Best laundry detergent & luxury washes for your clothes
Weekly chores just got an upgrade. Luxury laundry and designer detergents have arrived to make wash day a breeze (and are sold as part of your wellness routine too)
Designer detergents: wash day never smelt so good
Gone are the days when you needed to wander the aisles of Waitrose smelling the plethora of primary-coloured plastic bottles filled with gunk, trying to work out the best 'fresh' smell for your smalls and beyond.
There are always the usual suspects. So, like a grand sommelier or French perfumer, we avidly try to sniff out something enticing – yet always just chuck in the 'blue' one.
However, like most things – common everyday things have had a makeover (or in millennial terms: a glow-up). These detergents are, without a doubt, fabulous. They deserve a place in your laundry cupboard and can match your favourite fragrances, forming a new way to layer your aroma. They sit next to your sophisto-scents in high-end department stores or can be bought at a nearby luxury spa.
There is something to be said for slipping into a crisp white shirt or sliding into bed sheets that match your mood and fragrance and make you feel pampered. It goes without saying that the offerings are also eco-friendly, non-toxic and kinder to the skin.
Dr Barbara Sturm's Laundry Detergent is the latest launch. The brand is described as: 'An ecological, plant-based formulation free from preservatives, enzymes, microplastics, dyes, brighteners and other potential irritants and created specifically with the skin in mind.'
We wouldn't expect anything less from the celebrity skin guru. I'm sure Gwynnie has been using it already on her stripy sweaters.
The liquid is also enriched with 'purslane, aloe vera and panthenol' to support skin health, and conveniently helps keep your cashmere and silks in good nick too. Oh, and FYI, it also comes with a designer measuring cup.
Tocca kicked off this trend well over a decade ago with Laundry Delicate. It was the Bergdorf Blondes detergent du jour in NYC. You can still get it Stateside or sometimes here on eBay and the like. Shame, it was glorious and came in a host of their pretty fragrances.
For chic, French-style fragrances, you can add a splash of Maison Francis Kurkdjian's Fabric Care in the machine; it comes in the 'Aqua Universalis formula, which adds a bright and sunny scent on your laundry.'
The fragrance disrupter, Romano Ricci, has developed Juliette Has a Gun Not a Detergent – a minimalist woody musk that produces a sophisticated aroma, for use on everything from sheets to shirts.
Diptyque's offering is a solid ceramic you hang in the wardrobe as an alternative to Febreze. Plus, they have other lovely, woody-fresh and expensively clean-smelling lotions and potions to clean all surfaces – even your dishes. While Kair and The Clothes Doctor offer a range of cleansers designed for specific materials – to prolong the lifespan between washes.
If all these fancy foams are making your eyes water, then M&S's new plant-based Laundry Liquid range with jasmine and green tea or French lavender and geranium essential oils might be a way to dip your toe (or socks and slacks) into the designer detergent trend without the need for Klarna instalments.
Happy wash day.
Maison Francis Kurkdjian’s Fabric Care, Aqua Universalis, £39
Maison Francis Kurkdjian’s Fabric Care, Aqua Universalis, £39 – buy here
Diptyque Ceramic Medallion for Wool & Delicate Textiles, £38
Diptyque Ceramic Medallion for Wool & Delicate Textiles, £38 – buy here
The Clothes Doctor Wash, Freshen & Protection Kit, £74.95
The Clothes Doctor Wash, Freshen & Protection Kit, £74.95 – buy here