"Earth-friendly" detergents

[zipdang]

Who here has tried any of the earth-friendly detergents on the market and can report back on their effectiveness? Some of the brands I've seen are Seventh Generation, Bi-O-Kleen, Ecover, Country Save, Mrs. Meyers, Soap Works, Planet, and Caldrea.

CR rated Trader Joe's liquid detergent very poorly, and I've used it and agree that it leaves much to be desired.

Here are the brands I've tried and my findings:

Country Save (used in a FL): decent on day-to-day laundry, no scent (which is nice for table linens), rinses clean, needs help on some stains

Trader Joe's liquid (used in FL and TL): only slightly better than tap water

Trader Joe's powder (used in TL): similar to Country Save

Mrs. Meyers (used in FL): seems to clean very well, rinses clean, scent isn't too powerful once clothes are dry

Planet powder (used in TL): good at cleaning, but not great -- needs help on heavy stains

 

[Designgeek]

I've been using Seventh Generation liquid for well over a year. It does quite a good job even in small dosages (as in 25 to 30 ml. for a 6# load in the twin-tub) and it rinses out clean. For difficult cases I put some directly on the trouble spot and scrub it in, let it soak for a while, and then wash it normally; so far it's worked on all the usual cases of that type.

If I use even a little bit more than needed, it tends to make lots of suds and take more rinses to get all of it out. That's probably the case with most detergents but people don't generally object to a little detergent left in their clothes since the scents are associated with clean.

It works fine in cold water, and in warm water the dosage can be reduced by about 5 ml.

I don't generally wash in hot water; I use chlorine bleach to sanitize and to keep the white stuff white. I also don't use fabric softeners or dryer sheets or other ancillary products, and I generally dry my stuff on an indoor clothes line to save energy.

 

[rayjay]

Mrs. Meyers

I have used Mrs. Meyers Lavender scent detergent and liquid fabric softener. I cleans very well, and leaves the clothes with a light scent of lavender.

Highly recommend them!

 

[zipdang]

Designgeek: Thanks for the info on Seventh Generation. I've got a coupon for $1 off their detergent (one can be downloaded from their website) so I think I'll give it a try. Also, for what it's worth, I've had really good results with their dishwasher powder.

Rayjay: I've used Mrs. Meyers fabric softener, too. I like that it doesn't seem to gunk up the dispenser like regular brands can.

 

[Designgeek]

Zipdang, thanks; and re. dishwasher powder, I'll keep it in mind for when I finally get one of those Danby countertop units.

BTW, what got you interested in ecosafe detergents? Are you engaged in other sustainability projects? (if so, let's talk....)

 

[rayjay]

Mrs. Meyers

David, Have you also tried the liquid detergent? It cleans very well.

 

[Brneyedgrl80]

Another Option...

Method makes a good detergent as well as fabric softeners (if you like using fabric softeners). Also, they make detergent for dishwashers as well. All of their products are very environment friendly.

method – people against dirty

naturally-derived, biodegradable, non-toxic household cleaners, laundry supplies, personal care + soap. shop online or find out where to buy method.

www.methodhome.com

 

[zipdang]

Designgeek:

My interest in ecofriendly detergents stems from, of all things, food. The more I learned about organic farming and sustainable agriculture, the more interested I became in practicing eco-responsibility in other areas. I figured the first place I could affect change was in my own house, so I started buying cleaning products that don’t contain petrochemicals and toiletries that are cruelty-free. I found it’s just as easy to buy those types of products as it is to buy conventional ones, so why not make the better choice?

As an aside, have you read Andrew Kimbrell’s Fatal Harvest: The Tragedy of Industrial Agriculture? It’s a great book and worth the read.

 

[zipdang]

Rayjay: I have a bottle of Mrs. Meyers liquid detergent (lavender scent) but have only used it a couple of times. I've tried in on regularly soiled laundry and had good results, although I've yet to test it on grungy stuff. So far it's on my list of brands I'd buy again, although it is pretty pricey stuff.

