Review :: Eco-Me Fragrance Free Liquid Laundry Detergent

With very clever packaging on all their products, as well as a fantastic background story, Eco-Me is a Family Oriented company focusing on safe yet effective ingredients.

Eco-Me products were created out of love and concern and the driving passion to remove chemicals from our homes. In 2006, our Founder’s sister was diagnosed with breast cancer at the age of 35. With a feeling of helplessness, she began researching environmental factors as a possible cause. She looked under her sister’s sink and saw all of the mainstream cleaners packed with toxic chemicals.

So due to the lack of history of cancer in their family, the doctor was led to believe it was environmental factors. All this then led to them creating their own products that were safe yet effective.

I liked the sound of them immediately.  They are a company who are painfully aware of the problems caused by cleaning products.  Problems such as contact dermatitis, asthma from VOCs, hormone disruption or even cancer.

And they’re trying to do something about it.

First Impressions Aren’t Everything (Or are they?)

At first glance, this 32 fl oz bottle seems very simplistic with bright high contrast simple styling.

The instructions are also plainly explained with few buzzwords.  The product is Fragrance-Free, it’s cruelty-free with the ingredients derived from natural plant extracts.  The product also contains no sulfates, no perfumes, and, according to the blurb, no harmful chemicals.

Unlike most manufacturers, the company discloses the ingredients of their product (hence the review!), and for that alone, they should be applauded.

So what’s inside the bottle?

This particular detergent is a laundry liquid.  I prefer powders for environmental reasons, but liquids seem pretty au faix these days.   Once you pop the lid off I first noticed the lack of any discernible overpowering scent – it has just an ever so slight hint of a fresh soap scent. Maybe a little floral even.  But compared to the majority of highly scented laundry detergents, it’s almost strange to smell something so subtle.

The liquid itself is a slightly clouded almost translucent thick liquid.   Which makes sense, this is a concentrated liquid that provides 64 loads of washing in a standard bottle.

Impressive!

And how did it wash?

So for this test, I ran two experiments.

The first – a more “everyday” stain made up of a few coffee grinds and ketchup.  The second was a far more challenging red wine stain.

Both of these did not set for more than 20 minutes before they were washed.  I used no extra stain removers and no fabric softeners.  I followed the instructions, using the recommended amount in a HE washer.

After I put it through the wash cycle, and then a heated dry, I popped out the shirts to see my results.

I was very pleasantly surprised by the amount of red wine that was removed. It was barely visible – and this is on a white shirt.

The “everyday” stain, on the other hand, had had some sort of reaction. I am not sure if it was the material of the shirt (95% Polyester and 5% Spandex), the color, the reaction of the two stains ingredients, or none of the above, but a slightly faded yellow/white spot formed in two places when I pulled the shirt out. I mean it definitely got rid of all the coffee grounds and ketchup color, and these spots are very faint, but nonetheless a surprising outcome considering the effectiveness against red wine.

We Have Tested it Out, Now Let’s Take a Deeper Look Inside How it Works

When it comes to ingredients is among the gentlest formulations I have reviewed yet.

The ingredients are plant-based, biodegradable and cruelty-free.

The main cleaning agents are Coco Glucoside, Caprylyl Capryl Glucoside and Decyl Glucoside – two very gentle yet effective surfactants.

So often the problems occur with the surfactants and/or the preservatives.

The preservatives are Leuconostoc and Potassium Sorbate.  While they may sound intimidating, Leuconostoc is an exceptionally preservative derived from Radish Root.  Potassium Sorbate is a food grade preservative.  McDonalds use it to prevent mold growth in their shakes.  This can irritate the skin so be sure to properly rinse.

The other ingredients are thickeners:

• Xanthan Gum- derived from sugars, food additive, and natural thickener
• Glyceryl Caprylate Caprate (Vegetable-derived Thickener) – another safe, gentle, plant-based, biodegradable additive

The formulation has been chosen with care and attention.  While I always choose the fragrance-free options if available, it is good to note that they do have two scented versions.  These contain added essential oils in addition to these same core ingredients.  So After Testing, Is It Worth Purchasing?

I will say that this is my favorite laundry detergent to date. It comes at a far lower price (about 14.00$ USD) than most environmentally conscious detergents. As well as have the cleaning power to almost completely remove a red wine stain on its own. My boyfriend has been wearing clothes that were washed only in this formula as well to see if anything irritates his sensitive skin and not even a scratch.

Basically, I love this product.  I’m already recommending it to anyone, not just people suffering from sensitive skin. Subsequent tests have removed all stains with pre-treatments.

I support this product, even more, when you think that all these products were created because her sister fought breast cancer caused by “Environmental Factors”.

Anyone looking for a safe yet effective laundry detergent should look no further.

Outstanding.