Anyone else find that regardless of how many times you explain where the laundry baskets are your family still manages to stockpile dirty clothes elsewhere. My kids tend to let dirty laundry hide out in their room. One child helpfully leaves them in a pile at the door to walk by numerous times a day. The other has taken to hiding clothes in need of a wash under the bed. Or perhaps worse still hidden rubbishly hidden behind the Dyson Air Purifier. The irony is not lost on me with this last point!
To quote Jesse from The Fast Show …. today, I’ave mostly been doing laundry! Nothing spells the kids going back to school after holidays like a morning by the PC whilst the washing machine is working hard for its money! Oooh the glamour. Just over a year ago we became owners of a more a eco-efficient washing machine and tumble dryer from Samsung. We love them. However, our aim to be more eco-friendly did not stop with our appliance choices. For a number of years now have also switched to using more eco-friendly laundry detergents too.
Animal products in laundry?
After writing about more vegan items on the blog, I got sent a couple of questions about vegan laundry options. Turns out I am already using a few of them and didn’t know they were vegan. To be honest when it comes to detergents I wasn’t aware how many brands still tested their laundry products and ingredients on animals…. and I don’t just mean to check for skin sensitivities.
I was also unaware that laundry liquids and gels contain animal ingredients or by-products. For example if you take into account the cow fat that is used as a surfactant (the thing that disperses dirt) or contain enzymes to help cleaning that derive from animal’s organs.
Unlike other sectors, manufacturers of household products are not legally required to include all ingredients on their label. That is unless the brands decide to divulge this. Below is my tried and tested edit of eco-friendly and vegan laundry brands that can readily be bought at your local supermarket, health food store or online.
ECOS (Formerly Earth Friendly Products)
We currently use a number of products from the ECOS range in our house and the laundry detergent is one of them. Made from natural plant powered ingredients this cruelty free, carbon neutral and vegan friendly laundry detergent is one of our faves. This family owned USA based brand has been on the go for over 50 years and currently has factories powered by renewable energy! Pretty cool!
We like to use the hypoallergenic ECOS Fragrance Free or ECO Magnolia & Lily, both of which are ultra-concentrated and contain a built-in coconut-based fabric softener too! They clean effectively whilst being great for those with sensitive skin. I would also say that the larger size measuring cap is less messy and easier to use than other brands.
Never tested on animals, this laundry detergent is readily biodegradable, grey water & septic safe. Approx 50 washes per 1.5 litre bottle.
ECOVER
Arguably one of the most readily available laundry brands with greener credentials, Ecover can be found in most supermarkets and health food shops. Founded in Belgium in 1980, Ecover use clean, biodegradable, sustainable plant and mineral ingredients in their products. Their aim is to limit the amount of chemicals in our home and indeed the wider environment.
As a family we have been using Ecover the longest and currently use their Bio Laundry Concentrated Detergent and Gardenia & Vanilla or Rose & Bergamot Fabric Softener. We often use their extensive refill program too!
Even though the Bio Laundry Concentrated Detergent contains plant-based and mineral ingredients it is great for stain removal … perfect for my son’s school clothes. We also have found minimal colour fading when using this product.
As a brand, Ecover has one numerous awards including enrolling in the United Nations Environment Programme. Ecover has also been a voting member of The Round Table on Sustainable Palm Oil since 2008 and actively promote the sustainability of this product. They HQ for Ecover is an ecological factory that has a 6,000m2 green roof. Their vegan laundry range used to test of water fleas, but now are completing free of any animal testing.
Ecover proudly uses Plantastic bottles which are made from sugarcane and 100% renewable, reusable and recyclable. Brilliant! For me personally a down side of this product is the bottle design itself. I hate product dripping down the side of the bottle. Approx 42 washes per 1.5 litre bottle.
Method
Like its sister brand Ecover, Method’s ingredients policy is transparent. Method’s products and packaging contain 98% biodegradable ingredients that are not only sustainable but also plant-based. Using 100% recycled bottles, Method also take a more sustainable slant by powering their factories and offices using wind energy.
Method’s laundry range uses smartclean technology® which cleans with five naturally derived powerful enzymes. It is great to use in cold or hot water and for me is one of the best smelling detergents. As a cruelty free and vegan brand they do zero animal testing and use zero animal by products. Our go to laundry detergent from this range is the Peony Blush! My least favourite packaging design though as I find it easier to overspill! Approx 39 washes per 1.5 litre bottle.
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