Many of us are trying to do our bit for the environment, and that includes making greener choices with our cleaning products.
So I’ve been looking into eco friendly laundry options, and testing out some of the popular choices on the market. Are they really as green as they claim to be, and do they actually get our laundry clean?
Dr Beckmann Magic Leaves
These lightweight laundry sheets use 80% less plastic, and as they are compact and concentrated, they use less packaging and less space. This means less environmental impact from transportation – indeed, the product claims to be carbon-neutral.
Magic Leaves are also effective at lower temperatures so you will use less energy for your load of laundry. And at around £4 for 25 sheets, they are good value for money with each full wash costing 16 pence.
However, eco friendly laundry is not just about the packaging. When I took a closer look at the label, I saw that it includes warnings about ingredients “harmful to aquatic life with long-lasting effects”. This didn’t feel quite as planet-friendly as I had hoped.
The Eco Egg
This eco friendly laundry option is an innovative solution which I was keen to test out. The reusable plastic egg is filled with two types of pellet to get your laundry clean. The white washing pellets break up and remove stains. And the black tourmaline pellets break up the water’s surface tension, to help it to penetrate fibres more effectively.
The pellets last for around 50 loads of laundry, depending on the temperature of your wash. Then it’s easy to refill your egg with new pellets, ready for more laundry.
As well as reducing plastic waste, the Eco Egg scores well on eco friendly laundry ingredients. There are no chlorine bleaches, phosphates, parabens or palm oil – better for the environment, and for your skin. The Eco Egg is allergy approved, and is even kinder to your washing machine as it leaves less pipe-blocking residue than traditional detergent.
I tested the Eco Egg at 40 degrees and my laundry was clean, stain free and smelled fresh. It’s also great value at around £7.00 for a starter kit which includes the Eco Egg and pellets for 50 washes. This works out at £0.14 per wash.
Ocean Saver Laundry Sheets
These laundry sheets are completely plastic free. Even better, their “ocean friendly formula” does not contain ingredients that are harmful to the environment. For every purchase, Ocean Saver donates to the Blue Marine Foundation which helps to restore ocean habitats.
But, do they work? When I tested these eco friendly laundry sheets I found they cleaned my laundry very effectively. They have a very soapy scent which I found a little over-powering, but my washing was fresh and any stains lifted.
At around £6 for 30 full loads of washing, (20 pence per load) Ocean Saver Sheets are a little more expensive, but still a great eco friendly laundry choice in my opinion.
DIY Eco Friendly Laundry Options
As well as off-the-shelf solutions like these, you might want to think about making your own laundry detergent. That way, you will know exactly what ingredients it contains. And you can even choose your own scent by adding essential oils.
Katie Chappell shares a simple recipe for a homemade laundry powder in her blog, using soap, bicarbonate of soda, chlorine free oxygenated bleach, soda crystals and natural Borax substitute, with essential oils to add fragrance.
Another even more natural option is this laundry liquid made from conkers (also known as horse chestnuts). I can’t claim to have tested this one myself but I am definitely intrigued. And of course, this solution is practically free.
Maybe I’ll be collecting conkers in the autumn to give it a go. Would you try it? I would love to know!
