Why eco friendly laundry detergent should be the first eco swap you make
7 Minute Read
Did you know…laundry detergent is one of the most toxic products in your home? Crazy right?!?!?! It’s got a ton of chemicals in it that are not only bad for you, but when it washes down your drain and into the ocean, it’s also pretty harmful to all those sweet little fishies. And with so much misleading information out there about what’s actually good for the planet, I wanna make sure you have the right tools in your eco arsenal to keep your clothes fresh without harming the planet (and without washing your clothes in a chemical bath…I mean, gross!) So I put together a curated list of the eco friendly laundry detergent options, along with a few other products to make sure your laundry routine is squeaky clean from start to finish.
Eco Friendly Laundry Detergent:
Soap Nuts
Soap nuts are these magical dried berries that clean your clothes when agitated in water (aka when they’re in your washing machine). This natural detergent is organic, cruelty free and 100% chemical free.
Non-Toxic Laundry Ball
This laundry ball cleans your clothes by changing the pH balance of water, so that the water particles can weave their way through the fibers of your clothes. This is also how laundry detergent works. However, the laundry ball does it with zero chemicals. This means it’s better for you, your skin, and for marine life. Plus, it lasts for 365 loads, which also makes it much cheaper than detergent.
Learn more about how it actually works here
Non-Toxic Laundry Powder
I get that the 2 eco friendly laundry detergent options may be a bit too ‘eco’ or ‘granola’ for you. So to make sure I’ve got something for everyone, here’s an eco friendly laundry detergent that still falls under the detergent category. However, it’s completely non-toxic. How do I actually know that? Welllll…it’s a MADE SAFE® Certified product, which means it’s tested by a third party to make damn sure it’s got non-toxic, high quality ingredients that are safe for our environment and your skin. It’s also made in the USA, is vegan and cruelty-free, and has no synthetic fragrances, dyes, preservatives or SLS. Plus, Meliora (the maker of this product) is part of 1% for the Planet and is also a certified B Corp. Which means they’ve got their shit together and are about so much more than just making a profit.
Non-Toxic Stain Remover
Apply this stain stick to any tough stains you have on your clothes, and it totally gets them out. No longer do you need to use bleach or other chemical-heavy stain removers. Just keep one of these puppies around and you’ll be stain free for good!
Keeping microfibers out of our oceans:
“Did you know that every time you do your laundry, your clothes release hundreds of thousands of microfibers–aka tiny plastic, chemical-coated fibers–that eventually end up in our waterways? And it’s estimated that New York City alone has 6.8 BILLION microfibers flowing into its harbor each day” (EarthHero).
Since we both know that there’s enough plastic swimming in our oceans, we also know that we don’t need to be adding more of it just by doing our laundry. And until microfiber filters become standard in all washing machines (in the same way that lint filters are in all dryers today), here are some solutions to prevent your laundry routine from polluting the oceans.
Microfiber Laundry Ball
Toss this microfiber laundry ball in your washing machine and you’ll be amazed at what it picks up. On average, it catches about 26% of microfibers per wash. It’s made in the USA of 100% recycled plastic, and can be sent directly back to the manufacturer for recycling once its lived a long life eating up those microfibers.
Microfiber washing bag
Here’s another for combatting microfiber pollution. Simply fill the guppyfriend washing bag with all of your clothes made from synthetic fibers, like polyester, nylon, spandex, etc. And it traps microfibers in the bag, preventing them from going downstream and ending up in our oceans.
Eco friendly options for drying your clothes:
Drying Rack for your Clothes
So I’m just gonna say this once. Hang drying your clothes will always be the most eco friendly option since it requires no electricity whatsoever. It also saves you a ton of $$$ on laundry since you’re not paying to dry your clothes. Buuuttttt I also get that not everyone has the space or time to hang-dry their clothes. So I’ve also got a few options for maximizing efficiency when using an electric clothes dryer.
Wool Dryer Balls
These wool dryer balls reduce your drying time by up to 25%. Plus, they remove static and soften your clothes with none of the chemicals used in disposable dryer sheets. The wool is sourced from non-mulesed sheep, which means that no sheep were harmed in the harvesting of this wool #baaaaa. And if you like adding a little extra scent to your clothes, you can add a few drops of essential oils to give them a little extra somethin’ somethin’
Hemp Dryer Balls
If you’re not crazy about animal products like wool, these hemp dryer balls will do just as good of a job. They’re handmade in the USA. And can be used for up to 1000 loads, which replaces a hell of a lot of disposable dryer sheets. Plus, they’re compostable, so you can toss them in your compost bin when they’ve reached their end!
Eco friendly laundry kits
If you wanna kickstart your eco friendly laundry routine, but just want a one-and-done solution, you can get one of these laundry starter kits. Depending on which detergent option you prefer, you can get a complete set of everything you’ll need.
Non-Toxic Laundry Bundle:
Includes: soap nuts, a stain stick, a microfiber laundry ball, a cotton mesh bag for your delicates, and wool dryer balls
Eco Friendly Laundry Detergent Starter Kit
Includes: a stain stick, a steel container of non-toxic laundry detergent (and 2 refill detergents!)
Thanks for reading!
If you have any questions or comments, you can post a comment below.