Eco friendly laundry detergent

[Clarita]

We've always used Tide. I guess they aren't the best when it comes to eco friendliness, but I'm happy with the cleanliness of my clothes. I thought it'd be easy to just look for something eco friendly and that's it but once I started googling I'm afraid what I choose will 1) not work (I guess somethings out there work back in the day of washing with a bunch of water/handwashing but would not really work in my HE machine), 2) Would not destroy my HE machine...

I have used liquid detergent for decades now because bad experiences growing up using powder. Maybe technology has improved. 

I have a top loading HE machine with no center agitator. (I'm not going to get a new machine.)

[Ann.without.an.e]

I love love Puracy free and clear and it is rated an A on ewg for safety and eco friendly.

I got the original small pump bottle on the company website (I got the two pack for a back up) and I get the refills on Amazon subscribe and save. I have an HE machine and I’ve used this detergent for a while. I use 2-3 pumps per load. I think the “loads” listed might be for 1 pump. We do fairly large loads. 
 

https://puracy.com/products/natural-laundry-detergent

https://www.amazon.com/Puracy-Liquid-Laundry-Detergent-Refill/dp/B09GHYQKTD/ref=asc_df_B09GHYQKTD/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=563645139568&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=6316926166876504562&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=m&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9009942&hvtargid=pla-1641373025454&psc=1

Edited August 25, 2022 by Ann.without.an.e

[itsheresomewhere]

Seventh Generation has a good one.  I like the power free and clear version as we have sensitive skin issues here.  The fabric softener is good too. 
 

Ecos, Rockin Green and Biokleen make a good one too.  I use all of the mentioned brands.  Which one is on sale is what I buy.  Rockin Green is powder but a fine powder.  Rockin Green also has a really good funk remover for the hard to defunk clothes and dog beds. 

[prairiewindmomma]

I have used Ecos, Seventh Generation and Biokleen among the eco-friendly brands. Ecos was great for my eczema prone children, but it doesn't handle stink on synthetic fabrics well and once my oldest hit his teen years, we had to switch. Seventh Generation is great, but same issue. Biokleen is amazing for stink (it has a good blend of enzymes), but it can be hard to find.

Tide does make an eco friendly version, called Tide Purclean. It's hard to find, but decent. 

I've used all four in my HE front loader, no problem.

[vonfirmath]

47 minutes ago, Clarita said:

We've always used Tide. I guess they aren't the best when it comes to eco friendliness, but I'm happy with the cleanliness of my clothes. I thought it'd be easy to just look for something eco friendly and that's it but once I started googling I'm afraid what I choose will 1) not work (I guess somethings out there work back in the day of washing with a bunch of water/handwashing but would not really work in my HE machine), 2) Would not destroy my HE machine...

I have used liquid detergent for decades now because bad experiences growing up using powder. Maybe technology has improved. 

I have a top loading HE machine with no center agitator. (I'm not going to get a new machine.)

I use Earth Breeze.

Earth Breeze Eco Sheets - Eco Friendly Laundry Detergent Sheets

I love that it is lightweight. I think I have it coming every 3 months but I can always push that back if we are not ready to get another shipment.

 

I also have a top loading HE machine. I've never found any residue on clothes. I had to run the loads twice this past weekend after going to the beach because there was still sand. But that is the only time I've had to.

 

 

Edited August 25, 2022 by vonfirmath

[Happy2BaMom]

I *love* Dropps laundry pods. If sweaty stink is a problem, their Active Wash pods work really well. For extra stink or dirt, I use their Oxi Booster pods.

I also use their dishwashing detergent pods and have been happy with them.

I like the fact that they don't use plastic bottles (or any plastic, other than the dissolvable pod wrap).

[Selkie]

12 minutes ago, Happy2BaMom said:

I *love* Dropps laundry pods. If sweaty stink is a problem, their Active Wash pods work really well. For extra stink or dirt, I use their Oxi Booster pods.

I also use their dishwashing detergent pods and have been happy with them.

I like the fact that they don't use plastic bottles (or any plastic, other than the dissolvable pod wrap).

Love Dropps, too!

[Teaching3bears]

I love Seventh Generation.   I have also used other natural detergents.  For me, they work really well.   I have kids with special needs who have regular incontinence problems.  They also get a lot of food on their clothes, including olive oil.  The clothes and linen are always very very dirty.  They always come out clean.  I have the same kind of machine as you.  I also put a generous amount of vinegar directly into the machine.  

[Carrie12345]

I’ve been loyal to Sheets Laundry Club since January 2021. They take up hardly any room and have paper packaging. 

I find they clean very effectively, and I toss a bit of Oxy in for extra dingy loads. I’ve only had HE machines. I rip the sheets in half for small loads.

In the past 20 months or so, I have had 1 load that didn’t dissolve the sheet and had to be rerun. It happened to my dd once, too. We can’t figure out why. But that’s not too bad for hundreds of loads, imo.

I haven’t tried other sheets to compare. 

[Guest]

I love Dropps, too, and the Active wash is great for sweaty exercise clothes. The only disadvantage is that I am lazy and I have to remember to order more. 

[skimomma]

I have used Biokleen for years and years.  Seems to work just as well as Tide and doesn't reek like perfume.  I just switched to laundry sheets because even using he concentrated Biokleen, I feel bad recycling the plastic jugs.  I am hopeful.  So far, so good.  And so much less waste!

