The Reduce Report

It’s a Strong Buy! Beyond Laundry Sheets is a terrific option if you are looking for an eco-friendly, linen scented option — less expensive than Dropps (our other favorite) and just as convenient and clean. This might be our new go-to for laundry!

Jul 2

Jul 2 Clean People Laundry Strips Review 2023 | Eco-friendly, plastic-free laundry sheets

Not a buy. While we thought Clean People’s laundry detergent strips worked well enough, we did not see enough of a difference in the product from Beyond Laundry Strips or Sheets Laundry Club to warrant the higher price tag.

Jun 18

Jun 18 Charlie's Soap Laundry Powder Review 2023 | Eco-friendly Laundry Detergent

BUY. Charlie’s Soap Laundry Powder was an accidental find at our grocery store. We liked that you can clean a load of laundry with 1 tablespoon: less shopping, less refilling, less waste in landfills, less space in your home. Given its eco-friendly ingredients, reduced-plastic packaging, and cost per year, we think this laundry powder is a BUY.

Oct 20

Oct 20 Thrive Powder Laundry Detergent in Lavender Review | Eco-Friendly Laundry Detergent Powder

Yes, Thrive Market Laundry Detergent is a BUY. SLS-free, dye-free, PVA-free, fragrance-free option: this eco-friendly detergent powder is one of the best options. Clothes smell fresh, and come out clean. Thrive is also a B-Corporation (love this). Drawbacks include membership fees as well as plastic bag, which we hope gets resolved over time. Overall, we enjoyed this laundry detergent powder.

Sep 27

Sep 27 Pennsylvania Woodworks Clothes Drying Rack Review 2020 | 100% Wood Drying Rack

BUY. If you have the space for a drying rack, Pennsylvania Woodworks drying rack is a buy. Even though it's a slightly pricier upfront purchase, you make your money back in savings from not running the dryer 33-50% less often. Also, given its quality and 100% wood structure, we think it outlasts any of the plastic, epoxy cheaper versions on the market. Lastly, Pennsylvania Woodworks has really small racks which may suit your needs.

Aug 18

Aug 18 Friendsheep Wool Dryer Balls Review | Zero Waste Dryer Balls

DEFINITELY a buy. We love Friendsheep Eco Dryer Balls. The 100% wool dryer balls are eco-friendly and reusable. While costing more upfront, you make it up in 3 months compared to Downy dryer sheets. We expect them to last for years, reducing carbon footprint significantly over time, and not contributing to landfills. These fun dryer balls are a perfect gift for someone trying to be more green.

Aug 18

Aug 18 Smart Sheep Wool XL Dryer Balls Review 2020 | Zero Waste Wool Dryer Balls

BUY. Smart Sheep Wool Dryer Balls in XL were one of our first eco-friendly, zero-waste purchases. We wanted to get away from the scent heavy options at the drug store, while also saving money and not adding to landfills. These dryer balls have retained their shape over two years (no saggy balls here!) and help with removing static and un-bundling our laundry. They are a BUY from us.

Jun 20

Jun 20 Ingredients Matter Lemongrass Laundry Soap Review | Natural Alternative Laundry Powder

MAYBE buy. We like Ingredients Matter Laundry Soap Powder for our tougher wash loads like towels and denim. With safe ingredients, mostly paper packaging, and a lovely scent, we could keep it on our laundry shelf. The cost is near the lower end and we like that you can be flexible with how much detergent to use (unlike laundry pods). The only drawback is using the powder on delicate cycles with cold water: the granules do not dissolve all the way.

May 26

May 26 Safely Everyday Laundry Detergent Review 2021 | Eco-friendly, refillable laundry detergent

Unfortunately Safely Everyday Laundry Detergent is not a buy. While we love the beautiful packaging, there were a number of issues for us: the heavy, floral scent (which some may like), the high price point, difficult to use bottle, and the not so zero-waste product (not biodegradable, refills come in plastic packaging, liquid means heavier transport).