 

[lavamat_jon]

Have tried various eco-friendly detergents available here in England, including Ecover, and IMO they don't do half as well a job as even the budget supermarket own brand detergents.

I try to be environmentally friendly as much as possible, but I'm not gonna sacrifice my whitest whites for the sake of the environment, or cleaning performance. Ecover hardly used to clean it left your clothes smelling mildewy once they were dry!

Ariel or Persil detergent with Comfort fabric softener for me anyday, please.

Jon

 

[zipdang]

Jon, your experience with Ecover supports what CR found, which is that it's not a very good detergent. Actually, I think they only tested the liquid, so I'm not sure if the powder is any better.

 

[lavamat_jon]

Zipdang,

The powder was a sorry state too. It was fine for a while but then they "improved" the formula (I think they added some clay or something, to soften the water), and all the clay ended up doing was leaving a horrible gunk behind in the detergent dispenser!

There used to be a brand called Ecos I think that sold in the UK, but that seems to have disappeared off the shelves and the only eco-friendly detergent available is Ecover. But I think most mainstream detergents are biodegradable nowadays, so they're not that bad.

I think the main reason why detegrents are so unenvironmentally friendly is that they are wasted - i.e. by people using scoops rather than measuring precisely, when they might need to only use as little as a 1/3 or so of teh recommended amounts.

Jon

 

[sudsmaster]

Zeolites

That "clay" is most likely zeolites - which are minerals made up primarily of aluminum silicate. I understand that Persil and other european detergents rely heavily on zeolites for water softening. Various formulations behave differently with differnt types of water hardness and/or fabric soils.

Some zeolites have flattened crystal structures which probably makes them like clay in gross appearance and behavior.

If you want to continue trying the clay detergent, I would try adding the detergent to the wash drum before adding clothes and water.

http://mineral.galleries.com/minerals/silicate/zeolites.htm

 

[sudsmaster]

More on zeolites

Here's a UK link to a discussion of zeolites, which mentions their use as a phosphate substitute in laundry detergents.

http://www.bza.org/zeolites.html

 

[zipdang]

Jon, did you ever use Ecos before it disappeared? I think I've seen a liquid version at Whole Foods... although I could be mistaken. It could also be a North American brand that has nothing to do with the European version of the same name.

The Ecover website makes mention that their detergents are intended for "compacts," which I guess means European machines. I'm not sure which characteristics of the European machines make certain detergents more suitable for them: their ability to washer at higher temps or their lower water usage.

 

[lavamat_jon]

Thanks Rich, oddly enough though it was actually listed as clay on the side of the packet. Can safely say though I will never use it again - I prefer whiter whites with a standard detergent over here such as Persil than pay even more than Persil for an eco friendly detergent that is only eco friendly because they take out the compounds that actually clean the laundry LOL.

Jon

 

[launderess]

Both zeolites and perborates are being/have been restricted by the EU due to pollution concerns. IIRC most TOL washing powders in Europe like Persil have switched over to percarbonate bleaches, and are replacing zeolites as well.

Borates/borax can cause harm to fish and other living things in water ways. Which is the reason for their being targeted. Not sure what exactly zeolites did, but wasn't good, so they are being given the push as well.

See? It proves again in the haste to find a replacement for phosphates in washing powders, several or more compounds must be used, which in of themselves may cause more harm than the single phosphate they were intended to replace.

L.

 

[launderess]

Only things one has ever had any use for "Green" detergents, is for washing items that are not very soiled to begin with, such as bed linens. In almost ever consumer testing I've ever seen, the green detergents rank dead last in terms of general cleaning/stain removal results.

One really would be much better off using a bar of vintage Fels soap and some STPP than some of these green detergents.

As "Betina" says on that episode of "Absolutely Fabulous"
"we try to be green, but it's just not humanly possible". *LOL*

L.