While the lockdown has made Zero Waste more difficult due to closed bulk sections in big brand grocery stores, there are still a lot of ways to embrace living with less toxins and less plastic.
One area of my life I still struggle with is finding the PERFECT Zero Waste laundry detergent. We were using an eco dry powder that came in the box. Then, after researching the company that produced this product I began to question their ethics and the company that sold this product is definitely not ethical. Plus, the cardboard box was wrapped in a label that later I learned was essentially plastic (this is something I'm still educating myself on) so when I thought the box was being recycled, it probably wasn't.
Frustrating. Very.
I decided to experiment with Tru Earth Strips and Dropps
Both are cruelty-free, biodegradable, and come in zero waste packaging. They are also shipped through the mail, which makes them accessible to anyone and everyone. Even if you are still worried about going grocery shopping, these products are an immediate solution and easy fix to that plastic bottle that your laundry detergent comes in made by a questionable company.
I first started with Tru Earth strips. It is a Canadian company so they took a while to arrive in the mail. With that said, because there is no water involved with these strips, the environmental impact is far less because these little strips are so light. By ordering them you're saving a lot of fuel and thus, a lot of emissions, among other things. That is huge. The packaging is 100% plastic-free and compostable or you can reuse the envelope for mailing, etc. The strips are small and cute, and come in squares with a perforated line down the middle. It was delightful to tear them apart as an added bonus. I got both unscented and the fresh linen scent. I stopped using synthetic scents a long time ago so now I find I'm extremely sensitive to anything with an added scent. The linen scent got a little getting used to for me, but it wasn't bad.
Our washer/dryer is small, upright and stacked upon one another. It is not the highest quality (but I am so grateful for it!). I found that the Tru Strips worked well for us, the clothes felt clean and didn't have that dry powder residue that our last laundry detergent left all over them (win!). I got some feedback, though, that the clothes could be cleaner so I moved onto Dropps, although once we are in a different living situation with a different washer/dryer, I would like to try Tru Earth Strips again.
Dropps check all the boxes like Tru Earth Strips and it goes one step further, they are extremely affordable if you subscribe to them, starting at only .21 cents per load for a regular sized washer. I often get frustrated because I feel like Zero Waste is sometimes out of reach for much of our population (this isn't always true but more about that on a later post) but .21 cents a load is something that rivals any leading brand of conventional laundry detergent, in some cases, even beats it. With all of the other benefits, like being non-toxic to you and the planet, Dropps is an even more attractive choice.
The issue with Dropps, and this might be due to our subpar washer/dryer, is that the laundry smells musty if we wash on the cold cycle. Washing on cold is so important for saving energy and maintaining the quality of your clothing. We are now washing on a warmer "colors" cycle, and the clothes stopped smelling, but it's not ideal. I even bought their little "cold water" pouch, which didn't help at all. The pouch also turned out to be a tiny, plastic mesh bag with a zipper so you can imagine how thrilled I was about purchasing plastic in my efforts to reduce...plastic.
I would like try Laundry Balls but because they are plastic, I need to do a lot of research first before investing in them. Another solution, if this is an accessible option for you, is to buy bulk, dry powder or liquid soap from your local bulk store. By doing this, you are supporting your local economy and supporting small business, which is more important now than ever.
Have you found the perfect solution Zero Waste Laundry? Let me know! Thanks always for reading.
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