Australia's best and worst stain removers revealed: 'Better using nothing at all'

If you've ever tried to treat a stubborn stain, you'll know not all stain removers are created equal.

Now, with CHOICE unveiling their latest rankings of the best and worst Aussie stain removers, choosing the right product from the laundry aisle for those grass-stained cricket whites just got a whole lot easier.

CHOICE has tested stain removers against 10 of the most common and difficult-to-remove stains, including sweat, grass, oil, blood and makeup. Below are the three stain-remover sprays the CHOICE experts recommend and the ones where you're "better off using nothing at all".

Sard Super Power Stain Remover Toughest Stains

Sard Super Power Stain Remover Toughest Stains took out the top honours, but it came at a cost — priced at more than six times per mL compared to its closest competitor, Aldi Di-San, and with only a one percentage point lead.

• CHOICE Expert Rating: 76 per cent

• Price per 100mL: $1.90

Aldi Di-San Pro Ultra Degreaser with Enzymes

Aldi continues its streak of delivering products that excel in both price and performance. The Aldi Di-San Pro Ultra Degreaser with Enzymes, priced at just 29 cents per 100mL, outperformed bigger more expensive brands.

With an impressive 75 per cent overall score, it stands as a formidable competitor, even surpassing the more expensive Sard Super Power Stain Remover Toughest Stains in some tests.

• CHOICE Expert Rating: 75 per cent

• Price per 100mL: $0.29

Sard Oils and Grime Stain Remover Expert Action

Securing the third position is another Sard product - the Oils and Grime Stain Remover. Priced similarly to the Super Power Toughest Stain Remover, it falls slightly short in performance.

• CHOICE Expert Rating: 71 per cent

• Price per 100mL: $1.90

Stain remover sprays to avoid

Using a pre-wash stain remover is basically like bringing out the big guns to tackle stains head-on, isn't it? Well, not for three sprays, scoring a disappointing 59 per cent overall with the most expensive among them, Sard Wonder Power Fizz Stain Remover, raising questions about its value considering its performance.

Surprisingly, these three sprays were no more effective than skipping the stain remover altogether.

Here are the sub-par sprays in question, along with their CHOICE Expert Rating:

• Sard Wonder Power Fizz Stain Remover (59%)

• Planet Ark Orange Power Pre-Wash Stain Remover (59%)

• Earth Choice Ultra Power Stain Remover (59%)

• Laundry detergent only (no stain remover) (59%)

Another one worth mentioning is the expensive spray that will clean out your wallet, but not your laundry.

Costing a punishing $4.50 per 100mL, StainGo Stain Remover Spot and Prewash scored just 64 per cent overall. That's a huge 15 times more expensive than the ALDI product for far worse performance. Yikes.

How to remove the most common stains

When it comes to addressing common stains like perspiration, grass, mud, and cooking/food oil, CHOICE also had expert recommendations.

• Sweat stains: Best bet - Sard Oils and Grime Stain Remover Expert Action spray (80 per cent score) Note: Sard Sweat and Deodorant Stain Remover scored only 54 per cent for removing sweat stains.

• Grass and mud stains: Best store-bought option: Aldi stain remover (79 per cent for grass and mud stains, 75 per cent overall). Home remedy: Hydrogen peroxide and dishwashing liquid mix (63 per cent overall).

• Grease and oil stains: No need for a stain remover - dishwashing liquid works well. For pre-wash treatment, top-scoring products are Sard's Super Power Stain Remover Toughest Stains and Aldi's Di-San Pro Ultra Degreaser with Enzymes.

To see the full list of products, check the CHOICE stain remover reviews.

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