The Only 3 Non-Toxic Laundry Products You Need According to Our Expert
Learn why these are the best non-toxic laundry products on the market!
We don’t want living a non-toxic and eco-friendly lifestyle to feel like a chore or overwhelming. Having personally used this simplified list of non-toxic laundry products in my own home, I can assure you, this is ALL you need! 🙌🏼
Are you following our Clean Series? Head over to our clean natural products post to discover more toxic-free swaps!
*I’m neither a scientist nor a doctor. This information is based on my personal experience, research, and opinion. You should always consult a healthcare professional before making any changes to your current regimen or if you have questions.
Why skip traditional laundry products?
The most popular and eye-catching name brands you see on store shelves contain a plethora of chemicals that may cause hormone disruption, respiratory problems, risk of cancer, and much more. They also linger on fabrics and can leach into your skin and bloodstream.
Your skin is your largest organ and absorbs everything you put on it, including the laundry detergent your clothes are washed in. Our skin is a protective barrier for many things, but it cannot protect us from chemicals found in laundry detergent.
Here are just a few of the chemicals commonly found in traditional laundry products:
- 🛑 Artificial dyes – May cause disruptions to the immune system.
- 🛑 Bleach – At low levels, it can irritate skin and mucus membranes.
- 🛑 Borax – Toxic to humans, including reproductive and developmental toxicity, neurotoxicity, and nephrotoxicity.
- 🛑 Formaldehyde – Can irritate eyes, nose, and throat.
- 🛑 Optical brighteners – May cause harm to sensitive skin.
- 🛑 Parabens – Commonly cause skin sensitivities and allergies.
- 🛑 Phenol – Impacts organs, nervous system, and other critical components – overexposure can lead to death.
- 🛑 Phosphates – Linked to cardiovascular disease, osteoporosis, and death.
- 🛑 Phthalates – Can impact your natural hormones and lead to serious health issues such as lower fertility, development issues, and a higher risk of cancer.
- 🛑 Propylene Glycol – Reported adverse effects from PG toxicity include central nervous system (CNS) toxicity, hyperosmolarity, hemolysis, cardiac arrhythmia, seizures, agitation, and lactic acidosis.
- 🛑 Synthetic Fragrances, “Parfum”, or “Fragrance” – May cause headaches, breathing difficulties, cardiovascular and neurological problems, mucosal irritation, and contact dermatitis. Higher risk of cancer.
Below are the BEST non toxic laundry products that are safe for you, your home, and the environment:
- Laundry Detergent – Molly’s Suds
- Stain Remover – Mama Suds Stain Stick
- Dryer – Handy Laundry Wool Dryer Balls
1. Best Laundry Detergent: Molly’s Suds Laundry Powder
Molly’s Suds Laundry Detergent Powder, 4 lbs. – $19.54+ w/ S&S (16¢ per load)
How you can save:
- Subscribe & Save the 8-pound pack (240 loads) & pay just 13¢ per load!
This non-toxic laundry detergent has JUST 5 ingredients (4 ingredients for unscented), rates an “A” on EWG (which is a great way to check for a product’s ingredients if you’re not familiar), and it’s cost-effective too.
With truly natural and organic Earth ingredients, this product is 100% biodegradable, and it’s never tested on animals. It even has thoughtful packing which is recyclable and less cumbersome than big jugs or detergent bottles. To top it off, they even use non-toxic inks! 👏🏻 Unless you’re buying a clean laundry product from a local zero-waste store, this small recyclable bag has the smallest footprint you could ask for compared to competitors. 🙌🏼
To recap, here are the top 5 reasons why you should switch to Molly’s Suds:
- ✅ Only 5 Earth-derived ingredients (4 ingredients for unscented)
- ✅ 100% Biodegradable product
- ✅ Naturally stain-fighting
- ✅ Certified cruelty-free (NOT tested on animals)
- ✅ Competitive pricing to large name brands
*Note that the packaging of this laundry detergent has recently changed so customers may receive either packaging for a limited time.
2. Best Stain Remover: Mama Suds Stain Stick
Mama Suds Stain Stick – $7.50 (Shipping is $10 or FREE with orders $75+)
How you can save:
- Save on shipping by finding it locally or score 15% OFF by opting for Subscribe & Save on MamaSuds.com. MamaSuds is not sold by other online 3rd party retailers.
This stain stick packs a serious punch and it’s very long-lasting and extremely saturated. My above photo shows about half of a bar which has lasted me over a year! As a bonus, it smells so subtle and heavenly. It’s outlasted competitors and leaves no footprint. 🙌🏼
Sodium Olivate (Saponified Olive Oil) is the ONLY ingredient (in addition to water) in this magical Mama Suds stain stick! 😱 They use the finest quality pesticide-free, non-GMO olive oil they can source at a good price making it affordable for consumers too. Every product is packaged with recyclable materials and/or reused materials from their supply orders. With such a minimal footprint and 100% biodegradable ingredients, MamaSuds provides the best environmentally friendly and non-toxic stain remover product on the market. I recommend using this stick with cold water for best results.
