Comments on: The Cheapest Eco-friendly Laundry Detergent

By: Maria Worley

Maria Worley — Fri, 29 Jan 2010 18:45:01 +0000

I’d also suggest trying soap nuts. Before I go further, I should disclose that I own a soap nut company (www.mukonuts.com), but the entire reason I started the company was that I could not believe such an affordable, environmentally friendly alternative to laundry detergent was available, but not in widespread use. Soap nuts are so easy to use, clean clothes better than regular laundry detergent and literally costs cents for each load. I came across them when we were having our first child and have not used another laundry detergent since- that includes washing dirty diapers, playing in the mud clothes, and my delicate fabrics that I never seem to wear anymore:)

By: Carlos Hernandez

Carlos Hernandez — Fri, 18 Dec 2009 07:30:21 +0000

I found the cheapest eco-friendly laundry detergent to be a detergent replacement. Almost a year ago I bought a Bio Wash Ball. I have seen many different versions of this, but this one is the original that has been selling in Europe for years.

I could no longer resist the temptation of saving money and being green. I bought my first Biowashball for $35 and found it worked fine. The clothes were clean. I bought a second one not too long later and now use the 2 together. I find that in pairs it seems to work perfectly.

The only thing I missed was that “fresh” and “clean” smell (of chemical). So sometime I add a dryer sheet when drying the clothes.

Verdict: Great product!

P.s. I do note that not everyone has favorable reviews of these products. I attribute this to the fact that many are cheap knock-offs that do not work and give the whole business a bad name. Do your research.

By: tee tree oil

tee tree oil — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 22:45:14 +0000

Useful information there

By: Trina

Trina — Wed, 11 Feb 2009 16:20:54 +0000

Great site!

For dishwashing, I’ve had great success with Shaklee and Ecover. They both make a great dishwasher powder (Ecover is a tablet). I love how they leave dishes squeaky clean without the “film” left by traditional cleaners. I also add about 3-4 tablespoons of baking soda to the machine before I run it. I use the Ecover rinse aid but I’ve heard you can also use plain vinegar. My dishes always come out great. I was a previous Cascade user but the “chemical” smell left on items made me question what we were ingesting on the “clean” dishes.

For laundry, I have had great success with Shaklee and Ecover as well. I use the Shaklee liquid and the Ecover powder (Shaklee’s powder is not available in Canada). I use the Ecover powder with the Ecover powder bleach (or Shaklee Nature Bright) for whites and kids colour clothes. My white towels have never been whiter and my kids’ clothes have no stains. I love the Shaklee liquid laundry and the liquid fabric softener (they smell wonderful). I also use plain vinegar in the rinse cycle for items like towels and bedding.

I’ve heard good things about BioKleen so I may have to find it in my area (Toronto) and give it a try.

By: Deb

Deb — Fri, 30 Jan 2009 23:50:02 +0000

for dishwasher soap I’ve found the TJ’s brand works best.

By: Elizabeth

Elizabeth — Tue, 27 Jan 2009 05:55:49 +0000

I have been making my own laundry detergent too! I use the Fels-Naptha soap. They sell it at Fred Meyers or Albertsons here. And the washing soda is found at Fred Meyers. For $8.00 I can get the soap, Borax and Washing Soda, which is the same cost as one box of TJs Laundry Detergent. But with the WS and Borax, I only need one cup out of each, and a new bar of soap ($1.50) for another 10 Gallons. Or 180 loads. And it works really well! Go on the Fels-Napth website and they describe it. Or the Duggars in the family recipe section. They have 4, yes 4 HE washers and you just use 2 TB for each load out of 10 GALLONS. And it dosn’t void your warrenty. I have a Maytag front loader and it works GREAT! And I mix in tea tree oil for the diapers for nasty smell remover.

By: rebecca

rebecca — Fri, 24 Oct 2008 16:32:51 +0000

MountainLamb, I have seen washing soda on my grocery store shelves. They keep it next to the other laundry detergents. Do you think your store would be able to special order it for you? If they carry Arm & Hammer baking soda, they should be able to track down the washing soda, too.

I am afraid of making my own laundry detergent because I have a high efficiency machine. The guy who delivered the machine made me afraid that I’d ruin the machine if I used the wrong kind of detergent–or the wrong amount!

By: MountainLamb

MountainLamb — Fri, 24 Oct 2008 13:44:46 +0000

I’ve been using my own homemade laundry soap for around 2 years now. I make a liquid and a powder form. The powder has a powdered bleach in it, currently the Amway brand, and I only use it on my whites or when people have been sick around here. My biggest problem is finding an affordable way to buy washing soda – the baking soda just didn’t work as well. I can’t get Fels Naptha soap, but find most any bar of soap works – I use cheapest brand or Ivory most of the time. I’ve found rotating the soaps I use as a base works best for us. I’ve also used Dr. Bommer with good results. I but one big bottle of Dr. Bommers for $12 or so and it will last around 2 years. We also use it in the bath – it just doesn’t bubble much.
Then I use apple cider vinegar usually to rinse or regular vinegar with Eucalyptus essential oil or tea tree or lavendar.

I have been going through a lot more with the heat of summer – clothes seem smellier to begin with and lots of outside dirt. But the sand is much harder on my washer and dryer than any type of soap.

By: Kansas Mom

Kansas Mom — Thu, 23 Oct 2008 01:06:41 +0000

For a while I was using a combination of baking soda and washing soda in the washing machine, but found it did not do the trick for getting out stains (though it was nice for just refreshing). When we switched to cloth diapers, I started using Planet detergent. Most of the manufacturers do not recommend using baking soda as (I believe) it can damage the diapers. (Also, be sure not to combine liquid detergent with solids like baking soda in your he machines. You can use liquid or solid, but not both.) When I was doing my research, most of the eco-friendly detergents were not recommended for cloth diapers. Charlies and Planet were, but Planet was the one available at my local stores so that’s what we use.

On another note, have any of you tried making your own laundry detergent? I was really excited to try, but (again, doing more research) learned it could be damaging to an he machine and didn’t want to risk it myself. According to The Simple Dollar, it can be very cost effective and also environmentally-friendly.

http://www.thesimpledollar.com/2007/03/15/how-to-make-your-own-laundry-detergent-and-save-big-money/

By: Ashley

Ashley — Mon, 20 Oct 2008 14:28:12 +0000

I like the Ecover dishwashing products (dish soap and dishwashing powder) I find it does the job and you do not get funny after tastes on you dishes like I noticed with such brands as for example: 7thG or BioKleen

Thank you for the detergent review, BTW. Very imformative. : )