I belong to a small Facebook group filled with other parents that are trying to do our best as parents and for the earth. One of the members of that group started sharing the comparison charts she’d been doing on all the different products that are out there that are plastic-free, using more sustainable ingredients, and all the good stuff. She inspired me to do my own comparison of laundry detergents and now we are collaborating on bringing you the results of our research. We are by no means experts in this arena, we are two mums/moms that are trying to find good products for us, our families and the environment, without killing our budgets. Here is the first comparison chart from Lindsey.
| Blueland | Cleancult | Ethique | Dr Bronners Bar Soap | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Type | Foaming Refill Packs | Liquid Refill Cartons | Concentrated Bar | Bar Soap |
| Price | $6, $11, $14 | $9.99 | $8.50 | $4.69 |
| Quantity | 3, 6, 9 | 1 Carton | 1 Concentrated Bar | 1 Bar |
| Ounces | 9oz per refill | 32oz | 12oz | 5oz |
| Total Ounces | 27oz(3pk), 54(6pk), 81(9pk) | 32oz | 12oz | 5oz |
| Price per Ounce | $0.22 (3pk), $0.20 (6pk), $0.17 (9pk) | $0.31 | $0.70 | $0.93 |
| Other Notes | Can use any foaming bottle, takes ~45min to dissolve. Compostible packaging, great ingredient list, Cradle to Cradle Certified. Woman of color owned business | Can use any soap dispenser. Comes in a milk carton-type container. Free recycle program if your area doesn’t recycle milk cartons. Sold locally at CVS | Comes in a bar that you break apart, pour hot water over and stir until dissolved. Compostable packaging, carbon neutral, lots of great partnerships, woman (kiwi) owned business. Just a great company all around | Can purchase from multiple places. Bar soap is zero waste. Company treats employees fairly and uses sustainable ingredients. |
| Where to Buy | Blueland Refills | Cleancult hand soap | Ethique hand wash | Dr Bronner’s hand soap |
| EWG Rating | B – Low concern | This product not rated. Two of the other Cleancult products are and they rate between a B-C (Low – Moderate concern) | This product not rated – many of the other bars from Ethique are and they score between a 1-3 (Low hazard) | 1 – Low hazard |
From Lindsey: Now, I know there’s a LOT more options out there. I took the brands I’m most familiar with and then I tried to find a brand that’s easily accessible. Let me know if you would like me to add other brands! The goal I have for these comparison charts is to find a plastic free option that’s affordable. I did, however, try to find as much information about the company as I could. Some of these are GREAT companies that I would be willing to pay a little extra to support them. Let me know if this helps and if you would like me to post more!
ETA: I also was looking for refills that I could use with my current hand soap dispensers to get more use out of them. But I like I mentioned before, there are a ton of options out there.
From Leigh: We have been using Dr Bronner’s liquid soap in foaming pumps for the last few years but it comes in giant plastic bottles. I’m excited to try my first Blueland shipment which is on the way! We use Classico spaghetti jars with these pumps as our soap dispensers. I think the foaming stuff works the best for the little kids!