Wednesday, March 31, 2010

Best Green Laundry Detergents

The following laundry detergents mostly have unscented versions, which cuts back on allergies and irritation, and are at least 2 x concentrated, which cuts back on packaging and shipping fuel. They are also free of all or most of the “Lose It” ingredients listed on my home page at GreenerPenny.com, and http://greenerpenny.com, and in my new book, Do One Green Thing http://stmartins.com/doonegreenthing . Other pluses, such as comparable pricing to conventional brands ($), having no residues of 1, 4 dioxane* in recent Organic Consumers Association tests, http://www.1-4dioxane.com/, ultra-concentrated formulas (more than 2x) or independent third-party eco seals, such as EPA's Design for the Environment (DfE) and Leaping Bunny (cruelty-free) are noted.

Remember, for the sake of the planet and your budget, wash in cold water as much as you can! And hang dry. Thanks!

All Small & Mighty Free & Clear http://www.all-laundry.com/#/products/freeclear/freeclear3x/

Arm & Hammer Essentials http://armandhammer.com , $, did have 5 ppm dioxane.

Biokleen
http://biokleenhome.com/ 3 x, 64 oz., $

Charlie’s Soap, http://charliessoap.com

Clorox Greenworks http://www.greenworkscleaners.com/laundry/
,$, no dioxane

Earth Friendly Products (ECOs) http://ecos.com
2-3x, dep on whether top or front loader, $, no dioxane

Ecover, http://ecover.com,$

Greening the Cleaning, http://imusranchfoods.com

Life Tree, http://www.lifesvigor.com/original-premium-laundry-liquid-32-oz-life-tree.html, no dioxane

Martha Stewart Clean, DfE, Leaping Bunny. http://mslo.cierant.com/

Method free & clear, 8x, DfE 50% recycled packaging, certified by Cradle2Cradle (C2C); http://methodhome.com/all-products/fragrance-free/free-+-clear/method-laupndry-50.aspx

Mountain Green 3x concentrated (1 oz. load) discloses all ingredients on website, http://mountaingreen.biz/ingredients.aspx

Mrs. Meyers http://www.mrsmeyers.com/; did have 1.5 ppm dioxane.

Planet Ultra http://www.planetinc.com,
Certified biodegradable by Scientific Certification Systems (did have 6 ppm dioxane)

Seventh Generation, Leaping Bunny http://www.seventhgeneration.com/ Greenest packaging! Moving from 50% post-consumer-recycled (PCW) to 75% and ultimately 100%.

Sun & Earth http://sunandearth.com, $, strong citrus scent.

Vaska http://vaskaproducts.com

Vermont Soapworks, http://vermontsoap.com


DfE: certified by EPA Design for the Environment as helping protect the environment and safer for families. For more information about EPA’s DfE seal. http://www.epa.gov/dfe/pubs/projects/formulat/label.htm

Leaping Bunny: certified cruelty-free, not tested on animals


*Dioxane is categorized as a probable human carcinogen in California.
http://www.1-4dioxane.com/

*
acc to EWG, mfgs can remove dioxane with a simple step, but its presence shows that most of them aren't doing so. http://www.cosmeticsdatabase.com/ingredient.php?ingred06=726331

2 comments:

RHurst said...

That's great! I am always looking for new ways to go green. I would love to get some green laundry detergent. Does anyone know if they make organic pet shampoo
? I'd love to get some of that too.

GreenFemme said...

I highly recommend Vermont Soap Company's pet shampoo, the first certified organic pet shampoo on the market, made with organic plant oils and no irritating, toxic synthetic ingredients. http://www.vermontsoap.com/petwash.shtml
Hopefully many more such humane products will follow!
Do avoid flea and tick shampoos using pyrethroids, which are neurotoxins!