A.I.S.E.

Laundry Detergent
Testing Guidelines
Minimum requirements for comparative
detergents testing

v.6. – May 2020

 IMPORTANT NOTICE

The users of these Guidelines shall only quote the

A.I.S.E. Guidelines as and when the test has been
run fully in line with the A.I.S.E. Guidelines and the
fixed 14 stain set.
These guidelines are for comparative performance
testing of detergents, NOT washing conditions. This
means that identical wash conditions are to be used
for all detergents tested.

2 ● A.I.S.E. Laundry Detergent Testing Guidelines

A.I.S.E. Working Group “Laundry Detergent Testing”

Test Protocol
• Principle based
• Includes minimum requirements – free to exceed those but not lower them
• Can be adapted to different countries/regions, differences in wash habits, wash cycles and
temperatures, recommended dosages, etc.*

Scope
• Logistics: communication, selection, pick-up, sampling
• Test execution
• Results: calculation, evaluation, communication

Categories
• Heavy Duty Detergents, Light Duty Detergents, Laundry Additives

Countries
• Should apply to all A.I.S.E. member countries

Benefits
• More realistic and more reliable comparison of product qualities for consumers
• Improvement in test quality
• Common approach

3 ● A.I.S.E. Laundry Detergent Testing Guidelines

A.I.S.E. Working Group “Laundry Detergent Testing”

Main Topics of the Guidelines

• Information about start of test

• Quality assurance in test lab
• Washing machine, cycle, temperature
• Number of replicates
• Dosage
• Soil Donator
• Stain Set
• Dyes for dye transfer inhibition *
• Dyes for color maintenance
• Test execution
• Statistical evaluation
• Communication of results prior to publication
• Future improvements of protocol
* further development ongoing

4 ● A.I.S.E. Laundry Detergent Testing Guidelines

Information/Communication prior to testing

ISO/IEC GUIDE 46-1985

“Every reasonable effort should be made to reflect what is
available on the market …”
This could include consulting manufacturers or checking current
literature and catalogues.
It is in the interest of consumers and manufacturers that such
information should be made
available.

(excerpt from ISO/IEC GUIDE 46-1985 section 2.1)

A.I.S.E. Laundry Detergent Testing Guidelines

5 ●
Process followed for Test Protocol

Review existing test protocols in Western Europe,

e.g.
• Que Choisir, StiWa, Which? Consumentenbond, Test Achat,
AFISE
• Terpstra soil workshop

Review and sharing of internal company data

• on consumer habits (stains/soils, wash temperature)
• textile/dye markets/trends
• internal & external testing experience

Develop “consensus” proposal

6 ● A.I.S.E. Laundry Detergent Testing Guidelines

Key Learnings and Principles (1/2)

• Only a representative set of stains can give a consumer

relevant assessment of a product’s performance – drive
towards use of stains that represent consumer
problems in the most realistic way.

• Stains should be commercially available.

• Include (body) soil source since testing WITHOUT soil

can lead to seriously misleading results as (body) soil
has a significant impact on the absolute level of
performance and can also impact the relative
performance and ranking of products (ref. Soil
Workshop Wageningen).

7 ● A.I.S.E. Laundry Detergent Testing Guidelines

Key Learnings and Principles (2/2)

• Select most consumer/market relevant dyes for Dye

Transfer and Color Maintenance.

• Select the most consumer relevant wash temperature

for the product categories that are tested.

• For additives, select detergents as “base” that are

representative of additives user habits.

8 ● A.I.S.E. Laundry Detergent Testing Guidelines

Quality Assurance

• Reliable washing machines, representative for local

market
• Fuzzy logic disabled to ensure equal program
length/rinse cycles for all test products (to avoid suds
interference with washing cycle length)
• Calibration of machines and yearly validation
• Purchase of stains and other test materials from
same production lots
• Adherence to expiry date/recommended storage
conditions
• NO drying of test fabrics in tumble dryer and ensure
constant exposure conditions to light

9 ● A.I.S.E. Laundry Detergent Testing Guidelines

Washing Cycle and Temperature

• Select the washing cycle and temperature that are

most relevant in the country.

• Different washing cycles/temperatures may be used if

justified by product category.

• In most countries this is 40°C for generalist

detergents.

10 ● A.I.S.E. Laundry Detergent Testing Guidelines

Dosage/Usage

• Dosages should be based on manufacturers’

recommendation:
•Generalists: normal soil/medium water hardness.
•Additives: a harmonized dosage (when not clear from the
instructions); mechanical action (rubbing) and exposure time
should be selected according to test objective
• In case the manufacturers’ dosage instructions lead to
large differences between products, it should be
highlighted.
• Dosage of powders is according to the declared grams
on the package. For liquids it is ml.

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Soil

• Addition of 4 SBL 2004 sheets, introducing about 32

grams of ballast soil.

