Fit to Be Tide

Umbra on green laundry detergents 16

Dear Umbra,

What are the "green" high-efficiency detergents for washers?

Thanks,
Marilyn

Dearest Marilyn,

A perfect question for parenting fortnight. Children have such tiny clothing that you wouldn't think it would add up to an increase in laundry volume. Until you saw the proof. Too bad keeping them naked (cuuuute!) and periodically hosing them off is only feasible in warm weather.

Pin your hopes on NPE-free.

Photo: iStockphoto

A greener detergent will omit certain cleaning and odorizing agents, whether it is high-efficiency or regular old detergent. High-efficiency washing machines use less water, so regular old detergents (ROD) don't clean as well, and may leave residue, in the HE machines. It looks to me (in the supermarket and online) as if most major detergent labels now offer HE detergent.

The No. 1 ingredient to avoid is the surfactant nonylphenol ethoxylate. NPE breaks down into NP (nonylphenol, please don't make me spell it any more), an endocrine disruptor (and estrogen mimic) that has been seen to affect male fishes. Since detergent goes out in household wastewater, and NPEs are quite difficult to remove during sewage treatment, we should avoid putting NPE into the water in the first place.

Unfortunately for us shoppers, it's not on the ingredient label unless the company specifically mentions not having it. One stealthy divination technique for shoppers is to avoid nonionic surfactants -- because NPE is one. And what is a surfactant, you may ask? My science mash-o-matic seems to be busted and I feel a little confused about surfactants. They lower the surface tension of water, and this is related to their ability to keep dirt lifted away from clothes during a washing process, instead of the dirt resettling upon the clothing. I believe they are usually petroleum based.

The Sierra Club and other groups are petitioning the EPA to do further research, mandate labeling of NPE in products, and ban its use in industrial products. You may wish to join the petition, or read more about it.

Phosphates are another downstream pollutant that may be present in a laundry detergent. Phosphates will act as a fertilizer in waterways and cause accelerated algal growth, messing up the ecosystem. The phosphate-free label is much easier to find than the NPE-free label. Bleach is also something to look out for in a laundry detergent, as it is a lung irritant. Fragrances can be irritating, so we might as well avoid those. Let's see ... biodegradability is a big buzzword with cleaners of all sorts, but I've read varying reports about its relevance. NPE is apparently the main poorly biodegradable surfactant to watch out for. Other than that, biodegradable claims should be specific (e.g., biodegrades in 30 days) or we shouldn't pay for them.

The petroleum content of cleaners does raise other issues, of course. Walking to the store and buying a P&G detergent is probably better than driving to buy a lower-petroleum detergent.

All this takes us to the meat of your question. You want the name of a greener HE detergent. Well, any Procter and Gamble detergent will be NPE-free, since the company stopped using the chemicals a few years back. A few Wal-Mart and Costco detergents are NPE-free, and many smaller companies claim NPE-freeness, so a web hunt will turn up some other labels. In the store, read labels carefully -- and don't believe unsubstantiated, vague claims (e.g., "natural").

Tidely,
Umbra

 

Yours is to wonder why, hers is to answer (or try). Send your green-living questions to Umbra.

Umbra Fisk is Grist Research Associate II, Hardcover and Periodicals Unit, floors 2B-4B.

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  1. tboggia Posted 4:13 am
    24 Sep 2007

    Seventh Generation?What about seventh generation detergents? does anybody know?

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  2. Ecofreako Posted 5:05 am
    24 Sep 2007

    Back to basics option:Like many products and services we buy, it's very hard to know the full details and compositions of them, so often it's easier and stress-free to do it yourself.  In this case, I've been happy and comfortable to use pure soap, washing soda (stronger cousin to baking soda) and borax mixtures for laundry.  They're clean and all-natural, it might be a bit of work sourcing them to buy, but once you do they last a long time.  1/6th cup or less of soap, 1/2 cup of washing soda, 1/4 cup of borax does the job for full laundry loads, and if perhaps not all stains come out, it's a wonderful trade-off to know, these clothes are truely clean!  After years of using these and nothing commercial, I have really become hypersensitive the synthetic scents and the big smells they create with other people using the common chemical-soup junk.  And while I have you reading this, I'll say that dryers are unnecessary, you can hang your clothes in the house to dry (as well as outside), especially in winter when your air will be dry from whatever home-heating you do.  Happy cleaning! (o:

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  3. ainman Posted 7:40 am
    24 Sep 2007

    Shaklee has green HEShaklee Coorporation has an HE laundry detergent that is safe for you, your little ones, and the planet. Shaklee was the first company to be certified climate nuetral. Their products as well as the whole company are GREEN. You can read more about them here: http://www.shaklee.net/ashley_inman

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  4. texasjenny Posted 9:53 am
    24 Sep 2007

    List of EPA-recognized productsThe EPA has a list of recognized NPE-free products.

