Washing machine manufacturers recommend HE detergents for front-loading washers and high-efficiency top-loaders, which use significantly less water than agitator top-loaders so they require low sudsing detergent. Most HE detergents are dual-use, and can also be used in agitator top-loaders.

Laundry detergent, or laundry sauce , is a type of detergent (cleaning agent) that is added for cleaning laundry, commonly mixtures of chemical compounds including alkylbenzenesulfonates, which are similar to soap but are less affected by hard water.

The fragrance is one of the prominent components of a detergent. There are a handful of laundry detergents that have the best fragrance. They are Tide Original Scent Turbo Clean Liquid, Purex Liquid laundry detergent Clean Burst, ARM & HAMMER™ Laundry detergent Mountain Breeze, and Downy® Fresh Protect April Fresh™ In-Wash Odor Shi