10 Best Eco-Friendly Laundry Detergents

Can conventional laundry detergents damage our health and planet? Is there any eco-friendly option? Learn everything about eco-friendly laundry detergents in this blog.

When it comes to making our laundry room more eco-friendly, we mostly think of having the latest washing machines and dryers. And while having more energy-efficient appliances will have a big impact on your carbon footprint, there are other impacts of keeping your clothes clean.

What I want to focus on today is using eco-friendly laundry detergents in order to reduce your environmental impact.

To guide you through this, I will show you why it’s important, what to watch out for on packaging and ingredient lists, and I have a list of great products for you as well.

Let’s dive right in. 

What Does Eco-Friendly Detergent Mean?

As mentioned above, making sure that your machine doesn’t contribute too much to climate issues is just one part of its environmental impact. Switching to eco-friendly laundry detergents is just as important.

But what does it actually mean?

The Ingredients

OK, the first thing to look at is the chemical ingredients on the label. And when you look past the misleading advertising, you’ll often find stuff that isn’t great for the environment or your skin, for that matter.

So, the first thing you want to check is whether there is any phosphate. Generally speaking, this shouldn’t be in any detergent or soap that is biodegradable. There should also be no chlorine bleach or brighteners, as these almost always introduce chemicals into places where they don't belong.

The problem with such laundry detergent ingredients is that they can end up in lakes, rivers, and groundwater because they are mostly not filtered out in water treatment plants.

The other thing to consider is using concentrated or powder laundry detergents. They have a lower carbon footprint because the weight-to-dosage ratio is lower. That means there is less carbon tied up in transport. 

The Packaging

There are two things to look at here.

First of all, if you prefer buying a liquid laundry detergent, then ideally, you want it to come in plastic-free packaging and compostable bottles. These types of bottles are becoming more common, so look out for them.

Alternatively, make sure that the plastic bottle is fully recyclable so that it doesn’t end up in a landfill.

And for powder laundry detergent, make sure that the packaging is plastic-free. That ensures that it’s fully recyclable or gives you the option of composting it as well.

Bottom line, if there’s any indication that parts of the packaging will end up at a landfill or don’t contain recycled plastic, then stay away from the product altogether. 

Beware Of Greenwashed Laundry Detergent

This is becoming an increasingly important thing to be aware of with everything you buy that has an eco-friendly label or claim in advertising. There are too many unethical companies who try to greenwash their products to fool people into buying something that is no more eco-friendly than the diesel and gasoline in cars.

I’ve seen laundry detergent with an eco-friendly label just because the packaging contains 20% recycled plastic. But the actual laundry detergent contains all kinds of harmful chemicals, and the “recycled” can’t even be further recycled. 

Watch Out for These Harmful Detergent Ingredients

I’ll recommend eco-friendly laundry detergents shortly. But the first thing you should do is check your existing stock of powder and liquid detergents.

And I’ve gathered a list of some ingredients that are very common in a traditional detergent. Unfortunately, common also means harmful to the environment, and these are things that you don’t want to find on an eco laundry detergent label.

Sodium Laureth Sulfate

First of all, this difficult to pronounce chemical compound can be harmful to the skin and is often the main reason people with sensitive skin have reactions to certain laundry detergents. But did you also know that it’s a common organic herbicide?

So, when your laundry detergent ends up in nature it can actually kill off vegetation. 

Phosphates

Phosphates are very common in laundry detergent products, and they generally don't get filtered out in water treatment plants. When they enter natural waterways, they cause eutrophication which is a form of poisoning that kills marine animals. 

Optical Brighteners

These are generally quite irritating and not just to people with sensitive skin. There’s a reason detergents with these ingredients say that you have to keep it away from your eyes. But those optical brighteners also have a direct toxic impact on marine life. 

Chlorine Bleach

Chlorine is toxic even in small amounts. And you just have to spend some time in a chlorinated swimming pool without goggles to understand this effect. But that bleaching effect can also impact marine vegetation. 

Artificial Fragrance-Free

Synthetic fragrances are another common reason for allergic reactions, even in people who don’t have sensitive skin. There’s a lack of studies on their effect in nature, but if it irritates human skin, then it’s not really meant for exposure to living things.

Start by looking for a hypoallergenic laundry detergent to reduce this impact.

1,4-Dioxane

This has become less commonly used in detergents, but other cleaning products still have small amounts. It’s a known carcinogen to humans and really has no place in a laundry detergent. 

Dichlorobenzene

And the final chemical to avoid is another one that has a highly toxic effect on marine life and is almost impossible to remove once it has made it into water. While it’s not that common anymore in most laundry detergents, you still need to look out for it. 

