Cleaning & Laundry Products in Switzerland: The Honest Guide

Brand map: what's on the Swiss shelf

Well-known national brands. Persil, Ariel, Lenor, Finish, Calgon, Domestos, Mr. Proper. According to K-Tipp (9/2025), Coop, Denner and Migros put big bottles and cartons of brand detergents such as Ariel, Omo and Persil on promotion every few weeks.

Supermarket house brands (mainstream). Swiss tests have included Aldi's Tandil, Coop's Prix Garantie, Lidl's Formil and Denner's own brand, among others. Results differ from product to product: in the Kassensturz/saldo test of 27 February 2017 (12 full-wash powders) Persil Universal won with 5.3 at 54 Rappen per wash, Tandil scored 4.9 ("good") at 10 Rappen, the Denner powder 4.9 at 14, Formil Aktiv 4.9 at 15 and Prix Garantie 4.1 ("sufficient") at 10. Those are 2017 prices.

Supermarket house brands (eco line). Coop "Oecoplan" and Migros "Nature Clean", the eco cleaning line that replaced "Plus Oeco Power" in 2024 (SRF, 10 May 2024; saldo 8/2024). Oecoplan's results are mixed: its colour powder was in the top three of the Kassensturz test of October 2023, while the Oecoplan dishwasher tablet finished among the last three of eight in the FRC test of 4 March 2025.

Eco speciality brands. Frosch, Ecover, Sonett, Sodasan. In Öko-Test 3/2026 the Frosch (Citrus), Ecover and Sodasan powders earned "good" (t-online), but at 23, 37 and 39 euro cents per wash against 16 for the discount house brands (German prices according to Öko-Test). Sonett was in the top three of the Kassensturz colour test in 2023.

Which one to choose depends on what matters most to you: the price per wash, the washing result or the ingredients.

Where to buy: the multi-store reality

The price per wash varies from chain to chain and from week to week: compare the promotions of several chains and the price per wash, not the pack price. According to K-Tipp (9/2025), brand detergents in big packs are sold in Switzerland almost only on promotion, with advertised discounts of more than 50 percent that rest on the manufacturers' recommended prices, so the "instead of" price says little.

Migros. In the K-Tipp promotion calendar, laundry detergent is typically on promotion at Migros in January (20 Minuten, 17 January 2026).

Coop. In the K-Tipp calendar, cleaning products are on promotion at Coop in March and laundry detergent mainly in May and June. Coop's weekly promotions have run from Thursday to Wednesday since January 2025, and the Coopzeitung comes out on Thursday: the new Coop flyer is where you check whether the coming week is a stock-up week.

Aldi Suisse and Lidl Schweiz. Both publish new promotions every week (Blick, 14 January 2025). Whether their house brands are ahead per wash depends on the week: the current promotions are at the top of this page.

Denner. Among its current weekly promotions, denner.ch lists a "Waschen/Haushalt" category (read on 27 October 2026). According to K-Tipp, Denner says it makes about half of its detergent revenue through promotions.

Aligro. The chain describes itself as "Spezialist der Gastronomie im Dienst der Grossverbraucher" (a catering specialist serving large-volume buyers) and lists laundry detergent (liquid, powder, delicates), dishwashing detergent, cleaners and household paper under "Unterhalt, Reinigung" (aligro.ch, 27 October 2026). If you host events or run a small business, the price per litre or per wash shows whether the big format pays off.

Otto's. It publishes new "Wochenhits" every week, valid while stocks last (ottos.ch, 27 October 2026): a product you saw one week may be gone the next.

DM and Müller (Germany, for households near the border). For the same brands, prices can be lower in Germany. K-Tipp (9/2025) found a 3.6-litre Persil bottle at CHF 24.95 with discount in Switzerland and a 4.5-litre bottle at EUR 18.99 in Germany. On 27 October 2026 the Frosch Baby powder (1.452 kg) cost CHF 8.35 at mueller.ch and EUR 5.95 at mueller.de, and the Frosch Baby stain remover Fleckenzwerg (75 ml) CHF 6.25 against EUR 2.45. Prices change and the trip has a cost: goods up to a total value of CHF 150 per person and day can be imported VAT-free, above that Swiss VAT is due on the whole value (FOCBS). See our full cross-border grocery shopping guide for customs rules and timing.

Catch the promo cycles before they end.
With Rappn you follow specific products (your laundry brand, dishwasher tabs, paper goods) and get an alert when a product you follow goes on offer.

The stock-up strategy that works

Cleaning and laundry products suit stocking up: you use them steadily, and according to K-Tipp brand detergents in big packs are sold almost only on promotion. Households that plan their purchases around the promotion calendar can pay less than households that buy whenever something runs out; how much less depends on what you use.

The rule. Don't wait until a product runs out. Buy when the promotion brings the price per wash down to your own-brand baseline or below, and take enough to last until the next promotion.

The cycle. K-Tipp analysed the promotions of Coop and Migros over the last eight years: many products come back at the same time every year (20 Minuten, 17 January 2026). In its calendar, laundry detergent is typically on promotion at Migros in January and mainly at Coop in May and June, cleaning products at Coop in March. The calendar holds if the chains repeat their annual plan: it is not a promise.

Storage. Buy only what you can store dry and cool, and check the date on the pack.

The break-even. How much stock-up timing saves depends on what your household uses, so there is no honest fixed figure. You can measure your own: for a few months, note for every cleaning product you buy on promotion the original price and the promotion price on the offer card, then add up the differences. No quality compromise, and no behaviour change beyond timing.

What to always buy on promo, never at full price

A simple rule of thumb: for the categories below, wait for the promotion and compare the price per wash or per unit with what you usually pay. According to K-Tipp, brand detergents in big packs are sold almost only on promotion. See our save money on groceries in Switzerland parent guide for the full list discipline.

Good to stock up on (steady use): liquid laundry detergent, powder laundry detergent, dishwasher tabs, toilet roll multipacks, kitchen roll, surface cleaners, fabric softener, stain removers, descaler.

Check case by case: speciality detergents (wool, silk, sport), limescale and toilet care, window cleaner, microfibre cloths and sponges.

Eco vs conventional: the honest take

Eco-friendly cleaning is not just marketing, but the tests show a more mixed picture than the slogans. Öko-Test 3/2026 found that a good washing result is possible without critical ingredients: the best-rated powders (Everdrop "very good", six more "good") are eco products. Most conventional powders were rated "very good" on washing but lost points on ingredients such as phosphonates and optical brighteners. In the FRC test of dishwasher tablets (4 March 2025), by contrast, the advantage went to the conventional products, and the Oecoplan tablets finished among the last three of eight.

Another option is Frosch: its Citrus powder earned "good" in Öko-Test 3/2026, and in Germany Frosch is sold at dm and Müller (dm.de, mueller.de, 27 October 2026). For Swiss and German prices side by side, see the examples above.

A practical approach: compare the price per wash of your usual product, a house brand and the current promotion, and choose an eco product if the ingredients matter to you. For broader savings discipline, see our 50 percent off groceries guide and the supermarket comparison hub.

Cleaning and laundry products suit stocking up: buy on promotion what you use steadily.
Track Persil, Ariel, Finish, Lenor, Zewa, Frosch, Coop Oecoplan or your daily detergent and get an alert when a product you follow goes on offer. Get Rappn free.