Zero Waste Laundry Soap

We have been on a mission to make zero waste switches in our home. This mission is filled with goals to create a healthier home and make better choices for the environment. One area that we have been focusing on recently is the laundry. I have written about our zero waste laundry essentials but I wanted to do a larger review of the zero waste laundry soap we have been using.
We recently started using Tru Earth laundry detergent and they rock! These are so easy to use and smell great! I’m seriously recommending them to everyone. Below I thought I would walk you through the ordering process, how to use them, and tell you about some things I have learned along the way.

Disclaimer: This blog post contains affiliated links. As a Tru Earth associate I earn from qualifying purchases. If you use them, I might be rewarded credit or a commission of the sale. Please note that I only recommend what I personally use and love and I always have my readers best interest at heart.
Ordering
These awesome Eco friendly laundry detergent strips can be ordered at tru.earth. They have a couple options for ordering. You can purchase a single package or use a subscription service, which offers huge savings. There are a several package amounts, including 8 loads, 32 loads, 64 loads or 384 loads. I know that was quite a jump. However, the first subscriptions are more of a monthly and the large one is for a year. There are also three scent options: fresh linen, fragrance free and one that is formulated for babies.
At first I was a bit unsure about getting laundry detergent sent to me. I was worried about all the extra wasteful packaging that would be coming with it. To my delight, however, there was not much. The laundry strips were shipped in their normal box (I’ll include a photo below) with my husband’s hand for size reference. It is a slim, recyclable envelope that had our address label on the back. The box was a bit dinged and dented here and there from the mail but the contents inside were untouched. This box was a nice size and it was able to fit in our mail box. If you don’t have to deal with snow this isn’t really an issue, but we have lost more than one package to a snow bank!
I do recommend that if you find one you like, get the big box. Then there is that much less energy going into shipping your product.

Using Tru Earth Laundry Detergent
Using Tru Earth Laundry detergent couldn’t be easier. Before throwing your laundry in, tear off one strip of the laundry soap along the perforated line and toss it into the bottom of the washer. Next, add your laundry and then run your cycle as normal…it’s that easy!
Tru Earth recommends that you use one strip for one load. However, if you have a really small load that has one shirt in it or something of that nature, I recommend tearing the strip in half.


The Smell
I normally go for unscented laundry soap, but I wanted to try the fresh linen scent that was available. It smells so fresh and clean! I don’t really notice too much scent on my laundry after they have been dried but it was wonderful coming out of the washer. I did order some unscented strips to try next month, so I will update this post when I give it a go.
Stains
So stains are going to happen, as much as we would like pristine clothes all the time. I have a couple of examples but I did not go out and try every stain. Could you image that project? Yikes.
The first stain I tested was a raspberry stain on a light green shirt. I didn’t treat it at all and the stain came right out the first time. The second stain was a red sauce stain, which did not come out the first try and I had to use my stain remover.
I have one more story and it involves our toddler. If you don’t have kids jump ahead to the next paragraph. If you do, keep reading…you have been warned.
So I woke up one morning and our Little One had been quite sick. Unfortunately, his diaper did not contain all of his sick and his pajama bottoms and top were messy. I, of course, threw them into the wash. The top, which was less messy then the bottoms, came out in great condition and the stain was completely removed. The bottoms were not quite so lucky. I put my stain remover on them and threw them in the wash again with another load. This time the stain came out!

Allergens/Sensitive Skin
We do not have allergens in my home, so I called upon my dear mother to be my test subject (sorry, Mom). She has been in a constant battle to find products that do not cause her irritation. She tried our fresh linen laundry soap first and did, unfortunately, break out. Many times it’s the fragrance that make her break out, so I have ordered the fragrance free strips and hopefully she will be a willing test subject once again.
So if you have sensitive skin or allergens, I recommend still trying the fragrance-free option in the small package first.
Tru Earth does say on their website that they are paraben-free, phosphate-free, and vegan. The zero waste laundry soap is also free of added dyes, chlorine bleach, and free of 1,4 dioxane.
Final Thoughts
Tru Earth zero waste laundry soap is fantastic. It does a great job cleaning and is better for the environment than the large plastic containers of liquid detergent. While slightly more expensive than some of the store brands, the ease of use and subscription services makes it easy peasy.
If you would to mare your laundry routine Eco Friendly in other ways check out my zero waste laundry essentials post.
Have you tried Tru earth zero waste laundry soap? Let me know of your experiences in the comments below!