• SBL 2004 is an improved version of SBL (with

increased sebum/oil load and a “bleach consuming
agent”) and is currently the best option to simulate
normally soiled laundry (in the absence of normally
soiled consumer bundles or wash & wear tests).

12 ● A.I.S.E. Laundry Detergent Testing Guidelines

Stain Set – Principles

• A representative set of stains should typically comprise a minimum of

about 15 stains. Size of stain should permit accurate reading (minimum
diameter about 50 mm).
• The total amount of soil coming from ballast soil and stains should be
consistent with consumer habits.
• Stains should cover all consumer relevant stain categories for the
products that are tested.
• Stains should be produced in a reproducible quality.
• Select suitable stain candidates from available suppliers (Warwick
Equest, WFK, EMPA, CFT) - use mix of “natural” and “standard” stains.
• Remove stains with artifacts e.g. high T aging or presence of foreign
pigments/carbon black, soot etc. which can alter the chemical
behaviour of the “stain”
• Low variability (before and after wash)
• High discrimination

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 A.I.S.E. Stain Set – v. 6. May 2020
Stains Standard Stains Hand-made Stains* Stain classes
(ex Warwick- Consumer denomination/Chemical nature
Equest)

Tea WFK 10J WE5LTWKC Drink / Bleachable

CFT KC-
Coffee WE5ECWKC Drink / Bleachable
H109
CFT KC-
Red wine WE5RWWKC Drink / Bleachable
H026

Fruit juice CFT CS-15 Drink / Bleachable

Tomato puree WE5TPWKC Food / Bleachable

Salad Dressing Food / Bleachable

CFT CS-406
Balsamico Enzymatic
French Squeezy Food / Bleachable
WE5FSMWKC
Mustard Enzymatic

Chocolate WFK 10Z CFT CS-44 Food / Enzymatic

EMPA General soil / Bleachable

Grass CFTCS-07 WE5SGWKC
164 Enzymatic
General soil / Bleachable
Grass/Mud WE5GMWKC Enzymatic
Particulate

Blood WE5DASBWKC General soil / Enzymatic

EMPA WFK 10 Grease, Oil / Greasy

Unused motor oil CFT C-01
106 RM Particulate

WE5BBPC2 Grease, Oil / Greasy

Cooked Beef Fat
(on polyester/cotton) Enzymatic
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EMPA Cosmetics / Greasy
Make up WFK 10MU CFT CS-17 WE5FM2WKC
143/2 Particulate
Dyes (1/2)

Color Maintenance

• Adopt A.I.S.E. 14 monitor dye set as common, most

consumer/market relevant dye set.
• Add local consumer/market relevant dyes/shades
(pastel, unbrightened) if needed/desired.

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A.I.S.E. 14 Dye Set
Fabric
number of Fabric number
A.I.S.E. (14) of A.I.S.E. (14) Dye Class
Monitor Dye Dye Set
Set
1 A.I.S.E. 1 Sulphur Black
2 A.I.S.E. 3 Vat Green
3 A.I.S.E. 5 Vat Blue
4 A.I.S.E. 8 Direct Yellow + cationic after-treatment (Tinofix ECO)
5 A.I.S.E. 16 Reactive Red
6 A.I.S.E. 20 Reactive Black (pale shade)
7 A.I.S.E. 21 Reactive Black (heavy shade)
8 A.I.S.E. 22 Reactive Orange
9 A.I.S.E. 24 Reactive Blue
10 A.I.S.E. 26 Reactive Violet
11 A.I.S.E. 27 Reactive trichromatic combination
12 A.I.S.E. 29 Reactive trichromatic combination
13 A.I.S.E. 33 Disperse Navy + heat set
14 A.I.S.E. 39 Acid Red + syntan

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Dyes (2/2)

Dye Transfer
• The current StiWa protocol focuses on the following
unfinished dyes:
•Direct Black 22
•Direct Orange 39
•Direct Red 83.1
•Acid Blue 113
• Market reality is that most direct dyes will have some sort of
finish. Thus dye transfer is dependent on the durability of
that finish.
• Further development work is underway to optimize this dye
set.

