7 everyday household items it pays to get right

At Which?, our experts place just as much importance on testing the household items we use every day, such as washing powder and toilet roll, as they do on expensive technology and appliances, such as TVs and tumble dryers.

Here are some of the tips they've learned while testing household essentials, including how we test them and what you should look out for when buying them.

Be inspired to make home improvements. 

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.

Chris Brookes, 

‘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.'

ur top Best Buy pillow has come out top two years running. To find out which one it is, read our guide to the 

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.

Sam Morris, 

'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. All the ones we’ve tested are OK, but in 10 seconds the best were almost completely dissolved. The worst had broken up a bit, but larger chunks remained intact.'

Don't flush your money away on sub-par choice – see the  from our tests

Cleaning sprays

Choosing the wrong kitchen 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.

Fran Roberts-Thornton, 

'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.'

Keep your whole house sparkling with the . And don't miss the  and , too

Washing powder

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.

Fran Roberts-Thornton, 

'If you’ve got sensitive skin and heavily soiled laundry, look at our Best Buy non-bio detergents to ensure you get clean clothes.'

Some of the most expensive laundry detergents were outperformed by cheaper alternatives in our tests. Head to the  to find out which

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 hours of use.

Patrick Gallagher, 

'It’s also worth considering own brand batteries, which tend to be cheaper. While some turn out to be duds, others are among the best we’ve tested.'

Read our reviews of the . Plus, f

Washing-up liquid

You might think that 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.

Fran Roberts-Thornton, 

'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 

Dishwasher tablets

It costs around £70 per year to run the average dishwasher, so you'll want to avoid having to rewash your dishes.

Fran Roberts-Thornton, 

'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.'

Plus, we've

source https://www.which.co.uk/news/article/everyday-household-items-it-pays-to-get-right-ax3CV4w2cqJw