Green Products: Laundry Detergent Packs

October 21st, 2013 • BY

No fuss, no muss. Seventh Generation’s new Natural Laundry Detergent Packs deliver big on the time-saving convenience front. But do they clean efficiently?

Cleaning. Seventh Generation, the giant green cleaning company, is a staple brand in our household so the bar was set high for this unique detergent product.

We put this natural laundry detergent option to the true test—dirt-caked toddler pants and socks, food-spotted dish towels, and our general house loads of sheets and towels. It stood up to the test and cleaned effectively time after time. The sudsing is minimal as with most natural cleaning products, but the cleaning was ever-present. Each load came out clean with the majority of spots and stains removed.

It took my husband a few loads to dial in the process. He called up from the laundry room after two loads with the packs and complained that they weren’t dissolving in our washer’s detergent drawer. Without easy-to-grab reading glasses nearby, he’d not read the directions and just tossed the packs into the drawer where the liquid detergent typically goes.

These packs actually go straight into the washer under your load of clothing; they dissolve in both hot and cold water washes, which is a great feature. I never found any shreds or bits of the pack or remnant detergent left in the washer after I pulled out the load. Both HE and standard machines take one pack for regular loads and two packs for heavily soiled loads.

I tested the Mandarin & Sandalwood Packs, which are noticeably scented; laundry loads emerged from the dryer with a sometimes strong scent, which faded over time. I did not notice the scent while wearing the clothing washed with these packs. For those (like me) who prefer a scent-free laundry experience, Seventh Generation also offers a Free & Clear option for its Laundry Detergent Packs.

Green Cred. According to Seventh Generation, its Natural Laundry Detergent Packs are 88% USDA Certified Bio-Based. In addition, the company says this product contains no optical brighteners, dyes, or synthetic fragrances. This products is also hypo-allergenic and not tested on animals.

Ingredients

Mandarin & Sandalwood Packs: Sodium bicarbonate, sodium carbonate, sodium chloride, laureth-6, sodium citrate, sodium aluminosilicate, sodium percarbonate, sodium silicate, sodium carboxymethylcellulose, cocos nucifera oil, magnesium sulfate, sodium lauryl sulfate, sodium carboxymethyl inulin, protease, amylase, mannanase, essential oil and botanical extract fragrance (d-limonene is a component  of this fragrance). No phosphates.

Free & Clear Packs: Sodium bicarbonate, sodium carbonate, sodium chloride, laureth-6, sodium citrate, sodium aluminosilicate, sodium percarbonate, sodium silicate, sodium carboxymethylcellulose, cocos nucifera oil, magnesium sulfate, sodium lauryl sulfate, sodium carboxymethyl inulin, protease, amylase, mannanase. No phosphates.

Erinn Morgan

About

After a 10-year career as an award-winning New York City-based editor launching and redesigning urban, style-driven magazines, Erinn Morgan left downtown Manhattan after September 11th, 2001, in search of a less encumbered, freelance lifestyle. A two-year-long trek around the country eventually landed her in Durango, Colo., which she now calls home.

Her writing has appeared in numerous publications, including The New York Times, Outside, National Geographic Adventure, Bike, Skiing, Delicious Living, American Cowboy, and on away.com.

Erinn is also the author of the eco-focused book, Picture Yourself Going Green, Step-by-Step Instruction for Living a Budget-Conscious, Earth-Friendly Lifestyle in Eight Weeks or Less.

She was previously the editor-in-chief of 20/20 magazine, a special projects editor at Playboy (overseeing the launch of a new, custom magazine), and the founding editor/editor-in-chief of SoHo Style, a much-lauded, avant-garde magazine that covered the culture and style of downtown New York and its reach around the world.

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