Why I Was Horribly Wrong about Laundry Pods and Sheets

Zero Waste laundry was one of the first things I tackled on my journey towards reducing my plastic usage. I've sampled Dropps, Kind Laundry and Tru Earth, marveling at how convenient they all are to use. I pondered why everyone just doesn't switch over to these incredible sustainable products- it seemed like a no-brainer. After using Dropps for over five years, I found out the awful truth:

Dropps (and Kind Laundry and Tru Earth and any other laundry sheet I've come across) uses Polyvinyl alcohol in their product, and Polyvinyl alcohol, also knowns as PVA or PVOH, is plastic.

As you can imagine, I was NOT happy. I've recommended these products to many people. I even wrote about them because I was so enthusiastic about them. These companies present themselves as zero waste, plastic-free and biodegradable. And yes, PVA does breakdown as this article elucidates, but "...while it is designed to dissolve, it doesn’t necessarily disappear. The study suggests that over 75% of PVA persists in our waterways and our soil after it dissolves in laundry and dish washing machines, flows through wastewater and ultimately back into our environment."

These companies claim their product biodegrades but PVA does so only under the best circumstances and call me cynical, but my guess is that most water processes plants do not provide the ideal environment needed for this to take place. I've been on the hunt for the best laundry soap since uncovering this issue, and while I haven't found the perfect one yet, I can recommend:

Meliora: Certified B Corporation with various cleaning products- all plastic free . These ingredients are exceptional and extremely "clean." I used their Lavendar Laundry Detergent and it works great. This would have been the "perfect" fix except my husband hates the powdered stuff so had to go back on the hunt...

Blueland: Truly plastic-free, and biodegradable laundry tablets. These also worked well but left a mild white residue on some of our black clothes. They are basically compressed powdered laundry into a convenient little hockey puck. Again, the hubs hates powdered laundry so once more back to the hunt...

Dirty Labs: Purely liquid laundry detergent. I'm fan and the signature scented version was pleasant- not too strong.The ingredients are stated as being biodegradable but they are more complex than what you will find in a super clean product like Meliora. The one major con is that every bottle comes with a little silicone beaker and most silicone does not get recycled (much like plastic). I wish the company had an option where you could forego the silicone beaker. The bottle is recyclable, however. I also tried out their Bio Laundry Booster which comes in cardboard with a delightful wooden scooper- truly plastic free.

Two options I haven't tried yet but that look promising:

Elvas All Naturals: This looks like a really clean and safe liquid laundry detergent. It is on the pricer side, though. I'm also curious if the liquid laundry in the refill box has a plastic liner.

Tangie Laundry Concentrate: I plan on getting this to try it out to have as a backup. This is fragrance free, comes in compostable cardboard and is made with biodegradable ingredients- no phosphates, no dyes, and no optical brighteners. You cut the bar up and add to water to make as little or as much as you need. And this is extremely affordable- only $.08 a load!

These are all products you can order and have shipped to you. I ultimately decided to start getting liquid laundry detergent from my local zero waste store to support local economy, and people in my community who are doing good in the world plus this seems like the only way to get truly plastic-free, biodegradable, and safe liquid laundry detergent. I know that not everyone has access to a refill store, though, so if you need to order something online, I recommend choosing from one of the brands listed above.