Conventional laundry detergents often contain harmful chemicals that are not fully rinsed out of your clothes. That means the chemicals are both absorbed by your skin and inhaled as you breath.
To complicate matters, ingredient lists on the detergents are often vague. Citing "trade secrets", manufacturers are not obligated to disclose their ingredients so it is often difficult to say with certainty what each detergent contains.
The EWG Guide to Healthy Cleaning acknowledges this difficulty and lowers the grade for detergents that may not be entirely clear about their ingredients.
With that in mind, here are the TPP top picks for natural laundry detergent.
Seventh generation free and clear powder rated an "A" at the EWG and it is one of my go-to laundry products. It is readily available and reasonably priced.
This product is currently available at Amazon for $11.99, but is also available with Subscribe and Save. With a 15% S&S discount, the price drops to $10.19, which is $.15 per load.
If you stick with the free and clear, this product rates an "A" at the EWG. It can be difficult to find, although it is often available at Amazon and select Whole Food stores.
Eco-Me Liquid Laundry Detergent, Fragrance Free
This variety of Eco-Me is not currently listed on the EWG site, although other Eco-Me laundry products are rated "A". This 64 load bottle is currently $9.89 at Amazon, resulting in a cost of $.15 per load.
If you prefer laundry pods, Grab Green is a top pick. It was rated "A" at the EWG and is available at Amazon. The current price is $17.23, but it is available with Subscribe and Save which brings the price down to $14.65 with a 15% discount. The cost per load with the discount is $.24.
This product did not score well at the EWG site, and I hesitated to list it as a top pick, but the scents are delicious. I am particularly fond of the basil scent, which I am usually able to find at Whole Foods.
The lavender scent is available at Amazon. With the current 20% off coupon and a Subscribe and Save discount, the price drops to $.14 per load.
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