Happy Easy Eco-Friendly Swap Sunday! Last time we shared with you products to use when washing up, this week we are sharing with you our favourite eco-friendly swaps when it comes to laundry products.
In addition to using eco-friendly products when doing your laundry, we suggest washing your clothes on an eco-setting or low temperature and air-drying where possible rather than using the dryer. Try and wash your clothes only when necessary, and make sure to always fill the machine! This is not only good for the environment but also economical.
With so many variants to chose from, here are our favourite eco-friendly laundry products…
SMOL
Last time we spoke about Smol Dishwasher Tablets, and this week they are back on our list for their laundry products! This concentrated formula is eco-friendly and cruelty-free. Their small size means that they not only fit through your letterbox, but contribute to less pollution as more can be transported at once than a bulkier alternative. Due to cutting out the middleman they are cheaper than if you’d to buy from a supermarket, and are delivered to you regularly based on how often you wash/how long a box lasts you!
Earth Breeze
Earth Breeze pride themselves on not only being eco-friendly and cruelty-free, but also easy to use. Their Laundry Detergent sheets mean no fuss with pouring out liquids/powders – just pop one of the sheets in! The sheets & plastic are completely plastic free – the packaging is a small cardboard box which is biodegradable (including the ink). Like Smol, you can subscribe to receive a pack each month and buy directly from the company. They are available either with a fresh scent or fragrance free, and are hypoallergenic.
Bio-D
The Bio-D range has laundry liquid, washing powder, fabric conditioner and more… All of which are Vegan, Cruelty-Free and Eco-Friendly. The bottles are made from 100% recycled materials, and are available in bulk bottles for an even greener solution! Or, use their washing powder which is in a paper bag. There are a range of fragrances to choose from with the different products, or you can opt for the fragrance-free products which are also slightly cheaper. These are a great product choice if you’ve got sensitive skin! They also can be used for cleaning carpets too if you have a tough stain you’re having trouble getting out.
Homemade
Here is an easy recipe for making your own homemade solution to use when doing your laundry!
Ingredients
Method
Combine 1:1 ration of Hydrogen Peroxide and Washing soda / Soda crystals. Mix well into paste, add a little water before adding this to your washing machine.
For fabric conditioner, just use white (distilled) vinegar!
Ecover & Method
Ecover and Method are worth a mention, but they aren’t our favourite choice. As brands, they may claim to be cruelty free, they are owned by SC Johnston who still test on animals – so we try to avoid them if we can. However, we felt the need to mention them as this is ‘Easy Eco-Friendly Swaps’ and they are by far one of the easiest swaps for laundry products as they are so widely available. If you use these brands, well done for taking a step in the right direction! This is just our personal choice.
Feedback from some Magic Pixies:
Lobke from Lewes – uses SMOL:
I’ve been using SMOL as my go to laundry detergent for nearly two years now. I used both the bio and non bio capsules and have them delivered regularly. It’s a great product that has a nice fresh smell without being overpowering.
I think it’s especially a great option for people on a smaller budget who want to make an eco friendly choice. Instead of having to spend a large amount to bulk buy, Smol gives you personalised regular deliveries at a small price. I also use their fabric conditioner which comes in bottles that are made of 100% recycled plastic. It’s super concentrated so one bottle will last about 6 months!
I can’t recommend SMOL enough
Emily from Horsham – uses M&S Own Brand, used to use Ecover:
Until a few months ago I was using Ecover. I was living with 4 others including two 18 year old brothers who both do agricultural/outdoor work (and so have very dirty and smelly clothes after work 😅). It was great being able to buy in bulk, especially when we were first in lockdown and not wanting to go out too much. I found it cleaned my clothes fine, but it really didn’t do too well with my brothers’ really dirty clothes.
When Dan and I moved out we didn’t have space to store bulk laundry liquid and so looked for other options. Dan works at M&S so gets a 20% discount, so we’ve tried the M&S ‘eco friendly non bio laundry liquid’. I like it, it’s fragrance free so that might not work for some but it cleaned our clothes fine (not sure how it would do on really dirty clothes though). I think it’s just as expensive as other eco laundry liquids though (though I’d have to check). More recently Dan went into Aldi and picked up a bottle of ‘eco action’ lavender & sandalwood laundry liquid because it was cheap (and because he thought it was eco friendly), but looking at the label I’m a bit sceptical of a few ingredients… So I suspect we’ll go back to the M&S one once we’re out of the Aldi one!
What are your best eco-friendly laundry detergent & fabric conditioner swaps?
