Eco-Friendly Laundry Detergent Sheets: Green your Clean with Sustainable Suds
Table of Contents
What are laundry detergent sheets?
How to use and store laundry detergent sheets
Do dissolvable laundry detergent sheets work?
What to look for when shopping for the best laundry detergent sheets
Top 6 Laundry Detergent Sheet Brands, 2023
4 Ways to Make Laundry Day More Eco-Friendly
We use laundry detergent daily to keep our garments clean and odor-free. On the other hand, traditional liquid or powder laundry detergents frequently include harsh chemicals that can be bad for the environment and human health.
The good news is that sustainable alternatives that provide a safer and more environmentally friendly washing method have evolved into eco-friendly laundry detergent sheets along with other sustainable objects in your zero-waste bathroom like reusable paper towels, and biodegradable garbage bags in a zero-waste kitchen.
These cutting-edge sheets are revolutionizing the laundry industry by offering a powerful cleaning solution that is kind to our clothing and the environment. The advantages and characteristics of eco-friendly laundry detergent sheets—including their environmentally friendly chemicals, practical and compact packaging, and environmental impact—will be covered in this article.
Eco-friendly laundry detergent sheets contain natural and biodegradable components, one of its primary characteristics. Eco-friendly laundry detergent sheets are often created from plant-based ingredients that are renewable and sustainable, unlike conventional laundry detergents that include harsh chemicals like phosphates, sulfates, and synthetic perfumes. Enzymes, surfactants, and essential oils that come from natural sources and are acceptable for the environment are frequently used in the formulation of these sheets.
Because fewer toxic chemicals are released into the water supply and ecosystem when you use eco-friendly laundry detergent sheets, you are not only caring for your clothing but also lowering your influence on the environment.
These detergent sheets have environmentally friendly components as well as more sustainable packaging. Most eco-friendly laundry detergent sheets come in small, straightforward packaging made of recyclable materials. Some companies even employ compostable or biodegradable materials in their packaging to minimize their environmental impact.
The simplicity of use of eco-friendly laundry detergent sheets is another convenient feature. Because these sheets are premeasured, there is no need to measure liquid or powder detergent, which might lead to misuse or waste. Place one or two sheets in the washer with your clothing to use them.
The sheets will disintegrate throughout the wash cycle, dispensing the cleaning agents. This results in a more effective and environmentally friendly laundry process by removing the possibility of detergent residue on garments or in the washing machine. It also minimizes the quantity of water required for rinsing.
Also convenient for travel are eco-friendly washing detergent sheets. They are an easy solution for people constantly on the road because of their small size and lightweight packing. These sheets fit conveniently without taking up much space in your baggage or handbag, whether traveling for work or pleasure, camping, or staying at a hotel. They are thus an excellent option for ecologically concerned tourists who wish to lessen their influence on the environment while away from home.
Finally, eco-friendly laundry detergent sheets provide a greener option to conventional liquid or powder detergents. They are quickly gaining popularity among environmentally aware customers who want to make more eco-friendly decisions in their daily laundry routine because of their natural and biodegradable components, little packaging, simplicity of use, and travel-friendly design.
Using eco-friendly laundry detergent sheets, you can create a better, healthier environment while still getting effective, fresh washing results. Why not transition to eco-friendly laundry detergent sheets and support the cause of a more sustainable business and future?
What are laundry detergent sheets?
According to Sydney Swanson, a scientific analyst at the Environmental Working Group (EWG), "laundry detergent sheets are highly concentrated, liquid-less detergents designed to replace the conventional liquid, powdered, or pod laundry detergent options."
Laundry detergent sheets are bundles of concentrated laundry detergent that are paper-thin for easy storage. They go under many names, such as detergent sheets, strips, or swatches, and have many of the same components as conventional laundry detergents. They function similarly to liquid laundry detergents in that they capture and pull dirt and debris from clothes, which are subsequently rinsed away during a washing cycle. This is because they share many of the same chemicals.
It is very simple: Throw it in the washing machine and watch it do its magic. Additionally, several varieties double as dryer sheets, saving you money and storage space.
How to use and store laundry detergent sheets
The directions on the labels of most of the products we evaluated are simple to follow. Typically, it is advised to put a sheet or sheets inside the drum of the washer, add your filthy clothing on top, and then run your regular cleaning cycle. The dosing instructions for certain products were complicated, but we had no problems with over-sudsing during our lab tests.
None of the sheets should be touched with wet hands since they dissolve if kept in a moist, humid environment and turn into mushy messes. Always keep them out of reach of children and pets, just like any cleaning product. The efficacy of any detergents used beyond the expiration date would likely be impacted since some brands print an expiration date on their labels.