Pick up These Eco-Friendly Laundry Habits

Here are five laundry tips that will make washing clothes a lot more eco-friendly. And they are so simple to follow. 

1. Wash Less Frequently

If you keep track of how often you load up the washer, then you’ll probably find that you have four loads per person each week. That is so much energy, water, and laundry detergent use.

In reality, most clothes that you put in the wash are likely not dirty or smelly. Yes, your underwear and socks should go in after one wear, but most other things can easily be worn 3 or 4 times. 

There’s nothing unhygienic about it, and in many ways, we’ve probably become too cautious about micro dirt and germs. So, keeping track of your clothes and wash frequency can really save up a lot of laundry detergent.

2. Don’t Use A Dryer

This is probably one of the biggest wastes of energy for any household. Even with the most energy-efficient models out there, you’ll end up using tons of energy. 

In the summer months, it’s easy to hang out clothes and let them naturally dry within a few hours. But even dry and windy days in winter could take care of most of the drying. 

And when you do have a load of washing that you need to dry quickly, then ditch those dryer and laundry detergent sheets.

3. Install A Water Softener

One thing you should do is have your water tested to see how much lime it contains. The more lime, the harder the water and the less effective it will be at mixing with powdered laundry detergent. 

But even if you look at the label on a liquid detergent, you’ll see that in hard water, you need to add a lot more laundry detergent.

Not only will a central water softener mean that you use less detergent, but it will make your appliances last a lot longer. And it’s much better for sensitive skin when you shower and wash your hair. 

4. Use Cool Wash Functions

Most modern washing machines will have cool wash functions that will be suitable for the majority of your clothes. Unless you regularly fill the machine with heavily stained and dirty clothes, a cool wash at about 85 degrees will give you enough cleaning power. 

Many eco-friendly laundry detergent products often work better at lower temperatures, and that will significantly lower the carbon footprint of your laundry routine. 

5. Reduce Synthetic Clothing

And finally, even when you use an eco-friendly laundry detergent, you could end up flushing plastic fibers down the drain. This is very common with synthetic fabrics like nylon, acrylic, and polyester. 

Yes, these are cheap, but regular washing will release some of the fibers. And it shouldn’t be a surprise what plastic accumulation is doing to wildlife. 

10 Best Eco-Friendly Laundry Detergents

1. Tru Earth Laundry Detergent Sheets/Eco-Strips

First of all, there is a much lower carbon footprint associated with the transportation of this very light detergent. And with the plastic-free cardboard box, you can either recycle or compost the packaging as well.

2. Blueland Laundry Essentials Kit

4. Dropps Stain & Odor Laundry Detergent Pods

He pointed out that this detergent wasn’t tested on animals and didn't contain any of the toxic chemicals you’ll find in most other detergents.

And I also have to add that the natural fragrance and cleaning power are pretty impressive, considering it only contains plant-based ingredients.

5. Seventh Generation Detergent

The one thing I don't like about this product is the measuring cup. These tend to be inaccurate, and you easily end up wasting and spilling some of the liquid laundry detergents.

6. ECO ROOTS Laundry Detergent Sheets

7. ECOS Laundry Detergent

Each bottle contains enough laundry liquid to wash 100 loads, and I love the subtle lily smell as well.

The only downside is that it comes in plastic packaging, but it is recyclable. It would be great if the company switched to compostable bottles instead.

8. Molly's Suds Natural Oxygen Whitener

Now, it does come in a resealable plastic container, but because it’s a pouch, the amount of waste is very limited and recyclable.

So, if you’re looking for an eco laundry detergent with great stain removal power for white clothes, then give this one a try.

Also, Molly’s Suds offers great dryer balls that you might want to consider adding to your order.

9. Charlie’s Soap Laundry Powder

10. Tide Purclean

That means less impact on the environment, both from a manufacturing perspective and environmental waste.

Overall, it works very well for most types of washes, but you might need to buy a separate stain-removal soap to work on tougher dirt.

Final Thoughts

Reducing the carbon footprint of your laundry room is just one part of the puzzle to make your home more environmentally friendly. But with the best eco-friendly laundry detergents listed above, you can make another huge impact on nature. 

Not only do they avoid the use of toxic chemicals, but there are even options there that are completely plastic-free. That makes them almost zero waste products, and that will make a huge difference in animal and plant life. 

Out of all these products that I have tried, I keep going back to the Tru Earth laundry strips. They are so easy to use and have the lowest possible footprint. Order yours today and see how much of a difference they will make.