The CHOICE food and household product experts really have been busy this year.
Whether it's taste-testing dozens of samples of ice cream in the kitchen labs (tough job, we know!), or scrubbing a soiled ceramic tile hundreds of times to test cleaners, they've been putting in the hard work to help you decide which products are worth spending your cash on in the supermarket.
Here's their pick of the best tasting, best performing or best value products that really shone above the rest.
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Cleaning
The ultimate dishie: Dishwasher detergent
Logix 18 in 1 tablets outperformed products costing 10 times more.
If you want sparkling clean dishes without breaking the budget, Aldi Logix Platinum 18 In 1 Dishwashing Tablets are the star performer to go for.
They cost just 19 cents per wash but outperform big-name products costing almost 10 times as much – that's good news for your dishes and your budget!
Read our full dishwasher detergent review to see how the brands compared.
The one that scrubs up well: Dishwashing liquids and sprays
Fairy was in front with its dishwashing spray.
For handwashing, Fairy Kitchen Antibacterial spray is the grime-busting go-to. It topped our test, coming ahead of the competition by a full five percentage points.
It's not cheap though – $1.33 per 100mL – and not everyone is into spray detergents, so if you're looking for a liquid that's tough on dishes but gentle on your wallet, Aldi Green Action Plant Based Formula is a steal at 56 cents per 100mL.
The best all-rounders: Multipurpose cleaners
Bosistos was one of three jack-of-all-trades sprays that topped our tests.
In the multipurpose cleaners category, we're spoilt for choice: there's not just one but three top-scoring products. These handy jacks-of-all-trades all scored a shiny 95% overall.
You really only need one cleaning spray – they all do pretty much the same thing, except for bathroom cleaners – so make it count by choosing one of these three.
Usually we find that price is no indicator of performance, but unfortunately there weren't many cheaper products that performed well. If you're on a budget, Windex Surface & Glass Multi-Purpose cleaner costs 76 cents per 100mL and with a score of 80% is recommended by our experts.
Our review will show you which are the best multipurpose cleaners.
Laundry
The best for dazzling whites: Stain remover sprays
Sard won by a whisker, but for less than a sixth of the price you can get almost the same performance with Aldi's spray.
With a squeaky-clean score of 76%, Sard Super Power Stain Remover Toughest Stains topped our test, delivering great performance on hard-to-remove stains like cooking oil, chocolate ice cream, grass, mud and sweat.
But it was neck and neck with a far cheaper product: Aldi Di-San Pro Ultra Degreaser with Enzymes, which scored just one percentage point lower but costs less than a sixth of the price. It even outperformed the Sard spray on some stains, such as tomato, collar grime and baby food.
If you're looking for a stain remover that's tough on stains but gentle on your wallet, this is the top pick. But if you're not an Aldi shopper, the Sard spray is an excellent buy.
Check our review to find the best stain remover sprays.
The best for lightening the load: Laundry detergent
Omo topped our tests, winning the top four spots.
Omo Expert Anti-Bacterial Powder certainly is a laundry expert: it's rated 90% and is recommended by our experts. And this test is an Omo whitewash, with the brand taking out all four top spots in our tests.
Once again, however, top performance will cost you top dollar: the leading Omo product will set you back $1.16 per wash.
If you want to keep your laundry clean but your pockets heavy, the next best bet is – you guessed it – an Aldi product. Its Laundrite Laundry Powder scored 79%, not quite high enough for our experts to recommend, but still a great result. And it's only 11 cents per wash – more than 10 times cheaper.
To see how all the brands fared, check our detailed laundry detergent review.
Food and drinks
The best quick pick-me-up: Instant coffee
An old-school drop that hits the spot: Bushells Classic Gourmet.
Turns out you don't always need to go fancy to get a great cuppa. Shockingly, six instant coffees were rated by experts as the same as or even better than coffee from an espresso machine.
The best brew is Bushells Classic Gourmet Instant Coffee, which the experts say has a nice smooth flavour and is well balanced with a sweet dark chocolate aroma. Its basic, old-school label probably won't jump out at you from the shelf, but it's worth seeking out.
