MADISON, Wis. -- The average household washes more than 300 loads of laundry a year. Consumer Reports tested a wide range of brands to find the best detergents, including liquid, powder, some for top loaders, and others specifically formulated for high efficiency front loaders. In all, 29 different detergents were put to the test.

To check a detergent's cleaning power, Consumer Reports used swatches soaked in tough-to-clean substances including chocolate syrup, spaghetti sauce, mud, grass stain, coffee, grape juice, blood and ring around the collar, which is a mixture of oil and dirt.

The tests showed some of the detergents didn't do as good a job as others at cleaning stains.

The best performers are three products made by Tide -- Tide with Bleach, Tide Cold Water, and Tide H.E. for front-loaders. But Consumer Reports' tests showed you can get very good results with detergents that cost less than half the price.

Consumer Reports best buy recommendations for top loaders is Ultra Mountain Fresh from Wal-Mart. For front-loaders, it's Ultra Plus H.E. with fabric softener from Sears.

Another easy way to save on detergent is to use less. The appliance experts at A-1 and Clyde's actually recommend using less than the dose listed on the package. Their guideline is to fill the cap with liquid detergent to one inch.