You may not think much about waste in your laundry room, because most detergents already come in bulk packaging; but when you consider that the average American family does about 300 loads of laundry per year, you’ll realize that there’s actually a significant amount of detergent bottles disposed of annually (and that’s just in the U.S.).
On top of that, only 68% of those plastic jugs are properly recycled after use.
These products will help you be more sustainable by minimizing waste, harsh chemicals, and microplastics when doing your laundry.
This post may contain affiliate links, which means I will receive a small commission (at no additional expense to you) if you purchase a product through my links.
What Makes Them Sustainable: Rather than having to continuously purchase plastic bottles of detergent, Blueland offers steel containers and plastic-free laundry tablets.
The tablets are packaged in compostable pouches, and are also non-toxic and cruelty-free.
If you’re someone who prefers a stronger scent in your laundry you may want to try one of the other detergents, as these tablets are fragrance free.
Price: Starter kit including a reusable steel tin and 40 laundry tablets is $18, and refill packs are $14 for 40 tablets
What Makes Them Sustainable: Unlike big brand laundry pods, (which usually use the same water soluble film) Dropps ingredients are primarily plant and mineral derived, which makes them much safer for the environment.
Their products are also shipped in recyclable/compostable packaging, that’s made with 50% post-consumer recycled material.
Price: $24 for 56 detergent pods or $17 for 56 when you subscribe to recurring orders
What Makes Them Sustainable: If you haven’t seen or heard of wool dryer balls, they’re essentially an alternative to single use dryer sheets.
The wool balls increase energy efficiency by reducing drying time, naturally soften fabrics, and you can also put a few drops of essential oils on them before use to add scent to your clothes.
This set comes with 6 biodegradable dryer balls, which will last about 1,000 drying cycles and are handmade with 100% organic wool.
Price: $27 for 6 dryer balls and a reusable cotton bag
Clean Cult Refillable Detergent
What Makes Them Sustainable: With a similar concept to Blueland, Clean Cult uses reusable containers and detergent refills.
Their detergent is non-toxic, biodegradable, and ships in recyclable packaging. They also offer 4 different detergent scents.
Price: $15 for reusable bottle and $10 for 32 oz. refill detergent (about 64 loads of laundry)
What Makes Them Sustainable: Many people don’t know that plastic can breakdown into smaller pieces if not disposed of properly (these pieces are called microplastics).
While some of these particles come from plastic waste, a large percentage are a result of washing clothes that are manufactured with synthetic materials. After washing these fabrics, the microplastics make their way into our water supply and can potentially harm wildlife or even people.
Cora Balls are working to solve that problem. The ridges and grooves in the ball catch microfibers in the wash, so that you can remove and properly dispose of them. Cora Balls are also made from 100% recycled plastic and can be recycled again when they reach the end of their use.
Price: $38 for 1 ball or $105 for a pack of 3
What Makes Them Sustainable: The Guppyfriend washing bag is another solution to preventing microplastic pollution, but unlike the Cora Ball the washing bag also prevents and protects materials from ever creating microplastics.
While the bag isn’t that big, it only needs to be used with clothes that contain synthetic materials. This article by EcoWarriorPrincess lists all the types of fibers that can create microplastics.
Price: $35
I hope you’ll try out these sustainable laundry products and if you use one of them already, let me know which one in the comments. Thank you for reading, have a lovely day!
Almost Eco-Friendly 