CHOICE experts are a bit like the child in The Emperor's New Clothes: we reveal the naked truth about products so shoppers can see what's actually underneath all the hype fabricated by marketers.
We're always warning people against being swindled by expensive products that aren't all there – however, we also love highlighting products that work brilliantly but don't cost a king's ransom.
Two humble supermarket spray stain removers royally trounced brand-name sprays costing many times more
Case in point: two humble supermarket spray stain removers that royally trounced brand-name sprays costing many times more in our lab tests.
If the Emperor were actually wearing any clothes, these would be two of the top picks to keep his majesty's robes spotless and the royal coffers full.
So how do they compare?
While they didn't quite top our stain remover tests, Aldi's Di-San Pro Oxy with Enzymes and Woolworths' Clean Ultimate Oil & Grime with Enzymes were strong contenders for the crown.
They both scored a CHOICE Expert Rating of 71%, just three points below the reigning champions. They're two of six sprays recommended by our experts.
Despite rubbing shoulders with the crème de la crème of stain removers, they're cheap enough that even commoners can afford them: at just 28 cents per 100mL, they're the cheapest of all the sprays in our test.
They lord it over stains better than some expensive sprays that are a right royal pain in the wallet
They also lord it over stains better than some expensive sprays that are a right royal pain in the wallet.
The priciest product we tested, StainGo Stain Remover Spot and Prewash, scored just 60% but costs $4.50 per 100mL – that's 16 times more than these supermarket diamonds in the rough.
And they even kept up with pedigree brands such as Sard and Vanish, scoring higher than all but one Sard product, which costs more than six times as much.
Aldi Di-San Pro Oxy With Enzymes.
Copycat or coincidence?
Aldi is famous for its knockoffs of branded products, but in this instance it's hard to tell which supermarket is imitating which.
Both supermarkets have chosen a regal purple-and-gold colour scheme, the same pack size, the same shelf price and the same unit price for these two stain removers.
Woolworths Clean Ultimate Oil & Grime With Enzymes Pre-Wash Stain Remover.
And the prices are in lockstep, too. We paid $2.15 for both products in 2023, but in 2024 they had both dropped by almost the same amount: Woolworths was charging $2.10; Aldi, $2.09.
The similarities continue: they're both made in Australia, both claim to be septic safe, both claim to be colour safe, both contain enzymes.
And with the two sprays receiving exactly the same CHOICE Expert Rating you might wonder if they're the same product, just with different labelling.
"Supermarkets usually have their home-brand products produced by third-party manufacturers," explains CHOICE expert Chris Barnes.
"Sometimes home-brand products for different supermarkets could even be made in the same factory.
Coles Ion Enzyme Action Gold.
"Of course this doesn't necessarily mean that the Woolworths and Aldi products are the same, but it does go to show that instead of buying a product based on its brand, you should buy based on performance: the packaging won't tell you which product works best, but our reviews will."
(An imperial colour scheme doesn't always mean a royal bargain though: Coles' Ion Enzyme Action Gold is also royal purple and gold and scores 70% in our tests, but is much more expensive at $1.78 per 100mL.)
Is one product better at removing certain stains?
We test stain removers on a range of different stains, including sweat, grass, mud, olive oil, blood, chocolate ice cream and makeup. To simulate collar grime, we use ground nut oil.
As you'd expect, different products work better on some stains than others, so it's a good idea to choose a spray based on the types of stains that you deal with most often.
For many stains, the two lookalike sprays were neck and neck, with just a few percentage points between their scores.
The main differences between their respective performances were for olive oil and blood, with Aldi coming ahead by 5–6% on those tests; however, Woolies had the edge on sweat and makeup, but only by three percentage points.
For the most common stains either one is a good choice
Chris Barnes, CHOICE expert
"But this is really just splitting hairs – both sprays performed well overall, and their results on each stain type are comparable with other top performers," says Chris.
"For the most common stains (sweat, grass and mud, and cooking oil), either one is a good choice, which is great news for shoppers: you can get good results on a budget, regardless of where you shop."
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Stock images: Getty, unless otherwise stated.
