9 Laundry Detergent Sheets To Make Laundry Day A Breeze

What Are Laundry Sheets & Why Should You Use Them?

What are laundry detergent sheets, exactly?

They’re liquidless detergents that come in the form of a dissolvable sheet. 

Because they’re made without water they’re much smaller than a bulky liquid laundry detergent, leaving a far lighter environmental footprint. 

Sounds pretty good, right?

Unfortunately, greenwashing abounds, and a healthy dose of skepticism when exploring new products—especially those touted as sustainable—is part and parcel of being a conscious consumer. 

Perhaps you’ve been wondering: are laundry detergent sheets actually eco friendly? 

Let’s take a closer look. 

There are two major advantages of laundry detergent strips. 

First, they’re helping to eliminate huge amounts of plastic waste. 

It’s estimated that only 30% of the 900 million plastic laundry jugs discarded every year are recycled. In other words, liquid laundry detergent is responsible for sending mountains of plastic waste to landfill. 

Secondly, they save on carbon emissions. The largest ingredient in liquid laundry detergent is water. By removing the water, you eliminate the need to transport heavy plastic jugs full of liquid detergent. 

According to Tru Earth, switching to laundry detergent strips saves a colossal 94% of transportation emissions so they’re a great way to lower your carbon footprint. 

That’s the good news. There is, however, one catch: PVA. 

What is PVA? 

Polyvinyl alcohol (PVA, PVOH, PVAL) is the dissolvable resin or “binding agent” that holds a concentrated laundry sheet together. 

Although it is generally deemed a biodegradable polymer, it is unfortunately a type of plastic. 

While dissolvable (read: not the same as biodegradable), it needs very specific conditions, enzymes, and microorganisms to fully break down. 

One study estimated that up to 75% of PVA doesn’t degrade in US wastewater treatment plants and is released into the environment contaminating water and soil. 

Whilst the impact of this is not yet fully understood, possible environmental consequences include a contaminated food chain, decreased crop yields, groundwater pollution, and heavy metal sequestration. 

It’s clear that further studies are needed. 

In the meantime, PVA is still a better alternative to the giant plastic jugs that laundry detergent is usually found in. Though strictly speaking they’re not a completely zero waste laundry detergent.

So, why should you use laundry detergent sheets?

In addition to their smaller size, plastic-free packaging and lower transport emissions, the non toxic, plant-based ingredients used for eco friendly detergent are another good reason to make the switch. 

Not only are naturally derived, non toxic ingredients better for our skin but they’re miles better for the environment too.

Conventional laundry detergents contain several harsh chemicals that impact natural ecosystems. 

Phosphates, for example, have a fertilizing effect when they enter natural bodies of water. This leads to eutrophication, AKA the creation of huge algae blooms that use up all of the oxygen suffocating fish and other wildlife. 

Switching to a non toxic laundry detergent that is safely biodegradable avoids these environmental issues. Plus, they’re safe for all kinds of septic systems. 

How To Use Laundry Detergent Sheets

Arguably the best feature of sheets of laundry detergent is that they’re so easy to use.

Just toss it in with your laundry, set the cycle, and spin!

If you have a front loading washing machine, another way to add the sheet is to put it in the liquid detergent drawer (folding or ripping it into pieces as needed). But you can also add it directly to the drum. 

For top loaders, simply throw it in the drum. 

One small but unanimous piece of advice we’ve gleaned from reading many laundry detergent sheets reviews is that you should put the laundry sheet at the bottom of the washing machine, not in between layers of clothes. 

They work best from full exposure to water and placing them at the bottom of the drum makes it less likely that residue will remain post-wash.

What about the water temperature? 

The good news is that the majority of laundry detergent strips are designed to dissolve just as well in cold water as they are in hot. So go ahead and dial down the temperature setting on your machine for a lower impact laundry day.

How We Found The Best Laundry Detergent Sheet

Much like eco friendly dishwasher tablets, we’ve seen a lot more of these eco-friendly laundry detergents hit the market over the last few years.

Which begs the question: what are the best laundry detergent sheets? 

We selected the brands on this list based on the following criteria:

Non-Toxic:

These laundry sheets are made with biodegradable, natural ingredients that are safe for you and the whole family—including your zero waste baby.

Importantly, by avoiding non toxic ingredients we’re doing the planet a favor too. 

Ingredients we definitely don’t want to see include bleach, chlorine, dyes, dioxanes, optical brighteners, parabens, phosphate, NPE, and SLES. 

Biodegradable, plant-derived ingredients including naturally occurring enzymes, plant-derived surfactants, and plant-derived or mineral-based cleaning agents make the “yes” list. 

Fragrance-wise, organic essential oils add a fresh scent naturally but most of the brands on this list also offer an unscented option. 

Cruelty Free:

No animal testing, ever. The Leaping Bunny certification provides third-party reassurance.

Vegan:

All of the eco detergents on this list are vegan. Because cruelty free and vegan aren’t necessarily the same thing, we like to double-check that brands tick both boxes.

Palm Oil Free: 

Palm oil free products (this includes palm oil and all of its derivatives) are best. If a brand still uses palm oil, it must at least make sure that it’s sustainably sourced, e.g. RSPO certified.

Ethical Sourcing/Manufacturing:

Whiter whites and more vibrant colors feel better when they’re associated with plastic free and carbon neutral shipping, local manufacturing, ethical workplaces, and charitable initiatives.

Whilst not strictly part of the criteria, brands that give back give us an extra boost and motivation when faced with mountains of washing. 

Laundry detergent sheets are sought after by charitable initiatives like food banks, homeless shelters, animal shelters and disaster relief projects so product donations are especially helpful.

Thoughtful Packaging:

Perhaps the best thing about laundry detergent sheets is their minimal packaging requirement. We’re looking for 100% plastic free packaging and fortunately compostable and recyclable packaging is the norm for these brands.