Monica Ashby, Ingredients & safety editor

I'm the person on the team who reads the small print on the back of the bottle. The ingredient disclosure, the safety data sheet the maker publishes, the line that says "do not use on wool, silk or leather". That line is where most of the damage starts, so I want it in front of you before you buy.

My guides are the chemistry-flavoured ones: enzyme removers and what they break down, oxygen versus chlorine bleach, blood and other protein stains, and the yellow sweat and white deodorant marks that build up under the arms. I keep it practical. If a product relies on enzymes, I say which fabrics its maker keeps it away from. If it's an oxygen booster, I check whether the label limits it to colourfast fabrics. When a "fragrance-free" product lists a masking scent, it gets a note.

I also edit two of Abigail's guides, with one question in mind: is there anything on that label that should make a careful reader stop?

We don't put these products through our own wash, and I won't pretend we do. The work is reading, comparing and keeping the rankings current.