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Caldrea Sweet Pea Laundry Detergent - $16 for 64 oz
While we can't say Caldrea made doing laundry a cause for celebration, we can report the detergent's pleasantly subtle scent took the edge off an otherwise dreary chore-packed afternoon. They call it "aroma therapeutic house cleaning." We call it a relief from stinky diaper pails. Essential oils, including geranium, orange, jasmine, coriander and bergamot, give Caldrea its addictive "Sweet Pea" scent. In addition to smelling delicious, the plant-based detergent is good at removing tough stains, and the dermatologist-tested formula is compatible with most high-efficiency washing machines.
Buy it from Caldrea.
Buy it from Amazon. |
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Seventh Generation Baby Laundry Detergent - $32 for six 50 oz bottles
The most wallet-friendly of the "green" detergents, Seventh Generation Baby doesn't have any nasties that could harm your little one's skin. If you do your part to recycle, you'll feel good knowing this detergent is biodegradable, and it contains no chlorine, phosphates, artificial fragrances or dyes. But giving up all these things comes at a price. The vegetable-based detergent (they use coconut-based surfactants) isn't as tough on dirt as traditional cleaning products. Clothes are stiffer and less white (optical brighteners are another thing they leave off the ingredient list) than the competition. And frankly, we find the laundry experience a little joyless without a scented detergent.
Buy it from Amazon
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Method HE Compatible Baby Detergent
- $9 for 32 oz
If you like the traditional powdery scents of baby detergent (think Dreft and Purex Baby), you'll be drawn to this product. Method wins fans to their cleaning products thanks to cool packaging and green ingredients. To get clothes clean, they rely on naturally derived surfactants (surfactants help remove organic compounds — remember those peas? — from fabrics by making them dissolve more readily in water) that absorb dirt rather than chemically degrade it. The detergent is highly concentrated. One thirty-two-ounce bottle will clean thirty-two loads. We like that this means less waste for the landfills and a lighter bottle for us to lug home from the store.
Buy it from Method.
Buy it from Drugstore.com.
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All Baby Care Plus - $23.20 for two 200 oz bottles
For pennies a load, All Baby Care will leave baby's clothes clean, white and fragrant. Though advertised to be specially formulated for babies' sensitive skin, they make no promises about the biodegradability of their product. Sure, the stains came out and the wee clothes were soft, but it would be reassuring to see a full list of ingredients on the bottle so we knew what we were putting into the environment. Still, if cost is your bottom line, it does the trick.
Buy it from Amazon.
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The Laundress Baby Detergent - $19.50 for 33.3 oz
What do you get for nearly sixty cents an ounce? Gorgeous packaging and a lovely vanilla scent. The Laundress' plant-based products use enzymes, such as protease and lipase, to remove dirt and stains (protease is touted for its ability to break down complex proteins such as baby formula). The Laundress also uses optical brighteners to keep clothes sparkly — indeed, we were impressed with the overall whiteness of our child's clothes. We also love the special finishing agents that colorguard our favorite tiny clothes, making them less susceptible to the next onslaught of mashed carrots.
Buy it from The Laundress.
Buy it from Amazon.
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