17 ● A.I.S.E. Laundry Detergent Testing Guidelines

 Execution of the Tests

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Test Execution for Heavy Duty Detergents
(Stain Removal and Whiteness)

Number of minimum of 6, ideally 8

cycles
# Stain set 1 internal
Replicates
Standard Cotton, polyester/cotton, polyester and polyamide to measure
white fabrics whiteness
Ballast load 3 kg, clean white ballast load, normalized with 3 washes at
60C with ECE (88031 ex WFK) detergent w/o brightener and
bleach to have comparable low optical brightener levels for
ALL test products
Ballast soil 4 SBL 2004 sheets for HDD
Dosage recommended dosage for normal soil/medium hardness for
generalists
Temperature 40C (or locally adjusted) for generalist detergents

19 ● A.I.S.E. Laundry Detergent Testing Guidelines

Test execution – SR and Whiteness

Evaluation
Stain removal:
• The evaluation of the degree of stain removal can either be assessed via
suitable instrumental measurements such as reflectance (Y-value, SRI) or
image analysis, as long as these methods are fully validated.
• Important is a statistical evaluation to arrive at meaningful conclusions.
• Reflectance via spectrophotometer, using the Y-value of the Y, x, y colour
coordinates measurement, light source D65 with a UV cut-off filter at 420
nm. Aperture used for real stains 15 mm (minimum 12 mm). Stains are
measured unfolded, 2 measurements per stain (in the center of the
circular area, or closest homogenous area).
• Measurements are taken on each stain BEFORE wash (to verify quality of
stains) unless there is a quality control in place and AFTER the wash and
to evaluate standard deviations and are reported.
• Rank products based on statistic evaluation (95% confidence level). An
approach for how to do this for a multitude of test products is
recommended.
• Rank products on all stains, and if desired per consumer relevant stain
classes. An approach for how to do this for a multitude of test products is
recommended.
20 ● A.I.S.E. Laundry Detergent Testing Guidelines
Test execution – SR and Whiteness

Evaluation

Whiteness:
• Basic whiteness as Y-value and Visual whiteness
simulated as Ganz-Griesser value on 4 standard
fabrics (cotton, polyester/cotton, polyester and
polyamide) after 6 (8) cumulative washes

21 ● A.I.S.E. Laundry Detergent Testing Guidelines

Test Execution – Color Maintenance

Colored 14 A.I.S.E. Monitor Dye set (plus additional “local fabrics” if

Fabrics needed/desired)

Temperature 40°C for generalists (or adjusted based on consumer habits)

Reference to Tenside 2004, 156-162.
Dosage Recommended Dosage for normally soiled laundry/medium
water hardness (15l water / machine) or harmonized dosage
Ballast 3.0 kg (normalised as in SR testing)
Addition of 2 SBL 2004 to suppress excessive foam
formation
Number of 20
washes
Evaluation Before and After the wash : Measurement of colour
difference delta E expressed in Grey Scale units (ISO 105 A
05)

22 ● A.I.S.E. Laundry Detergent Testing Guidelines

Test Execution – Dye Transfer

Equipment Linitester
Color Donator Direct Orange 39
Direct Black 22
Acid Blue 113
Direct Red 83.1
Color Acceptor Cotton and polyamide (6x16cm)
Temperature 60°C
Time 30 minutes
Dosage See dosage/usage (slide 11)
Water volume 100 ml
Number of replicates 1 fabric per cyclinder / 2 external repetitions
(internal/external)
Evaluation Measurement of color difference delta E, expressed
as Grey Scale units (ISO 105 A 04)

23 ● A.I.S.E. Laundry Detergent Testing Guidelines

Test Execution for Light Duty Detergents
(Stain Removal and Whiteness)

Wash Program Delicate cycle (NOT cotton or wool), high water level

Ballast load 2.5 kg (normalised as in SR testing for generalists)

Ballast soil 2 SBL 2004 sheets

Dosage Recommended Dosage for lightly soiled

laundry/medium water hardness (15l water / machine)

Temperature 30°C

24 ● A.I.S.E. Laundry Detergent Testing Guidelines

Communication of results prior to publication

• According to ISO/IEC GUIDE 46-1985

“…. inform the manufacturer (agent/representative/importer) of test results

on his own product and to invite his comments in sufficient time before
publication. The test results submitted to the manufacturer (agent/
representative/importer) should b accompanied by the list of charactersitics
tested and the test methods used. If the manufacturer (agent/
representative/importer) disagrees with the test results, it is recommended
that he speedily supplies data to demonstrate that the test results are wrong
or exceptional, or that the test methods used were unsuitable. In the case of
exceptional results, it may be appropriate to take further samples.”

(excerpt from ISO/IEC GUIDE 46-1985 section 3.2)

25 ● A.I.S.E. Laundry Detergent Testing Guidelines

Future Improvements

• Future improvements to increase consumer

relevance as far as stain removal, ballast soil,
whiteness maintenance, color maintenance or dye
transfer testing is concerned will be evaluated
when they become available.

• We will review this on a yearly basis.

26 ● A.I.S.E. Laundry Detergent Testing Guidelines

Acronyms

International Association for Soaps, Detergents and Maintenance

A.I.S.E.
Products

ISO International Standardisation Organisation

IEC International Electrotechnical Commission

SBL Soil Ballast Load

ECE ECE Standard Detergent

HDD Heavy Duty Detergent

SRI Stain Removal Index

UV Ultra violet

SR Stain Removal

27 ● A.I.S.E. Laundry Detergent Testing Guidelines