For a budget brew, Coles Classic Granulated Coffee Smooth & Bold will give you the best beans for your buck at just $1.85 per 100g. It came third in our test, beating the espresso coffee and instants costing nearly eight times as much.
The best scoop: Vanilla ice cream
Coles pipped pricier products with its vanilla ice cream.
A supermarket own-brand ice cream beating the likes of Messina, Haagen-Dazs and Maggie Beer? Yes, we were surprised too, but our experts' tastebuds don't lie.
Thrifty shoppers will love Coles Irresistible Vanilla Bean Ice Cream, which is priced at just $6.50 for a 1L pack. Since it's so cheap, you can eat twice as much of it, right?
The top of the tins: Baked beans
Beans means Watties.
Quick, cheap, tasty and nutritious, a tin or two of baked beans in the cupboard will save your bacon on nights when you just don't have the energy to cook.
It turns out that beans actually doesn't always means Heinz: Wattie's Baked Beans in Tomato Sauce took out the top spot in our baked beans review with a score of 80%. They're also a healthier option, with our nutrition expert rating them at 90% for nutrition.
And just one percentage point behind – but with a higher score for taste – Black & Gold Baked Beans in Tomato Sauce deliver seriously tasty beans for your buck, costing just $1.10 a tin.
Want to know how your fave ranked? Check our baked beans review.
Everyday products
On a roll: Toilet paper
Quilton for 4-ply softness.
Quilton scored a royal flush in our toilet paper reviews, taking out a number of top spots. Its Quilton Toilet Tissue Gold 4 ply Softness lived up to its name by winning gold with an 85% score, and Quilton Royal 3 ply Soft Weave coming in second place.
And a huge six other Quilton products scored 82% (although these didn't perform quite well enough to be recommended by our experts).
Quilton products sit at the upper end of the market, with the most expensive costing 69 cents per 100 sheets – the most expensive in our test. (Although the 61c-per-100-sheets Gold 4 ply scored better than this one, so you can save yourself a full 8c per 100 sheets and still get a great wipe.)
If you're after comfort on a budget, Aldi delivers again with its Confidence 3 ply Extra Soft Toilet Tissue, which scored 82% but costs just 22 cents per 100 sheets.
Want to find the best for your bum? Check our toilet paper review.
Not to be sniffed at: Tissues
Kleenex pocket pack tops the list.
Kleenex Everyday Softness on the Go Pocket Pack 4 ply 9 tissues well and truly blew the competition away. With a score of 80%, it was a full three percentage points ahead of its nearest competitor, scoring well for softness, absorption and puncture-resistance (so they won't split when they're full of gross stuff).
However, on a per-tissue basis they're pretty expensive: a huge $6.11 per 100 tissues. Buying these on the regular could really blow your budget.
A cheaper option that's also recommended by our experts is Woolworths Asure Hypoallergenic Pocket Tissues 6 pack, which is still not cheap at $2.59 per 100 tissues, and isn't on par for softness but scored well on other tests.
Unfortunately, cheap tissues just didn't perform well in this test, so if you're on a budget you may need to put up with scratchy tissues or consider switching to cloth hankies. (Just make sure you wash them with one of the top-scoring detergents we've mentioned above!)
Top of the bottoms: Nappies
Rascal + Friends wins for both price and performance.
Rascal + Friends Premium Nappies Unisex Infant Size 2 tick the box for both price and performance: costing just 31 cents a nappy, they scored 95% overall and a perfect 100% for leakage and wet feeling. Considering how many nappies you'll go through with an infant, that's peace of mind for both your budget and your baby's bottom.
Babies are expensive, so if you're trying to keep costs down, head to Coles or Aldi: Coles CUB newborn nappies are just 18 cents per nappy with an overall score of 89%, and Aldi's Mamia Ultra Dry newborn nappies are the cheapest we tested (17 cents per nappy) but are also recommended by our experts.
A number of nappy sizes from both of the supermarkets' own-brand products hit the sweet spot for both price and performance. Check our detailed nappy reviews to see how different brands performed.
A note about prices: All the prices listed in this article are based on when each of these products were reviewed by CHOICE testers. Prices may have changed since the original content was published.
Stock images: Getty, unless otherwise stated.