Nov 7

Nov 7 EC30 Laundry Detergent Packs | Zero Waste, Biodegradable Laundry Pods Review 2020

EC30’s zero waste laundry swatches are INSANELY expensive. It’s smells great, and looks cute, but it will literally break your bank. We cannot recommend for everyday use — but perhaps it can be used for travel.

Oct 4

Oct 4 Seventh Generation Zero Plastic Laundry Detergent Tablets Review | Zero Waste, Biodegradable Laundry Detergent Tablets

We love, love, love Seventh Generation as a company and think they make fabulous products. We are a hesitantly NOT a buy. Here is our reason: Seventh Generation Laundry Detergent Tablets only offers a tin of just 36 tablets, making it really expensive. For comparison, Dropps give you a bulk of 800 pods for a price cut of ~30-60%. The other issue: the tablet may not dissolve completely in delicate loads.

For homes with smaller storage space; Seventh Generation fans; and/or a preference to tablets/pods versus powder, we see this as a good option. Reason: non-toxic, fragrance-free, dye-free, plastic-free, greywater-safe, sulfate-free, Leaping Bunny Certified, B-Corporation.

Sep 27

Sep 27 The Big Zero-Waste Laundry Roundup Review | Dropps vs Blueland vs Cleancult vs Truman's and more

Laundry Supplies, The Roundups

We have tried a number of eco-friendly, plastic-free or low-waste laundry options — including pods, packs, sheets, and powders — including Meliora, Cleancult, Dropps, Sheets Laundry Club, Grove Collaborative and more. We took a look at cost per load and estimated annual cost assuming that a typical family of four probably generates between 8 and 10 loads of laundry per week.

Sep 7

Sep 7 Grove Collaborative Membership Review 2020 | Is It Worth It? We tried zero-waste, natural products to break it down for you

Toilet Paper, Skincare & Makeup, The Roundups, Laundry Supplies, Kitchen, Haircare, Deodorant, Hand & Body Soaps, Bathroom, Dish & Dishwasher

We like Grove’s mission of being a b-corporation and its curation of eco-friendly, zero-waste and natural brands —we are going to use it like our online convenience store.

Based on the money report, the fact that Grove Collaborative is a b-corp, we feel comfortable suggesting the VIP membership if recurring items are in your basket. Otherwise, there is no necessary commitment to support your favorite green brands by purchasing through Grove Collaborative — you would just need to hit the threshold for free shipping; otherwise shipping is $4.99.

Sep 2

Sep 2 Public Goods Membership Review 2020 | Is It Worth It? We tried 23 of their products to break it down for you

Personal Care, Dental, Laundry Supplies, Kitchen, Deodorant, Haircare, The Roundups, Skincare & Makeup, Bathroom, Food & Beverage, Dish & Dishwasher

Pubic Goods has incredibly clean packaging and an admirable mission of making sustainable and earth friendly products available on one site. Unfortunately, we barely break even when considering the cost of membership against the products we tried and would actually continue to order.

Aug 11

Aug 11 Grove Collaborative Laundry Detergent Review 2020 | Ultra-Concentrated Liquid Laundry Detergent

NOT a buy. For the cleaning power, good reduction in plastics, and lovely citrus and woods scent: we like it. We also like that it uses no synthetic dyes, fragrances or other brighteners. However, it’s just too expensive when looking at other options. Unfortunately we have to pass on Grove Collaborative’s Ultra-concentrated liquid detergent until the price changes.

Jun 12

Jun 12 Truman's Get a Load of This Laundry Bars 2020 Review - Sustainable, Compostable Laundry Detergent Pods

While we like Truman’s marketing (who doesn’t need a laugh when they’re doing their laundry?), the cost was too high to get us to switch from our current favorite zero-waste laundry detergent pod brand, Dropps.

May 5

May 5 Cleancult Laundry Detergent Pods Review 2020 | Eco-Friendly, Zero Waste Laundry Detergent Pods

We tried Cleancult’s eco-friendly laundry tablets to see how they measure up against the competition.

Feb 20

Feb 20 3 Ways to Ask Amazon for Reduced Packaging For Your Shipments