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Transitioning to more eco-friendly products can be a challenge, which is why we’ve tested five sustainable laundry detergents to help you make the switch!
As Kermit the Frog once said, it’s not that easy bein’ green. Transitioning the everyday household products you purchase—including laundry detergent—to sustainable and eco-friendly options doesn’t just happen overnight, and it can easily become overwhelming.
If you are looking for a good place to start on your sustainability journey, consider your laundry detergent. It typically comes in a large plastic jug, and while it may leave your clothes smelling like a fresh breeze, they can contain harmful chemicals that irritate your skin and even impact your health.
Luckily, there is a wealth of eco-friendly, sustainable and plant-based laundry detergents options available today. But can they be both gentle on the skin AND tough on stains?
The ICONIC LIFE team put five different eco-friendly laundry detergents to the test to see if they work just as well as the traditional big-box laundry soap, and we were pleasantly surprised with the results. In most cases, these sustainable laundry detergents cleaned just as well, and left our clothes feeling and smelling great.
There is a wealth of eco-friendly, sustainable and plant-based laundry detergents options available today. But can they be both gentle on the skin AND tough on stains?
Here’s everything you need to know about the five sustainable laundry detergent brands that we tested:
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SHEETS LAUNDRY CLUB
This eco-friendly laundry detergent removes the need for plastic packaging. Instead, the detergent comes in the form of tearable strips, packaged in a 100% plastic-free, recyclable cardboard box.
The strips are biodegradable and made with plant-based ingredients with no harsh chemicals, optical brighteners or dyes.
This laundry detergent is very simple to use—just add all of your dirty laundry into the washing machine, add a strip of laundry detergent (or half a strip for small loads and two strips for extra large loads) and wash. We tested out the fresh linen scent and it left our laundry smelling fresh and not overly fragrant.
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KIND LAUNDRY
Be kind to the planet and to your laundry with these zero-waste laundry detergent sheets. Made with biodegradable plant-based ingredients, these sheets have no harsh chemicals for a gentler alternative to big-box detergents. In fact, it only contains four total ingredients.
The 100% recyclable packaging also makes it an ideal choice for sustainability, and the small box the sheets come in is great for tight storage spaces. To use it, simply add one easily-dissolvable sheet to your load of laundry.
It’s available in ocean breeze scent—which is the variety we tested at ICONIC LIFE—or fragrance free for the most sensitive skin. It left our laundry smelling and feeling exactly how we like it—clean.
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TRU EARTH
Another eco-friendly laundry detergent strip option is the ultra-concentrated Tru Earth eco-strips. Available in a fresh linen scent or fragrance free, these convenient strips are pre-measured so you can just toss it in and wash.
It arrives in a zero-waste envelope and the strips are also biodegradable, made from vegan ingredients with no parabens or phosphates. The brand says, “its light weight reduces transportation fuel consumption and global-warming carbon emissions by 94% compared to today’s leading-brand liquid and powder detergent.”
At ICONIC LIFE, we tried out the fresh linen scent, and felt that it did a good job of getting our clothes clean without leaving behind fragrance.
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BEYOND
The eco-friendly Beyond Laundry Detergent Sheets are simple to use. One biodegradable strip is ideal for a load of laundry or hand washing, and the vegan detergent is free of bleach, chlorine, optical brighteners and added dyes.
They are available in a fresh linen scent or free and clear for those who want to avoid fragrances or dyes.
This sustainable option was the least popular with team ICONIC LIFE—it left behind an unwanted sticky residue on some of our laundry—so we recommend only using it with your smallest loads.
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ZUM
If you prefer to use a traditional liquid soap over a strip of solid detergent, Zum Laundry Soap is a great eco-friendly option. It contains a mix of gentle, plant-based ingredients and is packed with essential oils. There’s no parabens, phosphates, petrochemicals, cocamidopropyl betaine, or sulfates, and it’s not tested on animals.
The soap is low-sudsing, highly concentrated and ideal for high-efficiency machines.
At ICONIC LIFE, we tested out the Frankincense & Myrrh scent—it also comes in patchouli, lavender and sea-salt scents—and it was extremely fragrant. This is not for those who want to avoid fragrance, but it does an excellent job of cleaning dirty laundry.
Join us for Net Zero ICONIC Home, a year-long conversation about Living Beautifully and Sustainably in a zero-energy home. We’ve partnered with AFT Construction, Construction Instruction, Cosan Studio, Refined Gardens and K & Q Interiors to take you on a journey of Inspiration, Education and Motivation around sustainable design and living.
We’re giving you a front-row seat each month to see the progress and what it takes to develop a net-zero home. Stay tuned each month for content, social media coverage, videos, podcasts and special events all tied to sustainability as we bring this home to life.
Thank you to our sponsors: Arizona Hardwood, Arizona Fireplaces/Heat&Glo Fireplaces, Avocado Green Brands, Circa Lighting, Crestron, Neighbor, Solstice Stone and Sub-Zero/Expressions Home Gallery.
Sustainability Sponsors: Broan-Nutone, Elkay/Southwest Mechanical, Interior Essentials, Pella, Monarch AV and Renovation Angel.
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