donates to environmental causes
- Comes fragrance-free
Cons
- Box says it's for 60 loads but realistically it's 30 medium loads
A new GH Seal Star, Earth Breeze did an impressive job tackling many of the tough stains we applied to our white cotton test fabrics, like chocolate syrup, ketchup and wine. It was among the better performers on ink, but struggled — as most did — with mustard and blood.
Earth Breeze sheets dissolve quickly and one full sheet washes a medium load. Each box contains 30 sheets and while the label touts you can wash up to 60 loads, that's assuming you're only washing small loads which call for half a sheet. Medium loads are the most common, so if that's what you do most often, expect to get about 30 loads.
Earth Breeze not only helps you do laundry, but helps worthy environmental causes too. It's a member of 1% For the Planet which donates 1% of revenue to environmental non-profit organizations.
Sheets per package: 30| Cost per medium load: $0.42 | Made in: China
Pros
- Fresh linen scent
- Online reviewers compare it favorably to the brand's liquid
- Relatively low cost
Cons
- Comes in only one scent
As laundry detergent sheets become more popular, we're seeing more familiar brands enter this space. One such name is Arm & Hammer, a brand we trust and recommend for its baby laundry detergent. In our tests, it did an impressive job removing ketchup, chocolate syrup, wine and beef gravy stains. And consumers agree. Amazon reviewers have given Arm & Hammer Power Sheets a 4.5-star average rating across more than 14,000 reviews plus, they like the fresh scent and how well the sheets compare to the brand's traditional liquid.
Like others, the box includes enough sheets for 50 medium loads, but the brand lists 100 loads on the label assuming that you will tear each sheet in half and only run small loads (which seems unlikely in most households). Even still, this box has a relatively low cost per load, even if you use a whole sheet every time.
Sheets per package: 50| Cost per medium load: $0.30 | Made in: China
Pros
- Fragrance- and dye-free
- Great for travel with easy-to-pack slim envelope
- USDA Certified Biobased product and EPA Safer Choice certified
Cons
- Struggled with some stains
Beyond is a brand we first learned about when its dryer sheets were tested and featured as a winner in a previous Good Housekeeping Best Cleaning & Organizing Awards. This free and clear fragrance- and dye-free formula is a great choice for those with skin sensitivities. Beyond sheets are a USDA Certified 55% Biobased product, a certification for products derived from plants and other renewable materials. Since our last review, it has earned the EPA's Safer Choice certification as well.
Dissolving in water in less than a minute, the sheets worked especially well for removing gravy, coffee and egg from our test fabric but struggled with spaghetti sauce and lipstick stains. And it whitened pre-stained fabric swatches better than most of our tested laundry sheets. As a side note, we like it for travel if you do laundry on the road because of its slim package, lack of scent and directions on the back for hand-washing in a sink.
Strips per package: 32| Cost per medium load: $0.31 | Made in: Canada
Pros
- Pleasing herbal scent
- Whitens well
- Certified B Corp
Cons
- Struggled to remove a grass stain
We thought the Lavender Blossom and Thyme fragrance made these the best-smelling laundry detergent sheets we tested. Limited edition seasonal scents, like Atlantic Dune Grass, are introduced throughout the year and there's a free and clear option too.
In our tests, these Grove Co.'s sheets dissolved completely in less than one minute and whitened a pre-stained fabric swatch almost as well as other brands costing twice as much. Grove Co.'s sheets were one of only four in our test to conquer a tea stain. Other stains where it excelled were ketchup and crayon, though it was no match for grass stains where it earned one of the lowest scores in our tests.
Grove Co. is a Certified B Corp, meaning it meets accountability standards for its social and environmental impact. Though Amazon sells them as a two-pack, you can by a single box for less directly from Grove and save even more if you have a subscription.
Sheets per package: 32| Cost per medium load: $0.47 | Made in: China
Pros
- Second best overall and performance score
- USDA Certified Biobased product
- Need only 1/2 sheet for medium loads and 1/2 strip for small loads
Cons
- Pricey
- Only available on Norwex site
Norwex is concentrated and recommends using only half a sheet (instead of a full one) for regular, medium-size loads and a full sheet (rather than more than one sheet) for large ones. For small loads, you can even tear one strip in half again.
