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45 Comments

  1. Hi Irina!
    Thank you so much for this article.
    I was using Whole Foods organic detergent with no fragrance. My clothes always looked dirty, even my bedsheets looked yellow instead of white. Right now when I bought tide unscented, because I didn’t have time to go to Whole Foods, my clothes are bright white.
    Do you think, that Tide that has no fragrance, and is hypoallergenic, is still bad for environment and our bodies?
    Or you would just say that it depends on a natural detergent? Is your favorite one washes clothes well?

    1. Hi Jelena! Thank you for your comment! We believe that our recent free guide to laundry detergents will help answer your question: https://ireadlabelsforyou.com/safest-laundry-detergents-guide/ To find our opinion on Tide, please press Ctrl+F and type “tide” in the pop-up search bar. As for the cleanliness of the laundry, a lot depends on the water, that is to say whether you are using hard or soft water. In our experience, soft water improves the quality of the laundry significantly. For help with choosing a water softener, check out this listing: https://ireadlabelsforyou.com/product/easy-solution-water-filtration/

  2. Hi Irina, I love your website and guides. I use Humble Suds thanks to your recommendation. However, the company does not recommend it for wool, silk, or other delicate fabrics. Meliora detergent says it’s ok for silk, but I’ve used it for my silk items and the fabric does not do well with it. Do you have any suggestions for detergents for these types of fabrics? Thanks so much!

  3. Wondering if there are any options without coconut or coconut oil. My husband is allergic, and I’ve had quite a hard time finding good natural options for a variety of products that won’t cause a reaction.

  4. I found that that Molly’s suds just doesn’t work well. I even tried adding vinegar. Biokleen was a little better. Soap nuts do work better, and I want to try them with their oxy boost. Irena- have you found that Fit Organic works better than soap nuts (with or without the eco nut oxy boost)? Thanks!

  5. I am totally going to try the soap berries! I have never even heard of them, but they are now on my list! Wanted to ask if Molly’s suds or the laundress has been reviewed by you? Both have very simple and natural ingredients from what I see. Thoughts?

  6. Contrary to what the article says, Green Shield has decent reviews on Amazon, while FIT has absolutely terrible (19 reviews, 1.5 stars). Am I looking at the wrong one?

    1. Hi Natalia: this is an interesting recent development. It makes me what to speak with FIT Organics. I have updated the post to include a link to my new favorite detergent. It is better for the environment too as it is non-liquid. Please read about it here. Thank you for asking. ~Irina

  7. Do you recommend these detergent for use on baby laundry (just clothing not clothe diapers)? Or is there a better baby laundry detergent brand you would suggest?

  8. hi, just wondering if there is a difference between the greenshield regular vs. the baby? is there a need to purchase both? Thanks!!

  9. Hi! So for baby clothes would you suggest one of the above 2 detergents, but maybe do a soap berries product for cloth diapers? Or do you think a soap berries product or either one of the 2 above work for both baby clothes and cloth diapers? The soap berry product I am thinking of using is Berry Plus – Liquid Laundry Soap. What are your thoughts on Seventh Generation Natural Laundry Detergent Packs, Free & Clear, OR Ecover ZERO Laundry Liquid Concentrate? Thanks so much!

    1. Hi, Jessica! Yes, soap nuts work great for cloth diapers. Please read my post about that here. At the moment my favorite is FIT Organics detergent in terms of ingredients and performance. Thanks!

      1. Would soap nuts be better than the above recommendations for eczema children ? I have always followed the recommendations from the eczema foundation for products, but have found they’re often rated poorly on ewg. Would love advice for an eczema safe low/no toxin detergent!

  10. Why aren’t soap berries, sometimes called soap nuts included in your recommendations? I have been using these for two years and they’re wonderful!
    1.) I simply put five of the nutshells in a small draw string bag throw them in my wash and that’s it. I use them about eight times. They were best in hot water, and there’s no need to take them out during the rinse cycle. They also act as a fabric softener so there’s no need to put any in your dryer. (I noticed that the lent is drastically cut down!)
    2.) I take the leftover shells and put them in a container. When I have about 20 of them I simply put them in 6 quarts of purified water and boil it down to 2 quarts, about 15-20 mins. I add a couple of quarts of water to the boiled down solution and put it into BPA free spray bottles. This solution will spray down your countertops, bathrooms etc. (You store it in the refrigerator.)
    3.) I still keep the leftover shells and dry the shells. You can grind these down in your coffee grinder and use it with baking soda or soap nut solution to scrub your tubs and toilets!
    4.) You can take a few new soap nuts, put them in a jar of purified water, shake them up and it turns into a foam that you can use for shaving or washing your hair.
    5.) The most exciting use I found just recently, was to put them to a test in my dishwasher! I simply take five soap nuts, put them in the small bag, leave them in my silverware carrier and wash up to 8 loads of dirty dishes! This is absolutely fantastic as there are no harsh chemicals left! I still don’t wash my stainless steel pots and pans in my dishwasher, but I suppose I could now. I don’t have to worry about handwashing separate dishes when people are sick.
    There are some great YouTube videos on soapberries/soap nuts and their uses.
    In researching the brands that I choose to purchase I came across warning not to use soap berries from China.
    I think more people need to talk about this product. It’s 100% biodegradable, comes in a cardboard box, no plastic!, and it’s so inexpensive when you buy several boxes at a time. After I tried it, I sent every single one of my children, my parents and siblings 100 load size boxes to try. It killed me to have to pay the individual shipping for the smaller boxes.
    When I located my favorite source “Soap Nuts”, I ordered three 300 lead boxes, and five 100 load boxes to share with friends. I paid the same shipping cost!
    The last thing I want to share, I went to a local farmers market one day and was talking to a friend about soap berries. The lady beside me was a professor’s wife who belong to the Sierra Club. She said that she had two soap berry trees in her yard! I have yet to visit her, but was tickled to know she has grown her own supply! How cool is that?

