Healthy Home Advocates
5 Best Laundry Detergents to Avoid Toxic Ingredients
Did you know that most laundry detergents contain toxic chemicals, some of which can even cause cancer? Some of those chemicals are: 1,4 dioxane (can cause cancer), parabens (causes hormone disruption), optical brighteners (gets absorbed into the bloodstream), phosphates, dyes & more. Your laundry detergent contains chemicals that get absorbed into your bloodstream through your skin (your largest organ) so it’s important to avoid laundry detergents with these toxic chemicals.
I researched dozens of laundry detergents to find the 5 best laundry detergents to avoid toxic chemicals.
We looked at ingredients of Tide, All, Gain, Seventh Generation, Persil, Earth Breeze, Clean People, Arm & Hammer, Nellies, Charlie’s Soap, and much more. We evaluated detergents based on 5 factors: (1) the safety profile of their ingredients (we aim to avoid harmful chemicals), (2) their cleaning effectiveness (we don’t want to sacrifice performance) (3) convenience of use, (4) packaging and (5) affordability.
TLDR: Earth Breeze came in #1 because it gives you the same powerful clean you’re used to, but the packaging is plastic free and it has no 1,4 dioxane, phosphates, parabens, dyes, optical brighteners, or other toxic chemicals! It’s also the easiest to use. We use Earth Breeze in my home, and my entire family loves it.
Earth Breeze exceeded our expectations because it’s made with safer ingredients, it’s lab-tested free of heavy metals and 1,4-dioxane, it’s easily my favorite detergent and that’s why it earned 5 stars ★★★★★. It is effective at cleaning tough stains and tackling odors – which is surprising for a laundry sheet! We tested it with sweaty gym clothes and kids’ stained outfits, and they all came out looking fresh and clean. In short, it really works!
Earth Breeze uses safer ingredients, is dermatologist-tested, and doesn’t contain toxic chemicals like 1,4 dioxane, dyes, optical brighteners, parabens, chlorine bleach, phthalates, or phosphates (It’s hypoallergenic, non-irritating, and non-sensitizing).
Earth Breeze Laundry Detergent Sheets are a safer laundry detergent without toxic chemicals and wasteful plastic jugs. We love that it comes in plastic-free packaging (it’s so much better for the environment).
Finally, we love that out of all the laundry sheets, Earth Breeze has earned the most 5-star reviews, including one from us.
Earth Breeze comes in Fragrance-Free and Fresh Scent. I love both, but my favorite is the Fresh Scent.
This is what we recommend because we use it at home, it’s our #1 choice and I’m sure you will love it too.
2. Dirty Labs
Dirty Labs earns the second spot, and I think it’s a great product! I love their aluminum containers because aluminum is infinitely recyclable, making it an eco-friendly choice. However, the big problem here is the price, it’s too high to be practical.
3. Molly’s Suds
Molly’s suds made it to the third spot, and here’s why:
I love that it uses safer ingredients, it cleans very well, and Although the packaging is plastic, it’s less than what’s used for liquid detergent. But I have mixed feelings about it being a powder, it can be messy to scoop up from the bag into the washer, it’s definitely not as convenient as Earth Breeze, but still better than liquid detergents.
Overall, Molly Suds’ good cleaning power, cleaner ingredients, and their effort to reduce plastic use earned it our #3 spot.
4. Seventh Generation
We gave Seventh Generation the 4th place. So here are the good things about this detergent: it cleans very well, it’s fragrance-free which is good for people who are sensitive to fragrances, it uses mostly plant-based ingredients.
However, there are some things we don’t like about it, which is why it only got fourth place. It contains chemicals that can cause skin irritation, and preservatives (methylisothiazolinone and benzisothiazolinone) that may trigger allergic reactions in some people. We appreciate that the plastic detergent bottles are mostly made from recycled plastic, but they can still end up in landfills once used.
5. All Free & Clear
All Free & Clear came in 5th place. Here is what I liked about it: it has very strong cleaning power as you would expect, and it’s free of dyes and perfumes. But there are a lot of things that didn’t sit right with us: it contains optical brighteners which we know get absorbed into the bloodstream, it also contains preservatives and other synthetic ingredients.
Those plastic bottles are not eco-friendly and they can end up in landfills. Liquid detergents are also tricky to dose correctly, leading to waste and excess use. This results in wasting money and harming the environment.
Despite these issues, we loved that it is free of dyes and perfumes and it has thousands of positive reviews on Amazon, reflecting its popularity.
In summary:
#1 Earth Breeze Eco Sheets – Buy it here
#2 Dirty Labs – Buy it here
#3 Molly’s Suds – Buy it here
#4 Seventh Generation – Buy it here
#5 All free and clear – Buy it here