A Natural Alternative to Dirty Laundry (Detergents)

With just three weeks and five days left until Emmy's due date, I'm in full baby prep mode. Unfortunately, life has a way of throwing curve balls when you least expect or desire them, so while I'd love to be scrubbing the house from top to bottom and baby-proofing everything, I'm stuck with furniture pushed against walls, and needing to switch out bowls of water catching leaks from our ceiling. Don't worry, our landlord knows and is having it fixed (hopefully before we're bringing an infant home). Just one of the fun challenges of a rainy September in an older house. But while I can't control everything, one thing I can do is make sure all the baby clothes, towels, sheets, and other fabrics that will get anywhere close to her are freshly laundered in a safe detergent.

If you follow me on Instagram (@Coffee.Clothes.Repeat) you probably saw me post a picture of soap berries earlier this year with the promise of a review. Well I'm finally following up on that promise, and bonus, I've decided to review three natural alternatives to traditional laundry detergent. Now at this point, you may be asking what's wrong with good old Tide, right? In my first trimester, when the natural impulse to avoid anything that could possibly harm baby took over, I read up on the most toxic items in the typical household. Near the top of almost every list? Laundry detergent and dryer sheets. I'm not a scientist, so I'm not going to attempt to explain each unpronounceable ingredient, but if you're curious, check out the Environmental Working Group's guide to laundry detergents. You can search the specific brand you use and see how it rates on health and environmental impact. If you need more convincing, the study referenced here linked prenatal exposure to chemicals found in dryer sheets and air fresheners to a decrease in the child's IQ. Having worked in public education, including our school's gifted program, I can tell you that a 6-7 point difference is kind of a big deal. I know it's nearly impossible to avoid exposure to all harmful chemicals all the time, but the way you do your laundry is such an easy thing to change, I believe it's totally worth it.

Now let's get to the good stuff. It's worth noting that I have been using soap berries (brand linked below) exclusively since May and only recently decided to branch out to other natural brands. However, although my exposure to Planet and Molly's Suds is limited, I've done enough laundry with each to give an honest review.

Soap berries by NaturOli

1. First Impressions

The first time I heard of soap berries was on an episode of Shark Tank when a specific brand, Eco Nuts, pitched a detergent alternative found in nature. Soap berries are the outer shell of a berry that grows in the Himalayas and they work by breaking the surface tension of water to penetrate into clothes, removing dirt and grime. They have a very mild, almost apple scent, but leave clothing completely scentless after washing. After some research, I ended up ordering my soap berries from NaturOli on Amazon. I'm sure many brands are similar, but I was looking for a good starter kit and the price was right. The main things to look for are that they are seedless and not sourced from China where they do not meet the USDA's regulations.

2. Ease of Use

Soap berries are used 5-7 at a time in a muslin bag. As they agitate in the washer, they start to break down and lose their "soapiness." For that reason, you'll need to change them out every 5 or 6 washes, although this number is different for everyone depending on the size of the load and the heat of the water. I ended up switching out the soap nuts more often just to be on the safe side. If you're not into using the muslin bag method, there are recipes online for creating a liquid detergent that can then be frozen in an ice cube tray. I ended up doing this about two months ago and greatly prefer popping an ice cube into the washer over changing out the muslin bag and trying to remember not to throw it into the dyer.

3. Product Effectiveness

I've never noticed any problems with soap berries as our only detergent. Clothes, towels, and sheets are all left completely scentless, absorbent, and soft. One thing I will note is that without optical brighteners, white laundry does start looking a bit less white, even when washed separately in hot water, but I don't think that can be blamed on this product. Thankfully there are natural solutions such as sunning your whites every so often.

4. Cost

As you can see, I purchased my soap berries for $18.95...back in May! We still have at least 20 loads of detergent left, so let's just say this product has lasted us five months. That's only $3.79 per month on detergent, or about $0.15 cents per load given around six loads of wash per week (which is a modest estimate if I'm being honest). Clearly this product is extremely cost effective.

5. Closing Thoughts

If you can get over the fact that this soap literally grows on trees, this is about as natural as you can get with laundry. It is just as effective as any other detergent I've used, and I like that there is absolutely no need for a fabric softener.

Molly's Suds Laundry Powder

1. First Impressions

If you've looked into cloth diapering, you've probably come across Molly's Suds before since they make a product specifically for cloth diapers. Since I'm going the easy flats, prefolds, and fitteds route of cloth, I don't need a specific detergent, so I decided to pick up the normal powder. If you're like me, the first thing you do when you get a new detergent is to take a big whiff. Do not, I repeat, do not do this with Molly's Suds. Although the product is artificial fragrance free, it is scented with peppermint essential oil and it is strong. Overall, I like the packaging and that it comes with a cute little scoop for the powder.