Most sheets are square and white for modest loads and feature a perforated line along the center that divides them into two different strips. Some of the ones we examined were created with a second layer of paper that does not disintegrate and functions as a dryer sheet after being used in the washing machine.
When we tested these non-dissolving detergents, they also performed as color catchers, removing the red food coloring from the soiled fabric we used to gauge their effectiveness.
Do dissolvable laundry detergent sheets work?
Concentrated cleaning chemicals that are activated when they come into contact with water are used in the formulation of dissolvable laundry detergent sheets. They may successfully remove dirt, stains, and smells from clothing since they are made to disintegrate swiftly and leave no trace behind.
Since there is no need to measure and pour liquid or powder detergents, many consumers find them straightforward. They are also frequently produced using eco-friendly materials and packaging, making them a sustainable option for buyers who care about the environment. To achieve the best results, it's crucial to use this laundry detergent according to the manufacturer's recommended use and dosage.
The effectiveness of laundry detergent sheets will differ from brand to brand, according to Patric Richardson, host of the Discovery+ program The Laundry Guy and author of Laundry Love and How to Love Your Laundry. To find a solution that suits you, you must test out a few different possibilities, advises Richardson. Read honest reviews posted by regular people on websites or blogs to get a better idea of the overall quality of laundry detergent sheets before you buy them.
What to look for when shopping for the best laundry detergent sheets
The most crucial factor in selecting a laundry detergent for your household is how thoroughly it cleans your garments. You can watch out for additional factors to ensure you purchase the finest laundry detergent sheet, but this is something you can only learn while standing in the laundry aisle of your neighborhood grocery store.
Ingredients
Due to the surfactants and stain-removal enzymes in laundry detergents, your clothes are cleaned. Linear alkylate sulfonate and other chemical varieties with the words sulfate or sulfonate in their names, as well as enzymes like amylase, lipase, and protease, are some frequent chemical names to keep an eye out for. A product's constituents should be listed on the label in full, which the Cleaning Lab values highly.
Methylisothiazolinone and benzothiazolinone are two common compounds you might want to stay away from since they are "aquatic toxicants," in Swanson's words. Unfortunately, it may seem complicated to avoid aquatic toxicants because so many laundry detergents include them. However, you may choose items with the least possible amount.
According to Swanson, halogenated organic chemicals and ethoxylated surfactants affect the environment because "they can be contaminated with high levels of 1, 4-dioxane, which also does not readily degrade in the environment." Quaternary ammonium, often known as quats, is another potentially harmful aquatic life substance frequently included in fabric softener- and detergent-containing laundry detergents.
Price
When shopping, you might be tempted to merely focus on the cost of a pack of laundry detergent sheets, but the price per load matters most when figuring out how much any given laundry detergent will cost you overall. The cost per typical load for the laundry detergent sheets we evaluated ranged from 19 cents to approximately $1.00.
The cost of other laundry detergents we examined was considerably lower than that of the more costly sheets. Price is not always a good measure of a detergent's performance, even though the most expensive detergent sheet took first place in this category test.
Packaging
Compared to plastic laundry detergent containers, laundry detergent sheets are promoted as being more environmentally friendly. This is probably true for sheets in recyclable paper boxes and envelopes, but be careful of eco-friendly promises made by companies who package their sheets in plastic or don't provide information on their websites about how they are attempting to reduce their company's environmental impact.
It's essential to take into account the location of the detergent sheet factory, as certain nations have laxer ecological protection regulations. The environmental effect of shipping goods abroad might be more significant than purchasing locally produced goods from your local supermarket.
Environmental certifications
According to Swanson, "this 'greenwashing' is often just a marketing ploy" because there is no legal or accepted definition of what qualifies as "eco-friendly," "biodegradable," or "non-toxic" in terms of detergents.
You can use the Environmental Working Group's Guide to Healthy Cleaning, which gives safety ratings for popular home products, rather than depending on marketing jargon. To assist customers in making a decision, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) also provides a list of safer items on its Safer Choice website.
Weight
Choose a detergent that is promoted to weigh less for each load, whether it be solid, powdered, or ultra-concentrated. These choices might ship with less energy. A 115-ounce container of traditional liquid detergent (equivalent to 60 loads of washing) would weigh just over seven pounds. On the other hand, an average package of laundry detergent sheets weighs far less—less than one pound.
