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Expert-tested: the seven Best Buy everyday essentials you need to get right
Drawing on nearly half a decade at Which?, Natalie helps readers cut through the noise with practical guidance on trending products, pest control, cleaning advice and money-saving tips during the sales.
At Which?, our experts place just as much importance on testing the household items we use every day, such as laundry detergent and toilet roll, as they do on expensive technology and appliances, such as TVs and tumble dryers.
Read on to find what they’ve learned, how we assess household staples, and what to look for when choosing the best.
On this page, Which? members will have exclusive access to:
- Our expert-approved list of seven Best Buy everyday essentials – from toilet roll to dishwasher tablets.
- Links to the full results from our rigorous product testing.
- Expert insights on how we test and what to look for when buying.
If you’re not yet a member, you can get instant access by joining Which? – you'll also get access to all our full product reviews.
Pillows
It’s important to find the right pillow to ensure your neck is supported and that you get a good night’s sleep.
To help you find the best one for your sleeping style, our testing used a panel of people who sleep on their front, back and side to rate a range of pillows with different fillings, from feather down to microfibre.
Our expert says
Chris Brookes, Which? expert
‘When looking for a pillow, think first about the type of filling you prefer – whether this is down and feather, memory foam, microfibre or something else.
‘Down and feather pillows tend to be softer and require more plumping, whereas memory foam pillows retain their shape better and are sometimes adjustable by adding or removing layers or individual cubes.
'Microfibre pillows are the cheaper choice, and while they tend not to be as long-lasting, our tests revealed a Best Buy pillow in this category if you're looking for a lower-priced option.'
Our top Best Buy pillow has been ranked the most popular by our testers for multiple years running. Log in now or join Which? to reveal it
Cleaning sprays
Choosing the wrong cleaning spray can leave you with grease marks and leftover grime.
There could also be an environmental cost, as some of the popular sprays we tested use chemicals known to be toxic to aquatic life, which have long-term adverse effects on the environment.
Our expert says
Hardeep Channa, Which? expert
'Despite being sold as "all-purpose" sprays, many of those we tested only excelled in either our kitchen or bathroom tests, so it’s worth checking before you buy that it does everything you want, otherwise you might have to get a second product.
'Sticking with one brand doesn’t always pay off either, as brands that scored well in one area can be a Don’t Buy in another.'
Log in or join Which? to find the best cleaning sprays to keep your whole house sparkling, including bathroom, kitchen and all-purpose cleaners
Laundry detergent
Choosing the wrong laundry detergents can lead to some fashion nightmares, from fading colours to murky whites or stubborn stains on your favourite outfits. It can be annoying and expensive – for both you and the planet – to replace your clothes more than necessary.
When we test laundry detergents, we emulate the everyday dirt and stains we all get on our clothes, so you know a Best Buy laundry detergent can be trusted to keep them spotless.
We've tested brands including Ariel, Ecover and Persil, plus own-brand detergents from Aldi, Lidl, Sainsbury's and Waitrose.
Our expert says
Matt Stevens, Which? expert
'Bios tend to do a better job of removing stains from clothes than non-bios. If you’re looking for the laundry detergent that will deliver the very best washday results, go for a powder.
'Most of the leading bios and non-bios in our tests are powders and they’re usually significantly cheaper than capsules or liquids, while not being quite as convenient to use.’
Some of the most expensive laundry detergents were outperformed by cheaper alternatives in our tests. Log in or join Which? to find out which were the best and worst laundry detergents
Toilet roll
It might sound far-fetched to suggest that buying the wrong toilet roll could cost you money. But if it ends up clogging up your home’s pipes, you may face the expense of calling out a plumber.
You can reduce this risk by reading the results of our tests, which looked at comfort, strength and how easily the toilet paper dissolves in water.
We compared popular brands such as Andrex, Cushelle and Nicky, as well as those from high street retailers.
Our expert says
Hardeep Channa, Which? toilet rolls expert
‘We were surprised at just how big the the difference was between the best and worst toilet papers we’ve tested.
'Our comfort-testing panel all agreed that the top ones were softer to the touch. We also found the strongest toilet rolls took twice as much force to rip or break as the worst.
'Look for a fast-dissolving paper to avoid clogging the pipes. Most toilet rolls we've tested so far have dissolved well, but the best toilet paper breaks apart into very small pieces and leaves the water cloudy, rather than clear with big chunks of paper left in it.'
Don't flush your money away on sub-par choice. Log in now or join Which? to see the best toilet rolls from our tests
Rechargeable batteries
Rechargeable batteries are an investment, but choose the wrong ones and you could end up shelling out to replace them more regularly.
The lowest-scoring rechargeable batteries we tested didn't maintain their power when charged repeatedly and leaked away charge when not in use. The best, on the other hand, will last for hundreds of cycles of repeated use.
Our expert says
Callum Pears, Which? expert
'Our tests have shown the best AA rechargeable batteries give more than seven hours of battery life on a single charge, live up to their stated capacity and stay charged between uses.
'It’s also worth considering alternatives to the big-name brands, which tend to be cheaper. While some turn out to be duds, others are among the best we’ve tested.'
Log in or join Which? to read our reviews of the best rechargeable batteries, and find out how much your appliances cost to run
Washing-up liquid
You might think there aren't many differences between washing-up liquid brands, but our testing reveals there are many.
The best options tackle grease with ease, while the worst struggle to give that squeaky clean finish. Plus, some we tested contain substances known to be harmful to the environment.
Our expert says
Matt Stevens, Which? expert
'Our tests showed the highest-scoring washing-up liquid can clean more than three times as many plates as the lowest-scoring one before you need to change the water.
'That means a bottle of our top-scorer will last a lot longer than ones that produce dud suds.'
Get the best suds (and avoid the duds) with our guide to the best and worst washing up liquids. Log in or join Which? to see the results
Dishwasher tablets
It costs around £70 per year to run the average dishwasher, so you'll want to avoid having to rewash your dishes.
Some of our lower scoring options did little to shift food residue and stains or prevent glasses from going cloudy.
Our expert says
Matt Stevens, Which? expert
'You don’t have to spend loads of dosh for a decent wash; we found some decent options for around £4.
'We found tea stains were an area where performance varied, so if you love a brew you’ll want to go for one of the top options to make sure your cups are clean.'
Dishwasher vs hand washing: which is the most efficient method? Plus, we've tested both branded and own-brand options to find the best dishwasher tablets
Which? member benefits
A Which? membership offers far more than you might expect – from personalised expert advice to Great Value and eco-friendly recommendations, we've got you covered.
- Product reviews you can trust All our test results, reviews and recommendations are our own. We buy every product that we test.
- Ask Which? for buying advice Chat online with us for personalised one-to-one buying advice on any product we’ve tested.
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