[Ann.without.an.e]

I used and loved seventh generation for years. It works well. I went on a hunt for something new after I looked up 7th Gen on EWG. It has a pretty bad rating. I tried a few things that flopped before finding Puracy.

https://www.ewg.org/guides/cleaners/2420-SeventhGenerationNaturalLaundryDetergentFreeClear/

 

Edited August 25, 2022 by Ann.without.an.e

[73349]

I'm very happy with Charlie's, but 7th Generation is probably more widely available.

[shawthorne44]

How hard is your water?   I've been using laundry soap I made in my HE washer for many years.   It didn't work great when we had hard water, but now that we have a water softener it works great.  I used to struggle with the front-loader stink back when I bought the "... Free" detergents.   Havent' had a problem.   I just do a vinegar rinse cycle on towels once in a awhile.   

The recipe I use is one I got from Icanteachmychild.com 10-ish years ago.   

I turn it into liquid in small batches.   DH loves Iced tea, so we have easy access to the glass iced tea powder containers.    I add a heaping teaspoon of powder and around 2 cups of water.  Microwave for a few minutes and stir to make it a super solution.   Then top off with more water and microwave again and stir.   The reason you do that in two steps is otherwise it will boil over.  Now you have a small container of liquid laundry soap.  I leave an iced tea spoon inside to give it a swirl/stir before using.  

[itsheresomewhere]

1 hour ago, Ann.without.an.e said:

I used and loved seventh generation for years. It works well. I went on a hunt for something new after I looked up 7th Gen on EWG. It has a pretty bad rating. I tried a few things that flopped before finding Puracy.

https://www.ewg.org/guides/cleaners/2420-SeventhGenerationNaturalLaundryDetergentFreeClear/

 

I stopped using their rating system.  Some things on there they way they label them as bad are not.  And then they have some stuff rated well that is not. 

[bluemongoose]

Charlie's liquid soap. Eco safe and also skin safe...no MCI/MI, parabens etc. 

[Brittany1116]

We use Ecos regularly, and Tide on occasion if we start to notice a smell (usually towels or sweaty man shirts).

[kbutton]

18 hours ago, prairiewindmomma said:

I have used Ecos, Seventh Generation and Biokleen among the eco-friendly brands. Ecos was great for my eczema prone children, but it doesn't handle stink on synthetic fabrics well and once my oldest hit his teen years, we had to switch. Seventh Generation is great, but same issue. Biokleen is amazing for stink (it has a good blend of enzymes), but it can be hard to find.

Tide does make an eco friendly version, called Tide Purclean. It's hard to find, but decent. 

I've used all four in my HE front loader, no problem.

Ecos. Funky clothes go in on a disinfect cycle with steam. I also have an old wringer washer (but electric) that is good for the occasional deep clean with problem laundry. I also add oxyclean now and then, but I have no idea if that is eco friendly or not. It’s a new product for me.

[Clarita]

5 hours ago, shawthorne44 said:

I turn it into liquid in small batches.   DH loves Iced tea, so we have easy access to the glass iced tea powder containers.    I add a heaping teaspoon of powder and around 2 cups of water.  Microwave for a few minutes and stir to make it a super solution.   Then top off with more water and microwave again and stir.   The reason you do that in two steps is otherwise it will boil over.  Now you have a small container of liquid laundry soap.  I leave an iced tea spoon inside to give it a swirl/stir before using.  

When you say powder is it just whatever powder laundry detergent? 

[shawthorne44]

23 minutes ago, Clarita said:

When you say powder is it just whatever powder laundry detergent? 

 

I use the recipe from here.  

https://www.icanteachmychild.com/make-it-homemade-liquid-laundry-soap-1/

1 bar Fels-Naptha Soap

1 cup washing soda

1/2 cup Borax

I use a food processor.   I'll break the soap into a maybe four pieces using a cleaver.  And the soap to the processor until chopped up.   Add the other stuff, and then run some more to mix.  
I put that into a ziplock with a teaspoon.  
That is the powder that I turn into a liquid.  

Through trial and error I've worked out my preferred consistency for the detergent.  If I heap the teaspoon too much, the detergent is a bit too concentrated.  No heaping means it is a bit runny.   Works just as well either way, I just need to use more of the runny version.  

Note, if your water is really hard, then this won't work that well.   But, then none of the very clean eco ones would either.  

 

[itsheresomewhere]

If you have hard water- add calgon to the laundry soap you make.  It makes it work very well.  

[Clarita]

1 hour ago, shawthorne44 said:

Note, if your water is really hard, then this won't work that well.   But, then none of the very clean eco ones would either.  

We don't have hard water. The water that comes to the house is actually pretty nice. (Maybe I don't totally know because the previous town I lived in the water was super hard.)

[Ellie]

I've used Amway laundry products for close to 50 years. Also, I cannot believe I'm old enough to say that. Anyway, Mr. Ellie reacts to every other detergent, so finding this product was almost a life saver. Cleans in all kinds of water, all kinds of washing machines.

[Janeway]

On 8/24/2022 at 8:00 PM, vonfirmath said:

I use Earth Breeze.

Earth Breeze Eco Sheets - Eco Friendly Laundry Detergent Sheets

I love that it is lightweight. I think I have it coming every 3 months but I can always push that back if we are not ready to get another shipment.

 

I also have a top loading HE machine. I've never found any residue on clothes. I had to run the loads twice this past weekend after going to the beach because there was still sand. But that is the only time I've had to.

 

 

We have been using the laundry sheets too. Love them!