The Best Cleaning Products of 2014

2014 ALL YOU Cleaning All-Stars
2014 ALL YOU Cleaning All-Stars

We scoured the market, testing more than 100 products across 21 categories-including cleansers, detergents, pods and wipes-to find the ones that really do work the hardest, making your life just a little bit easier. To pick the winner, we devised a series of tasks for each category, then pitted products against one another to see which of them lived up to their claims.

Plus: See Last Year's Cleaning All-Stars Winners »

Best Laundry Detergents
THE TEST:
We stained white cotton T-shirts with mustard, grass, dirt, coffee, ketchup, fresh strawberries, chocolate, cranberry juice and canola oil, let set for a week, then washed them once.

Liquid Detergent
Wisk Deep Clean Original, $5 for 50 oz.; at mass retailers
• This 50-year-old brand still delivers: All stains-except for mustard, which left a faint mark-were eradicated without a trace after the first wash.

Laundry Detergent Pods
All Free and Clear Mighty Pacs, $6 for 24; at mass retailers
• There are excellent stain-busting abilities built into these convenient packets. With no dyes or scents, it's a fine choice for those with sensitive skin.

Powder Laundry Detergent
Gain Icy Fresh Fizz with Oxi, $11 for 49 oz.; at mass retailers
For whitening and brightening, this powder was effective, although it didn't stand up quite as strong to marks left by coffee and oil.

Plus: How to Remove a Red Wine Stain from Clothing »

Best Stain Removers
THE TEST:
We pitted these products against coffee, red wine, salad dressing and ketchup.

On the Go Stain Remover
Shout wipes, $3 for 12; at mass retailers
• These wipes won out over pen-type formulas, conquering all stains except ketchup.

In the Load Stain Remover
It's a tie! Seventh Generation Natural stain remover, $4 for 22 oz.; at Target. OxiClean Versatile stain remover, $8 for a 3-lb. tub; at mass retailers
• Both of these items removed all stains in one washing. OxiClean gets dumped in the wash, earning points for convenience. Eco-friendly Seventh Generation is sprayed on spots.

Find more of the 2014 Cleaning All-Stars here!

See More From AllYou.com:
12 Surprising Uses for Dryer Sheets »
How to Clean Smarter, Not Harder »
How Often Should You Wash Your Sheets, Bras, Hair and More? »