To recap, here are the top 5 reasons why you should switch to MamaSuds:
- ✅ Just one simple ingredient
- ✅ Long-lasting
- ✅ 100% Biodegradable
- ✅ Never tested on animals
- ✅ Travel friendly
Note that Baking Soda (AKA Sodium Bicarbonate) + Hydrogen Peroxide can be great at getting out stains and is a very affordable alternative, but I opted not to include this as a top stain-removing option because Arm & Hammer, Bob’s Red Mill, and other large manufacturers of baking soda chemically produce their products.
Both MamaSuds and Molly’s Suds use baking soda that is mined in western Colorado by Natural Soda in its purest form nahcolite. Their operation uses an efficient and environmentally friendly solution mining process to recover pure, naturally occurring baking soda without any chemical alteration. Note that baking soda is not used in the above stain stick but is in other products from their brand.
3. Best for Drying: Handy Laundry Wool Dryer Balls
Handy Laundry Wool Dryer Balls 4-Pack – $9.99+ ($2.50 each)
How you can save:
- Opt for a larger 12-pack to pay just $1.58 per wool ball.
Wool dryer balls are the most environmentally responsible alternative to dryer sheets (next to air drying) and can be used endlessly. They’re sustainable, and earth-safe, and they reduce drying time by up to 25%. To add some scent to the wool balls, you can add a few drops of your favorite essential oils (I prefer Plant Therapy’s Certified Organic Peppermint Oil).
Handy Laundry Balls offer a competitive price point, easy accessibility, and they’re cruelty-free. Plus, I love that they use 100% New Zealand premium wool (the world’s leading producer of wool) with no synthetic fillers and they’re rolled into tight, extra-large balls and felted for a natural, long-lasting product. I do about a load of wash a day (or more) and still have my original wool balls from 3 years ago!
To recap, here are the top 5 reasons why you should switch to 100% wool balls:
- ✅ Endlessly reusable
- ✅ 100% Biodegradable
- ✅ Saves money and energy with faster drying time
- ✅ Baby- and animal-safe
- ✅ Made of renewable, sustainable resources
Hip Tip: To reduce static from dryer balls, attach safety pins to them. The pins provide conductivity, helping dissipate static. Use caution with delicate fabrics.
Discover more toxic-free swaps in our complete Clean Series.
The stain stick you listed sounds like just what I need. You mentioned that Mama Suds uses a environmentally friendly mining of baking soda, but I want to be sure, baking soda is not in the stain stick product, correct?
Also do you know of a safe way to get dingy laundry bright again, like tees and towels?
This is a great new feature of Hip2save. Thanks!
Hey, ihearthip! Sodium Olivate (Saponified Olive Oil) is the ONLY ingredient in the stain stick – so there is no baking soda in that product. 🙂
I don’t currently have a toxic-free process I use to make whites brighter, but I will let you know if I hear of anything.
Thanks for the info! I was hoping you would do a post on laundry products. It is the one thing I was having trouble with converting over to natural.
You’re very welcome, Carol! I hope you enjoy these products as much as I do. 🙂
I’ve switched to all not toxic cleaning in an attempt to reduce symptoms from neurological conditions I have. I haven’t tried Molly’s Suds but I have read excellent reviews. Currently using Sal Suds for laundry and some cleaning, along with castille soap and baking soda. I love them both! I use vinegar as a fabric softener in the wash and with a few dryer balls. I look forward to other posts like these.
It sounds like you’ve already made some great swaps, amyh! Thanks so much for following along with our series.
Sara and Team – thank you for the info!
I much appreciate your research and knowledge 💕
I love my wool dryer balls, have been using them for years and rarely experience static, certainly not enough to need to add safety pins. Perhaps it’s geographical. We live in NC and Florida.
You’re so welcome, Julie! Thank you for following along with our Clean Series. 🙂 I do think you’re onto something with the geographical differences as the air is super dry where I live during the winter and during warmer months I don’t experience static at all. Maybe I should move south. 😉
If you’re vegan, try HEMP or BAMBOO dryer balls.
I have used Molly’s suds because it is concentrated, good for my sensitive skin, and has minimal packaging.
I was disappointed to read Consumer Reports rated Molly’s really low on their ratings scale.
Thanks for sharing your experience with Molly’s Suds, Kellie! 💕 From what I’ve seen, it looks like CR’s main feedback is that it may not have as strong of stain-lifting capabilities as other detergents they reviewed. If that’s something you’ve struggled with, we recommend the use of the Mama Suds Stain Stick that could help with those tougher stains. Hope this is helpful and that you can keep finding products that work well for your sensitive skin! ❤️🤞
These are great suggestions. Truly Free is also an amazing option! It smells so good and is squeaky clean. 🙂
Glad you enjoyed this post! Thanks for letting us know about one of your faves to use too! 🤗❤️
Thank you so much for all of your research and information! Already use the dryer balls but switching to both the laundry detergent and stain remover. Appreciate you!
I’m so excited for you to try them, Kelly! And so glad this post was so helpful for you. Please let me know how your swap goes!
Thank you for taking the time to list out all the harmful effects. I’ll be switching once I’m finish with the current detergent. We’ve already stopped buying fabric softener as it can destroy the washing machine with gunk buildup.
I’m so glad you found this post helpful, Laura! When I started learning the “why” behind using clean products, I couldn’t go back and hope it’s the same for you! Thank you for being here. 🤍