It earned the second-best overall score in our Lab tests, showed an almost 8% whiteness improvement and dissolved in just under a minute in cold water. The Fresh Blossom scent is light and pleasant, though does not last long on washed clothing. The sheets performed well on many food stains like ketchup, wine, mud, chocolate syrup and grape juice but struggled to improve tea and lipstick stains (not uncommon with most laundry detergent sheets).
Norwex is a USDA Certified 60% Biobased product and because its a bit more expensive we're pleased it's also concentrated and requires fewer sheets per load.
Sheets per package: 18| Cost per medium load: $0.89 | Made in: Canada
Pros
- No need to tear strips apart
- Very clear directions
- Ships free
Cons
- Only available from Hey Sunday website
- A bit pricey per load
Right out of the envelope, you'll notice that Hey Sunday is a little different from the rest. Instead of perforated sheets, single strips of detergent are bundled in little stacks with a brown paper band holding them together — nothing to tear apart. Use one strip for a small load, two for a medium and three for a large load. For a heavily soiled load of any size, toss in an extra strip. We love the clear dosing directions on the package that take out all the guesswork about how much to add.
In our tests, Hey Sunday did an impressive job on our tough stains. It was among the top performers removing oil, coffee and beef gravy and held its own on mustard and lipstick, two of our toughest stains. It comes in an Ocean Breeze scent or fragrance-free version and while it is among the most expensive of our picks, you can save $10 per package if you subscribe via the website. But either way, shipping is always free.
Sheets per package: 60 | Cost per medium load: $0.82 | Made in: China
How we test laundry detergent sheets
In the Good Housekeeping Institute's Home Care & Cleaning Lab, our experts have tested hundreds of laundry detergents, laundry pretreat stain removers and even specialty products like the best the best red wine stain removers. To date, we've tested 34 laundry detergent sheets and we tested them exactly the same way we've test liquid, powder and pack detergents. We stain fabric swatches with 10 to 20 of the most common stains, including coffee, spaghetti sauce, grass, red wine, blood and more.
Each fabric swatch is carefully stained with a standard amount of dirt, food or liquid and allowed to set overnight. Each of the laundry detergent sheets are then added to a standard 8-pound mixed load of laundry in the same top-loading washing machine set for a normal, heavy soil cycle. We follow each detergent sheet's instructions for a heavy-soiled load of clothing — for some brands that means using two sheets in one load. Once the fabric swatches are dry, they are analyzed in a dark room and rated according to the AATCC Stain Release Scale.
Because there is more to laundry detergents than how well they remove common stains, we also test each sheet's ability to restore the whiteness to a standard gray-stained fabric. We call this reflectance improvement. The reflectance of a fabric is the measure of the amount of light that is reflected off that fabric — the whiter the fabric, the better the reflectance. Four pre-stained swatches are washed in a 6-pound load. Using a DigiEye color imaging system, we calculate the average reflectance improvement achieved with each sheet.
One final performance test is then done to record the time it takes for each sheet to dissolve in 2 liters of agitated water. For our ease-of-use tests, detergent sheet instructions are evaluated for proper safety precautions, clear dosage information and a comprehensive ingredients list.
What to look for when shopping for the best laundry detergent sheets
Like with any detergent, keep these points in mind when shopping for laundry detergent sheets.
✔️ Ingredients: Most laundry detergents clean with surfactants and stain-fighting enzyme ingredients in the formula. Some common chemical names to look for include linear alkylate sulfonate or any other ingredient with sulfate or sulfonate in the name, and enzymes like amylase, lipase and protease for the best stain removal.
✔️ Price: You might be tempted to just look at the price of a pack of laundry detergent sheets, but it’s the price per load that is more important. The laundry detergent sheets we tested ranged in price from about 20 cents per regular load to 1 dollar per load. Other forms of laundry detergents we’ve tested, including liquid, are significantly cheaper per wash, but they come with other compromises, like heavy jugs that require more storage space. While, on this list, the priciest detergent sheet earned the top spot, price is not always a reliable indicator of performance.
✔️ Packaging: Laundry detergent sheets are touted as better for the environment than plastic jugs of laundry detergent. This is likely true for sheets that are packaged in recyclable, paper envelopes and boxes. Be wary of eco-friendly claims from brands that package their sheets in plastic or don’t have information on their website about how they are working to minimize their company’s environmental footprint. Where detergent sheets are manufactured is also something to consider, as some countries have more lax environmental protection laws. Shipping products overseas can have a bigger environmental impact than those made domestically.
