The cheapest stain removal spray from a major Australian supermarket is also one of the best-performing products in the field, according to a product test by consumer advocacy group Choice.

Choice tested 23 stain remover powders and 20 pre-treater sprays on common garment stains caused by sweat, grass and mud, and cooking oil, as well as stubborn stains from chocolate ice-cream, tomato, baby food, blood and makeup.

In the pre-treater spray category, Aldi Di-San Pro Ultra Degreaser With Enzymes scored 78% overall, placing it equal-first with Sard Super Power Stain Remover Toughest Stains.

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When it came to removing stains such as sweat, olive oil, baby food and collar grime, the results were neck and neck, although the Sard spray performed better on blood stains.

But at 28¢ for 100ml – or $2.09 a bottle – the Aldi product is considerably cheaper than the Sard spray, which costs $1.90 for 100ml or $8 a bottle.

“If you’re on a budget it’s hard to justify why you’ll spend so much on a Sard spray when you could get an Aldi one which is just as good,” said Choice senior product officer Chris Barnes.

Cheaper supermarket sprays also performed well in the test. Aldi Di-San Pro Oxy With Enzymes came in third with a score of 75% and a $2.09 price tag, ** **followed by Coles Ultra Pre-wash Stain Remover ($2.10), which scored 73%, and Woolworths Clean Ultimate Oil & Grime With Enzymes Pre-wash Stain Remover (also $2.10) which scored 72%.

Aside from the top-performing Sard product, only one other brand name spray scored more than 70%. White King Fabric Stain Lift Colour Safe Pre-Treatment, which costs $5 a bottle, or $1 for 100ml, scored 73%.

But when it comes to stain remover powders, it pays to stick with brand names. “With powders, what we’ve usually found in the past is some of the cheapest supermarket brands perform better or as well as big name brands. We didn’t quite see that this time,” said Barnes.

The top-performing pre-soak powders were dominated by Sard and Vanish.

In first place was Sard Super Power Stain Remover Toughest Stains Antibacterial Soaker with a score of 76%, and a unit price of $1.22 for 100g. It was followed by Sard Whiter & Brighter Stain Remover Major Stain Types Antibacterial Soaker (75% and $1.10 for 100g) and Vanish NapiSan Oxi Action Gold Advanced Crystal White Stain Remover (73%, $1.70 for 100g).

To test the stain removal products, Choice sprayed and soaked pre-stained fabric swatches and conducted a before-and-after comparison. “Because these swatches are manufactured for this purpose, every swatch for say, a sweat stain, is exactly the same colour and darkness,” said Barnes.

After the swatches were soaked and sprayed according to product directions, their whiteness was measured with a spectrometer. “It’s not just an eyeball [test]. You actually do measure the reflectance of light off it … and therefore how much of the stain has been removed,” Barnes said.

If consumers were unsure whether to spray or soak their stains, Barnes said pre-soaker powders are suitable for treating whole, soiled garments before washing, for example, “[when] the kids have just come back from footy and their jerseys and pants are just filthy”.

Sprays are good for spot cleaning smaller stains such as grimy collars, or when you’ve “dropped some ice-cream on the front”, he said.