As someone who 1) exclusively uses eco-friendly products, and 2) has a 6-month old baby who is in cloth diapers almost all the time, I’m always on the lookout for a high-quality natural laundry detergent for sensitive skin.
I’ve been using the Puracy Natural Laundry Detergent for quite a while now, but recently, I’ve been seeing more and more reviews about the Seventh Generation Detergent. The “Free and Clear” version, in particular, seems to be gaining popularity among other parents like myself. So, I bought myself a bottle to try it out.
Seventh Generation Free Clear Detergent markets itself as an eco-friendly laundry detergent, but is it actually good at washing clothes and at taking care of sensitive skin?
Here’s what I found out.
What is the Seventh Generation Detergent?
Seventh Generation Free Clear detergent is a natural laundry detergent made from 97% plant based ingredients.
According to the manufacturer, it’s designed to make everyday clothes cleaning more sustainable by using biodegradable ingredients that won’t pollute the earth.
Seventh Generation is a US-based company established in Vermont in 1988. They are a certified B corporation, meaning they are committed to ethical and eco-friendly business practices.
Most reviews seem to agree that the company is indeed environmentally friendly, but of course, I just didn’t want to take their word for it.
I had to make sure by trying Seventh Generation products on my own, starting with their detergent.
Seventh Generation Detergent Benefits
What I like about the Seventh Generation Free Clear natural laundry detergent is it doesn’t contain any dyes or scents, so people like me who have very sensitive skin can use it just fine.
And since my baby has sensitive skin as well, I use this stuff to wash her cloth diapers all the time.
I also like that it’s plant based, meaning that it uses plant enzymes instead of nasty chemicals to clean stains.
This assures me that it’s mostly biodegradable and better for the environment.
And while plant-based detergents are not usually a match for normal laundry detergents when it comes to removing stains, Seventh Generation is one of the better ones.
The Seventh Generation Free Clear laundry detergent is also free and clear from animal products, which is something I like to hear. However, this is the case for most eco-friendly detergents these days, so it’s not much to write home about.
Overall this stuff is good If you’re dealing with everyday stains and smelly clothes. If you’ve got more complex stains to conquer, however, you might be better reaching for something like Puracy Natural Laundry Detergent.
Pros
- USDA certified product
- Made from 97% plant-derived ingredients
- Formula is hypoallergenic
Seventh Generation Detergent Shortfalls
If you’re using the “Free and Clear” version of this product, be aware that your clothes won’t have a particularly exciting smell when they come out of the machine.
It’s hard to describe, but they just sort of smell musty and neutral.
If you really want your clothes to have a nice floral scent, you can always try out other Seventh Generation laundry detergents or super-concentrated products like Puracy Natural Laundry Detergent.
Another thing I noticed is if I’m tackling a red wine stain or a very messy cloth diaper, I have to pre-treat the stains for a while and let them soak first. This isn’t ideal, as I’ve used stronger natural detergents where I didn’t need to bother doing this.
If you’re going for that authentic eco-friendly vibe, it’s worth noting that Seventh Generation also uses new plastic bottles for all of its detergents. While it’s not the biggest crime on the face of the Earth, it is creating demand for new plastic bottles to be created.
Of course, you can recycle many of these bottles, but it would be great if they had some kind of refill system that created less demand for such large volumes of single-use plastics.
It’s also worth noting that this company only has 3.5/5 trees on Growing A Green Family — a rating system that’s designed to test the “greenness” of so-called green companies.
Cons
- Smell isn’t amazing
- Stocks always run out fast
- Not as concentrated as other cleaners
- Adds new plastic bottles to the waste stream
- No eco-friendly refill system
- Company only has 3.5/5 trees eco-friendly rating
Things To Consider Before Buying An Eco-Friendly Detergent
Before buying an eco-friendly laundry detergent, here are some key criteria you should watch out for:
Scents
Many eco-friendly detergents are free from scents, which is good for many people. However, this can leave your shirts smelling musty and weird. Some detergents, like Puracy Natural Laundry Detergent, use subtle safe scents that help give you that “fresh” feeling you’re used to without damaging your skin.
A Lack of Synthetic Chemicals
Many of the chemicals used in regular detergents are bad for the environment and toxic to humans. Many of them also aggravate conditions like eczema and allergies.
The laundry detergent ECOS and Seventh Generation produce (among others) contain very few synthetic ingredients.
100% Biodegradable
Seventh Generation, and many other eco-friendly detergents like the Puracy Natural Laundry Detergent, are biodegradable. This means that once they re-enter the environment in wastewater facilities, they will naturally break down in a manner that doesn’t pollute the earth.
Seventh Generation Detergent: Should You Buy It?
Seventh Generation Detergent is one of the better green cleaning products I’ve tried, but it doesn’t match up to the Puracy Natural Laundry Detergent for stains, dirt, and cost-effectiveness.
The detergent from Puracy is 10x concentrated, so one little pump of the detergent goes a long way to cleaning your clothes. This makes it much more cost-effective than brands like Seventh Generation because you don’t need to use as much for the exact same results.
Its plant-based formula has the potential to wash 96 loads per bottle, so it could easily keep you going for months.
I also like that Puracy has a subtle “fresh linen” scent added to it — you don’t need to put up with that unusual “neutral” smell you get with many brands like Seventh Generation Free Clear.
All in all, I would recommend the Puracy Natural Laundry Detergent if you’re looking for a plant based formula that will clean clothing effectively and leave a lovely fresh linen scent afterward.
