Top 10 Non Toxic Laundry Detergents for a Safe and Clean Home
Popular laundry detergent brands are often formulated with toxic chemicals that are harmful to your health. These toxic chemicals may cause skin irritation, eye irritation, and other adverse health effects. So I gathered a list of the best non toxic laundry detergents that are free from toxins.
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The Best Non Toxic Laundry Detergents
1. Best Non Toxic Laundry Detergent: Branch Basics Laundry Detergent
Branch Basics non toxic liquid laundry detergent is my top pick because the product cleans very effectively while having very safe detergent ingredients. It’s formulated with plant and mineral-based ingredients, it’s biodegradable, non-GMO, fragrance-free, safe for babies, and made with no harmful preservatives.
Essentially how this laundry detergent works is you fill the bottle (left) with water, then add in the concentrate (middle), then top it off with some more water.
This best eco friendly laundry starter set also comes with an oxygen boost product that serves as a stain remover and odors effectively.
3. Best Laundry Powder: Molly’s Suds Laundry Powder
Molly’s Suds is a clean and one of the best natural laundry detergent brands. They have many types of non-toxic laundry products but their laundry powder is one of the most popular for a good reason. It’s sustainably made with 5 stain removing ingredients.
If you have a high-efficiency washing machine, this powder detergent is perfect. This product uses plant-based ingredients and is vegan and cruelty-free. The non-toxic detergent is a highly concentrated clean laundry detergent and can wash around 70 loads of laundry.
This sustainable laundry detergent powder doesn’t contain phthalates and other toxic chemicals. Molly’s Suds laundry also makes clean dryer sheets as well.
4. Best Smelling Laundry Detergent: Truly Free Detergent
If you like a bit of scent after a fresh load of laundry, this is one of the best non toxic laundry detergents that smells good. It’s gently scented with essential oils and the scent is very fresh. Each package can wash about 150 loads of laundry.
These all-natural laundry detergents come with an empty jar along with 3 laundry refill detergent packs. To use this laundry wash, you need to fill the jug with water, then add the clear laundry detergent packet, and then shake.
These detergents don’t contain toxic chemicals like SLS, phosphates, formaldehyde, optical brighteners, 1,4-dioxane, chlorine, and more.
5. Best Laundry Tablets: Blueland Laundry Tablets
Blueland is a very popular home cleaning products brand that is on a mission to reduce plastic and waste.
These laundry detergent tablets are very easy to use. All you need to do is drop one tablet directly in the washing machine or two if it’s a large load.
This clean laundry detergent brand is formulated without parabens, phosphates, ammonia, VOCs, chlorine bleach, or phthalates.
Since this eco friendly laundry detergent is very compact and easy to carry around, it’s great for travel in case you need to do laundry on your trips.
7. Best Laundry Detergent For Odors and Stains: Dirty Labs Bio Laundry Detergent
If you want laundry detergents that are incredibly effective at getting those tough stains out, Dirty Labs is great.
The cleaning products are formulated for deep cleaning and with biobased ingredients. This water-based laundry detergent is a vegan, cruelty-free, and hypoallergenic laundry detergent that is safe for babies and pets.
This sustainable laundry detergent uses a non-toxic ingredient called phytolase which is an advanced enzyme cleaning technology that targets stains and odors without being harsh.
What makes this one of the best laundry detergents is that the formulas are hyper-concentrated so their package sizes are reduced significantly. The bottles are also made of aluminum and can be recycled.
8. Best Laundry Detergent Pods: Dropps Laundry Detergent Pods
Do you like Tide Pods but want an eco-friendly and non toxic alternative? The Dropps laundry detergent pods are a great choice and one of the safest laundry detergents to use. These sustainable laundry pods do a great job of getting rid of odors.
This nontoxic laundry detergent is made with plant-based ingredients that are never tested on animals. It’s a dye-free, paraben-free, optical brightener-free, vegan, phosphate-free, and phthalate-free laundry detergent.
The packaging is recyclable and compostable. This product is great for travel too because it’s easy to carry around.
9. Best Affordable Laundry Detergent: Rosey by Thrive Market Liquid Laundry Detergent
Most clean laundry detergents can be more expensive than conventional detergents but we’ve found one that won’t break the bank. These are some of the best non toxic liquid laundry detergents and can be suitable as a baby laundry detergent as well.
Rosey by Thrive Market is one of the best laundry detergents for the budget-conscious. It’s vegan, plastic-neutral certified, phthalate-free, paraben-free, hypoallergenic, chlorine-free, dye-free, and safe for septic tanks. It’s also a certified B Corporation.