2. Ease of Use

After going to the freezer to grab a detergent ice cube for a few months, simply adding a spoonful of powder to the washer is super easy. I will say that Molly's Suds could work on their resealable packaging though, because it's not exactly easy to close.

3. Product Effectiveness

At first I was worried that the strong peppermint scent would linger in the clothes, but I was pleasantly surprised that it disappears after you run the washer. I decided to put this detergent to the test right away by first using it on a batch of beach towels that may or may not have been left in a ball to dry. Gross. After a scoop of Molly's Suds and a hot water wash, the towels smelled fresh and clean with only the tiniest possible hint of peppermint. Keep in mind that I have a super sense of smell thanks to pregnancy. I've also used this detergent with cold water on clothing and didn't notice any lingering smell. Score for Molly's Suds!

4. Cost

A bag of Molly's Suds, which is 70 regular size loads, runs $13.99 at retail price. Normally I'm a huge believer in the theory that the more you have on hand, the faster you'll go through it, but with measured things like laundry detergent, I know that you can typically save a lot of money by buying in bulk. If you have a Thrive Market subscription, the cost of a bag of Molly's Suds drops to $9.95. Let's say you buy five bags at a time to qualify for free shipping, and you've saved $20.20 by buying in bulk. Since a not-so-natural brand such as Tide is also around $10 or $11 for 64 loads, I'm willing to bet you'd at least break even by switching to Molly's Suds.

5. Closing Thoughts

There's something appealing about the brand overall, possibly the cute owl on the packaging. Compared to how long soap berries have lasted, this might not be quite as cheap, but I'm willing to drop a few extra dollars on a product that I feel truly gets the job done. After the beach towel test, I believe this is one of those products!

Planet 2x Ultra Laundry Detergent

1. First Impressions

This is the most traditional looking of all the products I've used since it's a simple liquid you pour into a cap and then into the washer. It also suds up the most, which I know a lot of people associate with better cleaning power. However, this is my least favorite "scent" out of the three. It doesn't smell bad, but it kind of smells musty, and slightly like plastic.

2. Ease of Use

Pour to the first line for a normal load. Pour to the second line for a large load. Can't get much easier than that!

3. Product Effectiveness

Much like the other products, this one leaves no smell, so the initial scent doesn't really matter. I decided to test this on a load of baby clothes in cold water and then our sheets in hot water, and both came out clean, soft, and scentless. Maybe it's the bubbles, but I feel like this product would do pretty well on some more heavy duty laundry, so I'll be sure to update this post if I'm less than satisfied once I've had the chance to wash some gym clothes.

4. Cost

Planet Laundry Detergent retails for $12.99 and can be found on Thrive Market, Amazon, and in some Wholefoods locations. I ended up ordering the 2x Ultra variety, which is supposed to contain 32 loads, from Thrive Market at their member discount for $7.95. If you don't have a Thrive Market membership, another option is to subscribe to this product on Amazon for $8.34 per jug. Either way, this product is definitely the least cost effective of the three, though still not bad when you consider how much better it is for your health compared to typical detergents.

5. Closing Thoughts

I have yet to decide if this is a detergent I'll re-purchase, even though it works very well. One cool thing about the jug itself is that is is 100% recyclable and is made from mostly-recycled materials. Based on cost, scent, and brand-appeal, I'm more likely to return to soap berries or Molly's Suds, but this is still a solid option and the most "traditional" if you're looking to make a very easy transition into natural detergent.

What about dryer sheets?

With all three natural detergents, your clean clothes are left completely scentless. I'm fine with that, but if you'd prefer a traditional "clean" smell to your clothes, one option is to use essential oils on a wool dryer ball. Wool dryer balls, like these, are a natural way to soften laundry and reduce drying time. Mine just stay in the dryer (except when they get caught in a fitted sheet) and run with every load. After letting your clothes dry completely, you can add scent by putting a few drops of your favorite essential oil on one of the dryer balls and running a heat-free spin cycle for 5 minutes. The quality of essential oil does make a difference, so don't go cheap! Use a reputable brand that you'd feel comfortable breathing in during aromatherapy, because you'll basically be doing the same thing by breathing it off your clothes. Cheaper oils can also leave stains on your fabrics, I know from experience, so save yourself the pain and use a good oil.

I hope you've found these reviews helpful! I'd love to hear about your experience with natural detergents, and whether your favorite made my list.