Cold-water dissolve
Roughly 90% of the energy a clothes washer uses goes to heating water. A detergent that fails the cold cycle quietly pushes that energy bill onto the buyer, somewhere around $80 to $130 a year in extra water heating that the brand should be absorbing. What to look for is a sheet that fully dissolves in cold water in under 60 seconds with no gummy lump at the bottom of the drum, no white film on dark cotton, and no second wash to fix the first. Energy figure: U.S. Department of Energy, ENERGY STAR clothes-washer guidance. Annualized cost range based on average U.S. household electricity rates and washer cycles.