You can wash up to 100 loads per bag and it’s lightly scented so it comes out smelling very fresh.
10. Best Eco-Friendly Laundry Detergent: Package Free Simply Co. Laundry Detergent
This laundry detergent by Package Free has some of the best packaging we’ve seen. It’s made with just 3-4 natural ingredients and stored in a reusable glass jar. It’s 100% biodegradable and septic-safe.
It comes with two scents – unscented and lavender. This detergent does a great job of cleaning thoroughly and is a great way to reduce plastic use. Since it uses no virtually no packaging, it’s one of the best eco-friendly laundry detergents.
FAQs
What Chemicals to Avoid in Laundry Detergent?
To ensure the use of safe and environmentally friendly laundry detergent, it’s important to steer clear of specific chemicals. This is an ingredient list to avoid in laundry detergents if you prefer non-toxic and environmentally safe laundry detergent options.
- Phthalates: Phthalates are considered harmful due to their potential adverse effects on human health. They are known to be endocrine disruptors, interfering with hormone signaling and potentially impacting reproductive and developmental processes. Some phthalates have been linked to reproductive issues, hormone-related disorders, and potential negative effects on fertility.
- Sodium Laureth Sulfate (SLES) and Sodium Lauryl Sulfate (SLS): These are two harmful chemicals because they may irritate the skin and strip away the skin’s natural oils. This leads to dryness, irritation, and even allergic reactions for some people. These chemicals are not good for the environment as well.
- Formaldehyde: Formaldehyde is considered harmful to humans. Being exposed to formaldehyde for long periods of time may increase the risk of developing certain types of cancer. The chemical can also cause respiratory issues, allergies, and skin sensitization.
- Chlorine Bleach: Chlorine bleach is considered harmful due to its toxic nature and potential health risks. It can release toxic fumes when mixed with other substances and can cause respiratory irritation, skin burns, and eye damage upon direct contact. In addition, it can react with organic compounds to form harmful byproducts.
- Nonylphenol Ethoxylates (NPEs): These chemicals are considered endocrine disruptors which means they interfere with the body’s hormonal balance. This may cause negative effects on reproductive health and even the environment.
- Dioxane: Dioxane is harmful and is considered a human carcinogen. It may cause skin, eye, and lung irritation.
Is laundry detergent toxic?
Conventional brands of laundry detergents made with SLES, SLS, phthalates, and dioxane are toxic. However, there are many clean laundry detergent brands that are better alternatives and made without those toxic ingredients.
Is Tide non toxic?
Yes, Tide is considered non toxic. Tide contains 1,4-Dioxane which may cause eye skin and lung irritation. Tide detergent uses synthetic fragrances that have phthalates.
Is Ecos truly non toxic?
Yes, Ecos is non toxic. The products are made with plant-based safe ingredients and are formulated for sensitive skin. Their line of products is also vegan and cruelty-free.
What kind of detergent is safe to use?
Safe detergents use plant-based ingredients, toxin-free ingredients, fragrance free ingredients, and have hypoallergenic properties. Unscented laundry is usually the safest if you have sensitive skin.
Why you shouldn’t use a lot of laundry detergent?
Using too much laundry detergent can cause a few undesired outcomes. The first is reside buildup – excessive detergent can cause residue buildup which leads to making clothes look more dull and even contributing to skin irritation. It also causes wasted resources and leads to the need to spend more unnecessary money on laundry detergent.
Is powder or liquid detergent better?
Choosing between powder or liquid detergent depends on a few things. Powder detergents can usually give you more bang for your buck and they work better on high efficiency (HE) washing machines when compared to liquid detergents. On the other hand, laundry liquid detergents are better for cold water washes and washing with hard water because it dissolves more easily.
What’s the best non toxic laundry detergent for babies?
Unless your baby has sensitive skin, using non toxic laundry detergent that you are using for your own clothes is completely fine.
Is Arm and Hammer laundry detergent toxic?
Arm and Hammer laundry detergent is toxic. The formulas contain dioxane which causes eye and skin irritation.
That’s a wrap on the best non-toxic laundry detergents for your home!
For more sustainable and non-toxic living guides, check out these posts!
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- Best Air Fresheners Free of Toxins & Harsh Chemicals
- Best Clean Non Toxic Deodorants
- Best Reed Diffusers For A Clean Home
- Best Nontoxic Dish Soap
- The Best Natural Hand Soaps
- Is Scentsy Toxic?
- Is Pura Diffuser Non-Toxic?
