Home Care Topics

In 2022, the IKW working group "EQ Detergents" was tasked by the IKW Detergents Committee to develop revised recommendations for the quality assessment of household laundry detergents. This revision aligns with existing European testing procedures and consider current consumer needs and behaviour. The testing procedure for detergents with minimum performance requirements, as developed by the European Detergents & Maintenance Products Industry Association (Association Internationale de la Savonnerie, de la detergence et des produits d’Entretien A.I.S.E., Brussels), was considered.

The Recommendations for the quality assessment of household laundry detergents include the following parts:

• Part A Cleaning Performance I: Stain Removal
• Part B Cleaning Performance II: Whiteness Maintenance and Whiteness as an Optical Impression
• Part C Textile Protection: Colour Care, Dye Transfer, Fabric Care, Tear Strength, Burst Strength

Part A of the Recommendations for the quality assessment of household laundry detergents was published on 7 May 2025 in the SOFW Journal, 05-2025, Volume 151, pages 34-43 and can be accessed in both the original German version and the English version.

Part B and C will be published separately in later issues of the SOFW Journal.

Part A of these recommendations for quality assessment includes testing methods to evaluate the cleaning performance of household laundry detergents for textiles. These detergents are dosed and used in washing machines with a standardised load of 4.5 kg of dry fabric (commonly referred to as "heavy-duty detergents"). For these EQ the product type is subdivided into two types of detergents regardless of product form (e.g., liquid, solid, or pre-dosed detergents):

• Detergents for white textiles (often called "Vollwaschmittel" or "Universalwaschmittel" in Germany)
• Detergents for coloured textiles (often called "Colorwaschmittel" or "Buntwaschmittel" in Germany)

For evaluation purposes, only detergents of the same type (i.e., exclusively detergents for coloured laundry or exclusively detergents for white laundry) should be compared. The manufacturer’s instructions regarding the intended use of the detergent (e.g., "detergent for coloured laundry") are decisive for the classification.

Additionally, there is a separate product type of light-duty detergents for delicate fabrics, which is not covered in Part A of these recommendations. However, Part A may serve as the foundation for evaluating other detergent categories and product types with adjusted testing methods.

The testing methods are reproducible, robust, differentiating, relevant to household use, and implementable with reasonable effort.

Test stains, ballast loads, ballast soil, and equipment cannot be sourced from the IKW office.