I have 5 boys and a husband who works in a steel fabrication shop, so you can probably imagine how much laundry we do in our house.

Over the years, I have tried all sorts of natural laundry detergents based on availability, price, and performance.

In the early years of my non-toxic life journey, I would use free & clear detergent from Costco and call it a day. Little did I know that those detergents still contained many harmful chemicals that are neither people or earth friendly.

Then I went through a phase where I made our laundry detergent.

HA!

I keenly remember seeing a recipe off of the Duggar family website and made a huge 5 gallon bucket of the stuff. Sure, it was economical, but let me tell ya: it did nothing to wash our clothes.

Soon enough, I ended up just dumping the rest of the soap down the drain because our clothes STANK.

For the next 15 years, I set out on a journey to find the best natural laundry detergent.

I cannot even tell you how many brands that I have tried over the years. Or how many times that I have had to switch up our wash routine. And how many extra ingredients that I have had to add to our wash cycle to just make the detergent clean better.

It’s been exhausting to say the least!

I stumbled across Ingredients Matter on a whim.

I had just ran out of our normal detergent that I wasn’t a super big fan of, but it worked well enough. I didn’t have time to order more online, so I decided to run to the grocery store to grab something quick.

During this time, my MCS was flaring really bad and walking past the cleaning isle was torture, let alone walking down the isle to grab something off the shelf.

Multiple Chemical Sensitivity (MCS) has forced me to toss out so many personal care products due to fragrance. Even natural scents bother me. The mere whiff of fragrance & chemicals can cause a major flareup with a headache, fatigue, and joint pain that can last for days. It’s one of the biggest reasons that I started sharing natural products this blog in the first place.

I had to run down the isle quick before my MCS caused a flare up – a single whiff is all that it takes sometimes. So I quickly scanned the shelves to find something without fragrance and that seemed somewhat non-toxic – good enough to use for a few loads.

That’s when I saw the bright green box on the bottom shelf with bold, modern type.

It definitely caught my eye. Bonus points for great branding (I am a sucker for that kind of stuff).

I saw that it was fragrance free and all-natural, so I just grabbed it and quickly ran out of the isle before a fragrance attack set in.

Little did I know that I was carrying a box of the best natural laundry detergent that I would ever use.

That might sound dramatic, but I was literally not seeing what was coming next.

I got home to my safe place without fragrance and scanned the box more thoroughly and my ears perked up a bit.

– ZERO plastic packaging (yay!)

– No brighteners, synthetics, or dyes

– No 1,4-Dioxane or ethoxylates (really bad for people and the environment, see below)

– Third Party lab tested and proven to work better than leading laundry detergents (both conventional and natural).

What’s so bad about 1,4-dioxane and ethoxylates?

1,4-dioxane is considered to be a possible carcinogen under California’s Proposition 658, 1,4-dioxane is the most common contaminant, and perhaps the most difficult to detect because it is not intentionally added to a cleaning product.

Therefore, this contaminant is frequently found in products as a residual (leftover from the manufacturing process) in the following blowing agents and emulsifiers:

• Sodium laureth sulfate and all ingredients ending in the suffix “eth” or “oxynol”
• Polyethylene, polyethylene glycols (PEG)
• Polysorbate (20, 30, 80)

Ethosxylate substances are known to make your products foamy and to reduce the surface tension of water to effectively remove dirt.

When used in a detergent, it contaminates wastewater and significantly harms marine life.

Far from ideal for human health, nonylphenol ethoxylate could also be linked to reproductive system problems. Not good.

That’s why checking labels and choosing natural laundry detergents are best

Now that I had this new, amazing laundry soap, I was ready to put it to the test.

I have a giant HE washer so that I can do massive loads of laundry – and I still do about 2 loads per day.

I loaded up my machine and followed the instructions to use only 1 tablespoon of powder detergent.

I couldn’t wrap my brain around that, but I steered the course.

Since I don’t use toxic dryer sheets, I also added a small amount of vinegar to my wash like I always do. This helps to soften the laundry without harsh chemicals. Although, I haven’t noticed too much of a difference with it over the years.

I didn’t really notice anything special at first, but once my clothes came out of the dryer, I knew this was a game-changer.

I couldn’t believe it. My clothes were SO INCREDIBLY SOFT.

Softer than my clothes have ever been. Even during short bursts of laundry desperation and briefly switching to conventional brands (for shame).

I thought maybe it was a coincidence, so I did another wash.

And another.

Until there was absolutely zero doubt in my mind. This detergent was the bees knees and the end of all of my laundry woes.

After using this detergent for a few months, I felt compelled to share my experience. I know all too well that many natural-minded people struggle with laundry day, but the struggle is over now my good friends.

What I love most about Ingredients Matter

Obviously, it works. Hands-down it’s the best COMPLETELY NATURAL detergent that I have used that really does work.

It’s also fragrance-free. I am planning on trying their lemongrass scent next (since it’s scented using essential oils and those are safe for me), but I haven’t ventured that far yet.

There’s ZERO plastic. As a Mom of 5, reducing plastic and being more sustainable is a top priority for me. I really try to limit the waste that we go through and the fact that they don’t use plastic jugs makes me crunchy side sing.

The ingredients are incredible and I feel completely safe using it for my entire family.

Cons of Ingredients Matter Detergent

 

It’s a powder, so sometimes it can get a little bit messy. I also have a very curious toddler who could make millions being in the profession of making messes, so it’s an accident waiting to happen.

Some people have complained about the powder making them sneeze or bothering their eyes when pouring it in the wash.

Here’s a tip: do it at arm’s length.

I have literally never had this issue and it seems like it would be common sense to not be up close and personal when pouring powder into the wash barrel . But that’s just me.

The cost is a little higher than some other natural detergents. Especially when you consider how much laundry that I do in our home. It comes out to around 30 cents a load – which isn’t horrible, but it can add up quickly.

But, it works. So it’s worth every single penny IMO.

Purchase through my link to save $$$

If cost is a concern for you, you can save 15% off when you use my link to order. This is a better discount than they offer on their site and abandoned checkout links (I checked, twice).

I only share my honest opinions in these reviews and any purchase you make through my links helps to keep this blog alive without ads. I really appreciate your support!

Looking to ditch your current products and switch to safer options?

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