✔️ Sweeping environmental claims: A lot of consumer products make big claims about how eco-friendly, zero-plastic and free of insert-common-cleaning-ingredient-here they are. This is something to be cautious of as even the Federal Trade Commission has taken notice of these greenwashing claims. “Eco-friendly” is an especially tricky term as it could mean almost anything, and many brands use this term on their products to appear greener than they really are. There are two simple ways to make sure that the brand you are thinking of buying is actually working to minimize its negative impact on the environment: Peruse a brand’s website for more information on where and how their products are made, and check the label for any federally regulated certifications like the USDA Certified Biobased Product label.
What are laundry detergent sheets?
A laundry detergent sheet is concentrated detergent that has been bound together in an easier-to-store, paper-thin form. Because they have many of the same ingredients as liquid laundry detergents, they work the same way, lifting dirt, odors and debris from fabrics that are then washed away during a laundry cycle. But their real appeal is around convenience and reduced environmental impact.
While tests on the initial sheets were a bit lackluster compared to the test results we get from regular detergents, many are now incorporating enzymes into their formulas, though overall they still don't perform as well as the best liquid and pod detergents. And keep in mind that tough stains are still best treated with a pre-wash spray. Many laundry detergent sheets are available in both scented and fragrance-free versions but they don't yet incorporate extras like color-safe bleach or fabric softener.
Most sheets are square, white and have a perforated line in the middle to separate them into two strips for small loads. Benefits include a smaller carbon footprint when these are shipped to retail outlets and to consumers, less heavy lifting for consumers doing laundry at home, less space required to store laundry detergent and no drips or messy measuring. There's also little to no plastic packaging waste to dispose of.
How to use laundry detergent sheets
Most of the brands we tested have easy-to-follow instructions on the label and can be used in both front- and top-load machines. Place a sheet or sheets right inside the washing machine drum, not in the tray for liquid detergent, then place your dirty laundry on top and run your usual cleaning cycle. Always follow the directions on the package of the brand you are using for best results.
Unfortunately, we found some brands' instructions to be quite tricky when figuring out the dosage for small or large loads, but we didn’t run into any over-sudsing issues when we tested in the Lab.
Don't handle laundry detergent sheets with wet hands, as they'll begin to dissolve. They'll also become mushy messes if stored in a wet, humid area. Like any cleaning product, always be sure to keep these out of sight and reach of children and pets. Some brands tout "natural" or "biodegradable" ingredients but detergent sheets are not non-toxic. Note that some brands print an expiration date on their label.
Do laundry detergent sheets work in cold water?
All of the brands we tested state that they can be used to wash clothing at any water temperature. In our tests, all but one of the dissolvable sheets — our top overall pick, the EC30 — completely dissolved in both warm and cold water in a container on a tabletop. Every sheet, including our top pick, completely dissolved in the washing machine after a full cleaning cycle that included mechanized agitation.
Why trust Good Housekeeping?
Experts at the Good Housekeeping Institute test thousands of consumer products each year in our headquarters in New York City, as we have for more than a hundred years. Our Lab experts rate cleaning appliances such as the Best Washing Machines and award products for their efforts to be eco-friendly with our Sustainable Innovation Awards.
This article was written by former Reviews Analyst Jodhaira Rodriguez. She led our test of laundry detergent sheets, spending more than 96 hours running washers and dryers and a dozen more hours staining, analyzing and rating the 24 laundry detergent sheets considered for this story. The most recent update was written by Contributing Writer Jessica Hartshorn, a journalist and former editor at Parents magazine. Carolyn Forté, Executive Director of the Good Housekeeping Home Care & Cleaning Lab conducted the latest round of testing and updated this latest version.
Carolyn Forté brings more than 40 years of experience as a consumer products expert to her role as executive director of the Good Housekeeping Institute's Home Care and Cleaning Lab. Using deep analytical testing and writing expertise in appliances, cleaning, textiles and organizational products, she produces cleaning and home care advice for GH, has authored numerous books and bookazines for the brand and partners with the American Cleaning Institute to co-produce the Discover Cleaning Summits. She holds a bachelor's degree in family and consumer sciences from Queens College, City University of New York.
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