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  5. chinadoll Posted 9:47 pm
    24 Sep 2007

    I love MoonWorks!I found MoonWorks laundry soap at my local health food store, but their website is here:  http://www.moonworks.org/
    The laundry soap has only four ingredients: baking soda, borax, castile soap from coconut oil, and essential oils.  (Must be similar to the soap the commenter above makes at home!) It works like a charm in our HE machine. And it takes only 1/8 cup for a normal load!
    My husband works outside all day and has always had trouble with skin irritations and acne on his back, but since I switched to MoonWorks laundry soap all of the skin issues have gone away. Amazing!

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  6. Panamaverde Posted 11:17 pm
    24 Sep 2007

    Charlies SoapWe have found Charlie's Soap http://www.charliesoap.com/ to be the best out there. It is the only thing that will get our cloth diapers clean! It is a North Carolina based company but you can visit their website for more info.

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  7. Greta Posted 11:53 pm
    24 Sep 2007

    Reconsider P&GP&G has always tested their products on animals. You could check the PETA site to see if they have cleaned up their act, but last I checked they had not.
    So, if you care about animal welfare, stay away from P&G products.
    Greta

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  8. LaliaTK Posted 5:01 am
    26 Sep 2007

    P&G and Wal-Mart? Good lord.I second what Greta said; P&G is a HORRIBLE company to suggest and I can't believe that Umbra doesn't already know the awful things that P&G does to animals.
    Also:  suggesting Wal-Mart?  COME ON.  Many anything-conscious people (economy, environment, health etc) do not shop at Wal-Mart for a plethora of reasons.  For more info, a good source is WakeUpWalMart.com.
    I appreciate the true alternative suggestions that I found in the comments (imagine that:  more answers in the comments section than the actual answer itself!) and will be trying some of them ASAP.

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  9. wendyoc Posted 6:54 am
    26 Sep 2007

    Wintree Laundry Detergent has no NPE's!Wintree Laundry Detergent contains no NPE's, no phosphates, is made from bio-renewable resources, is HE compatible and a cruelty free product (never tested on animals). Plus, it's a concentrated formula so less packaging and less water are needed to make it. And, it's less expensive than almost all eco-friendly products on the market.
    See for yourself:

    http://www.wintreelaundry.com

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  10. smharsa Posted 9:42 am
    26 Sep 2007

    P&G and Wal-MartI too can't believe that Umbra recommended P&G AND Wal-Mart. I've boycotted both companies for years.

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  11. Greta Posted 6:16 am
    28 Sep 2007

    Welcome to my...I climb into my Hummer, with leather interior, for a trip to Wal-Mart to buy some P&G household chemical cleaners and PVC outdoor furniture.  As long as I am here, I might as well pick myself up a gun and several rounds of ammo...in case I have to fend off insurgents.
    Oh, I just can't resist grabbing a package of Oreo cookies [big tobacco product]. I'm so hungry.  Oops, I got crumbs on my new mink coat. Here, I'll just brush them off with my bootlegged copy of Halo 3.
    Ah, shucks. I'm nearly out of gasoline after that 1-mile drive to Wal-Mart. I'll just pull over to Exxon.
    "Greta, wake up. You were having a bad dream."

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  12. Sandoz04 Posted 1:35 am
    30 Sep 2007

    Seventh GenerationSeventh Generation's laundry detergent says "specifically formulated for HE and standard machines."  I've never tried it in a HE washer, but it works great in a standard.

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  13. Storm Dragon Posted 9:07 am
    01 Oct 2007

    I was wondering.....What about Trader Joe's "Next to Godliness" laundry soap?  

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  14. starling72 Posted 10:05 pm
    07 Mar 2008

    good stuff!I've been looking for a green HE detergent for months and this has given me several great leads...thanks!!
    To those of you who question why Wal-Mart was mentioned as a possible source...wake up and get out of your little corner of the universe.  I happen to live in a rural area of the U.S. where the ONLY place to find anything like this within 20 miles is the local Wal-Mart.  Sure, I hate them as much as you do, but I'm not driving even my 35mpg car 20+ miles just to boycott them...how "green" would that really be, especially when you're not talking just about my family but the 10,000 other people in our community, too??  Yes, believe it or not, Wal-Mart has the corner on our household goods market here...sadly.
    Thanks again for all the suggestions and sorry for the rant!

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  15. naturalguy Posted 6:31 am
    24 May 2008

    Mountain GreenMountain Green has a full line of HE compatible green and healthy laundry products. Check them out http://www.ahealthierclean.com

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  16. GreenTeam Posted 1:14 pm
    03 Jul 2008

    P&GUnbelievable that Grist / Umbra would recommend P&G. products.
    Now that has me wondering if they really do their homework on the rest of their recommendations.

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