    1. I agree 100%! I have been planning a post about soap nuts. I have included them in the list of products I recommend for people with eczema or for anybody who wants absolutely toxin-free products. Take a look here. Thank you so much for this great information! You rock!

  11. Hi Irina,

    Can you suggest safe dish washing liquid. I do not use dishwasher. I usually wash dishes with hands.
    Im using method now but i want to switch to Seventh generation which im using from 4 yrs as even after washing the dishes still i can smell the method soap,

    Thanks

    1. Hi Ramya!
      I will be coming out with a post about dishwashing liquids. Please subscribe to the blog. I have a feeling you will find a lot of good information in my newsletters. Thanks! Irina

  12. Do you have any experience with Molly Suds or Rockin Green? I’ve used Green Shield but didn’t feel my clothes got very clean (and I pre soak the stains). I don’t need a product that smells good, just one that is safe and does a decent job cleaning.

  13. Do you know if this detergent can be used on cloth diapers? I look for features like rinsing clean without residues, no fabric brighteners, no enzymes…

    1. Jessica: thank you for asking this great question. Green Shield detergent is absolutely safe to use even for the most sensitive people. If you ask about its performance, you might want try Green Shield baby laundry detergent specifically designed for cloth diapers. Take a look here. Do not hesitate to let us know how you liked it. In fact, soon I will be hosting a giveaway sponsored by Green Shield Organic. Make sure you subscribe to my blog, not to miss it.

    2. I’m all about organic, non-toxic, Eco-friendly and gentle detergents…but when it comes to washing cloth diapers, it is crucial to have a detergent that works to prevent ammonia build up and cleanses waste properly to ensure the diapers don’t cause burns to a little one’s bum. I appreciate this article and would use this detergent for my own laundry, but I’m curious if it passes the Fluff Love University tests for quality cloth diaper detergent. Most “cloth diaper gentle” detergents do not.

      1. Thank you, Sarah, for raising a valid point. Yes, washing cloth diapers is a challenge especially if you have hard water. You almost need a super strong detergent, which normally means a toxic detergent, to wash cloth diapers, which infringes on the purpose of switching to cloth diapers. I experimented with cloth diaper washing when my son wore diapers and found that you can use milder detergents with them if you do pre-rinse and once in awhile I had to soak them in hot water with dishwasher liquid and vinegar to get rid of ammonia build up, which was what produces the smell. Anyway, I can talk about it forever. The long story short is that Molly’s Suds does NOT pass the Fluff Love University test. However, Molly’s Suds did an extensive research with moms groups and this is what they concluded. Let me know how it works for you if you decide to try it. And I would love to hear from other people about cloth diapering washing. ~Irina

      2. I agree! On top of that soaps are not meant to be used in washing machine unless you want to buy a new washer every year(highly doubt that!) major detergent build up and mold! Soaps and detergents are not the same!! Especially more so if you have hard water. Coming from a repair tech I seen this too many times with people trying to go “natural” or make DIY detergents. Even if you do happen to not have hard water and your clothes is coming out clean, your washing machine is taking a huge beating with soap based products. Mold mold mold. And soap buildup INSIDE the tub you can’t see. Please stop recommending these to people, you are definitely going to void warranties and have to buy a new washing machine. If you ask me mold is just as bad as the toxic ingredients you are trying to avoid.

  14. Thanks for this! Wondering if you’ve ever tried plain white vinegar to wash clothes? I find that it works great and is a lot cheaper.

    1. Hi! I regularly use white vinegar for washing my workout clothes, or anything else that might have a strong odor to it. It works beautifully. I’ve never used it alone in the wash, but I imagine it would work.