Top 6 Laundry Detergent Sheet Brands, 2023
Tru Earth Fragrance Free Laundry Detergent Strips
If you want to live more sustainably and don't know where to start, True Earth products are an ideal place to start. Unlike many products that use a lot of plastic in their packaging, True Earth uses the smallest possible packaging with the least amount of plastic for its products. All products of this brand are manufactured in Canada and are eco-friendly. In addition, these products are easy to use, do not cause allergies, and their cleaning power is also very high.
Beyond, Laundry Detergent Sheets (32 Loads)
These laundry detergent sheets from Beyond are an excellent alternative if you're looking for some. They are shipped in a cardboard box that weighs less than a pound and is USDA-certified biobased, meaning at least 25% of its components come from sustainable sources. Also safe for septic systems.
In addition to all of these things, it is also devoid of dyes and chlorine bleach and is 100 percent vegan. However, they are created with PVA, like most laundry detergent sheets, and the EWG website (which gives it a B rating) states that it includes several aquatic toxins, such as sodium coco-sulfate, Cocamidopropyl betaine, sodium C14-16 olefin sulfonate, and lauryl glucoside.
Several Amazon reviewers claim that the sheets disintegrate in hot and cold water, successfully lifting stains off clothing and leaving everything clean. The fragrance-free solution is very soothing on the skin. It also comes in a Fresh Linen-scented variant if you're a fragrance fiend.
Norwex Laundry Detergent Strips
On pre-stained gray cloth samples, it improved reflectivity by about 8% and disintegrated in a little under a minute in cold water. Although it does not linger for very long on laundered garments, the mild and pleasant aroma of fresh blossoms. It comes in a paper packet that is simple to put into luggage for travel and is a USDA Certified Biobased Product. Although we discovered that to be the case with most of the laundry detergent sheets we tried, it showed a slight improvement in tea and lipstick stains. Many less-stubborn colors, including ketchup, wine, dirt, chocolate syrup, and grape juice, were successfully removed from Norwex sheets.
EC30 Laundry Detergent Swatches
With their outstanding performance in our Cleaning Lab testing, these EC30 laundry detergent samples astounded us. It was the only one to receive a "good" grade for erasing deeply embedded spaghetti sauce stains, making it the winner overall by a wide margin.
When we compared EC30's reflectance improvement score—which measures how well the detergent restored the whiteness to a gray-stained fabric—against that of a top detergent pack, we discovered that there was just a.02% difference between the two. Nobody else's detergent sheet that we tested even came close.
Even in boiling water, these swatches take a very long time to dissolve. More than 6 minutes after agitation, we discovered huge fragments floating in a water pitcher. In contrast, other manufacturers' sheets disintegrated between 19 and under 2 minutes. Even though we didn't find any pieces of the detergent swatch in the washer after the cleaning cycle had finished, this may be something to be aware of when doing your laundry at home.
Blueland, Laundry Starter Set (60 Tablets)
It's not only a fantasy to have plastic-free laundry detergent: The laundry detergent by Blueland is entirely plastic-free, right down to the tablets' biodegradable paper container. In addition to being vegan and devoid of gluten, soy, and nuts, the tablets are created without harsh chemicals like bleach, perfumes, colors, and dyes.
They are Cradle to Cradle, Leaping Bunny, EWG confirmed, and they have an EPA Safer Choice accreditation. In addition, they have all undergone independent testing and have been found to function equally effectively as traditional laundry detergents.
CLEARALIF Laundry Detergent Sheets
In our evaluations, Clearalif's Laundry Detergent Sheets placed third overall. Although it failed in the stain removal test, notably with crayon and lipstick stains, it made up for it by receiving the second-best reflectance improvement score and having the quickest dissolving time among the 24 products we evaluated.
Foods like chocolate, ketchup, and cola were the stains that they worked best on. The company also sells a 3-in-1 sheet that serves as a color catcher and a non-dissolving sheet, which we also tried.
4 Ways to Make Laundry Day More Eco-Friendly
Use less detergent
Do less laundry
Wash with cold water
Air-dry clothes when possible
Frequently Asked Questions
Are laundry detergent sheets cheaper than liquid laundry detergent?
As with traditional liquid laundry detergents, laundry detergent sheets can range from $15 to $20 for boxes of 30 or 60 sheets (or $2 to $3 for each load of washing).
What can I use instead of laundry detergent sheets?
There are several alternatives to laundry detergent sheets, including powders, pills, and liquids. As previously said, choose a lightweight product packaged in recyclable materials and created with fewer (and potentially toxic) chemical substances if you're worried about the environmental impact your product could have.
If you are interested in eco-friendly cleaning ways and techniques, don't miss our other articles on cleaning at home.
