Continuing with my theme of reducing my plastic usage, one of the largest chunks of plastic in my house, at one point in time, was liquid laundry detergent. I didn’t need a commercial to tell me that they are full of water, I figured that out for myself when I remembered that they used to be a powder that came in a cardboard box. I’ve since been using different detergents because they don't come in GIANT plastic containers that will last forever.
Now, remember I’m not sponsoring any of these products, I just like to share my experimentation for those who might be trepidatious about it.
I am also not even getting into the intensive information about what is in each soap. This is truly just about plastics.
The True Earth brand is available as a mail subscription service from the company itself but you can also get a GIANT box from Amazon for quite a good price. It is contained in a cardboard box, no plastic. (Price: $149.95 for 384 loads so that's $0.39 per load)
The Charlie’s Soap was from Sprouts Farmers Market and again, comparably inexpensive compared to regular brands and you use so little, ⅔ of a tablespoon per regular load. It came in a resealable plastic bag but so much less plastic. (Price: $19.99 for 100 loads so that's $0.19 per load)
The Nellie's soap was bought in Canada so I can only go by what Amazon is telling me the price is, but I’ve seen it at Sprouts and other stores. It comes in a reusable metal tin. (Price: $18.79 for 50 loads so that's $0.38 per load)
The Himalayan Soap Nuts was a treat. They are very interesting to learn about, I suggest if you google anything today, it's Soap Nuts. They came with a mesh (read plastic) bag to keep them from floating all around your washing machine and possibly plugging it. No matter how tight I tied it, my bag always opened, so I improvised and used a light fabric and a rubber band. I don’t know if they sloshed around well enough in the water to get enough soap out of them because they were wrapped so tightly but my clothes seemed cleaner afterward, so I considered it a win. I have not seen these for sale down in the Bay Area anywhere, but if 2020 has taught us anything it's how to buy things on Amazon. (Price: $5.90 or $0.26 per load for the most comparable product)
You can also purchase the saponin from the Soap Nuts already extracted in metal or dare I say plastic bottles. These are an interesting choice when you see just how little you need to use. I think it was ½ a teaspoon. (Price: $18.25 or $0.19 per load)
I find they all work just fine, especially the ones with no synthetic fragrances. I think your clothes shouldn't smell at all, especially after you've washed them.
What laundry detergent have you used that uses less plastic?
