As a person with allergies, I wish every company would offer an unscented detergent.

"Small bottles mean less waste..."

Actually, they mean more waste....don't really get this one. Everyone knows that numerous smaller bottles produce less waste than one large one (and one single small bottle takes the same amount of energy as a large bottle, holding sometimes 3x the amount). These smaller bottles are worse for the environment than larger ones, and it's not hard nowadays to find a place to stash those bigger bottles in the laundry room!

http://www.abbeycatchat.com

I love Method's squeaky green its very concentrated so you use very little and it smells so great.

charlie's soap!
http://www.charliesoap.com/
a little bag of the powdered laundry detergent lasts for 80 loads. it's fantastic (and unscented, sassydo!).

Seriously? $21.50 for laundry detergent?

As an apartment dweller, I love Purex 3-in-1. They're sheets with detergent, fabric softener and anti-static in one.

http://www.purex.com/purex-3-in-1

I don't have to worry about getting to the basement and realizing I've forgotten one or the other. I especially like that there aren't any spills or wasted detergent/fabric softener.

Its really not that easy to find a place to stash laundry soap when you live in a 329 sq ft apartment and you have exactly 1 cabinet for storing all your cleaning supplies, tools, gardening equipment and laundry stuff.

Small bottles doesn't necessarily mean more waste. For instance, the new Method Laundry Detergent is only 20 oz. for 50 loads. That equals to less than 1/2 oz. per load. Where as Natural Choice is 32 oz. for only 16 loads, that's 2 oz. per load. So which is better? If you go with Natural Choice, or detergents that are Not Concentrated, you're going to end up buying the big bottles more often than the little ones, so you'll end up putting more big bottles in the waste more often. I just tried the new Method detergent and really like it. The pump dispenser also makes really easy and a lot less mess.

charlie's soap looks interesting love the fabric bag and did not see any stores in SF that carry it bummer.

I would love to know what makes The Laundress worth $2.25 per load.

I saw someone mention Soap nuts last week, Tried it out, I'm happy. much less waste, no bottle just a small recyclable bag and it will work with your grey water systems.

I LOVE Charlie's soap! It's all I use now-and love it even more since they have the clump free detergent.:)

I make my own laundry detergent for a mere fraction of what the featured products cost. Why pay more? Plus, you can put it in whatever sized container that pleases you. ;)

I just bought Dropps Laundry thingies. They are similar to dishwasher liquid pellets. They dissolve in the wash, add little weight to your wash and are you only have a bag to dispose of at the end.

amiebarber8

you are comparing volume of detergent, not number of loads. A gallon of Method in slim bottles DOES use more plastic than a gallon of Tide in a big jug.

But you wouldn't use the two detergents gallon-for-gallon. You have to compare the number of loads each brand allows. You get 50 in a slim bottle of Method, and 50 in a large bottle of Tide.

Therefore, the Method uses less plastic.

Method has a $2 off coupon on their website. Expires 4/8/10.

I second 'Dropps' cleans efficiently and takes up zero space!
They come in small plastic pouches that dissolve in the water, all packed ina recyclable packet.

Cleans great! I found it on sale at a local grocery store.

http://www.dropps.com/

I've always gone with dry detergent in a box. Lots of loads, no awkward bottle to shove into a space and you can stack more stuff (dryer sheets, etc) on top of it.

I've used this Arm & Hammer stuff for years, in part because they've always offered unscented and the like and its pretty inexpensive. No one has ever told me that my clothes look unclean.

http://tiny.cc/lKbJ4

The answer to reducing plastic waste and giving ourselves more cabinet spaces is to use more concentrated detergent. Finally companies are catching onto this simple idea. The "All" brand seems like the best value ... 32 loads for $5 and it is 3x concentrated. If companies just reduced the amount of water they mixed into their detergents, they'd be able to use smaller bottles.

I've lived in small apartments, less than 500 square feet and now less than 600 square feet for a few years now and I've never found the size of the detergent bottle to be a big issue. Even a normal bottle takes up about the same amount of space as one or two pair of shoes (men's shoes at least), and most people have more pairs of shoes than they really need.

I like Biokleen liquid the best.

I stand corrected - I did not realize they were talking about smaller - but concentrated - bottles. If so, then indeed the smaller are better! From the bottle descriptions I thought it was just stating that smaller bottles of the same stuff is better, which it clearly is not.

The Purex sheets are one of my favorites for the basement laundry room trip: lightweight, has everything in it. The starter kit has a hard plastic case, but the refill packs have less packaging.

The one problem I do have though: I figured out it was leaving weird, oily looking stains on my clothes!! (I think it's leftover detergent or softener.) Now, I just use them for towels, etc. and use the concentrated Method for clothing.

For those who have to lug their laundry out of their apartments like me, I've also measured out the amount of detergent I need from the big bottles into a small, dedicated tupperware container to transport. You can save money by buying the bulk size and save your back the aches from hauling bottles.

I used to do the same as nelly612 - premeasure detergent into a dedicated tupperware. I'd just drop the container (not the top) into the laundry, it comes out clean and unsticky, and you find it when you switch to the dryer.

But, one of the perks of buying a place (and then buying the washer) was getting to have a laundry room to keep the industrial size container of HE Tide right next to the washer. Most people don't realize they need to use HE with the front loaders (it took my parents 3 years), and if they see foam when the open the door, they're using too much. 2Tbs is about right.

I use a 32oz size bottle of Mela Power (www.melaleuca.com/ps) and it lasts me 6 months (64 loads). I only do a few loads of laundry a weekend but you only need 1/2 ounce per load in an HE washer/dryer. There are also no phosphates to polute the water system which is nice. I also like the small bottles because they fit in the small amount of space between my stackable washer and dryer and the wall of the small closet they are in. If anyone is interested or wants more info on these products you can email me. rebmyers@gmail.com Sassydo they also have scent free!

I personally prefer the Method brand. I have a front loading machine and I have experimented with the Seventh Generation, Meyers, Martha Stewart's brand (sold at the Home Depot on 23rd St. in NYC), as well as Tide and All. The Method cleans very well, and my clothes smell very clean and fresh !!! I also use about 1/2 capful for a full load and one bottle lasts for months !!! (HE washing machines use very little detergent and save water, so the savings are very significant !!! ) The small bottles are ideal for me as my storage space is very limited and I like that I don't have to waste space with a huge jug of laundry detergent !!!