Consumer Reports tested laundry detergent sheets from brands like Earth Breeze and Tru Earth to see if the cleanliness level matches the eco-friendly part.
Even the detergent sheet brand that received the highest rating in our tests scored unsatisfactory when it came to cleaning most stains, from body oils to blood and coffee.
By Keith Flamer
Updated by Justin Krajeski
Every time we wash clothes with liquid detergents, we’re flushing chemicals, microfibers, and large amounts of water down the drain, not to mention heavy plastic detergent containers that we struggle to lift off the shelves. Consumers are looking for alternatives that save water, energy, reduce waste and minimize the impact on Mother Nature: the most recent ecological “alternative” is laundry detergent sheets.
In this article
How do laundry detergent sheets compare to other detergents? • What are laundry detergent sheets? • Do laundry detergent sheets save you money? • Do laundry detergent sheets really work? • Should you try laundry detergent sheets?
Laundry sheets are liquid-free detergents designed as eco-friendly alternatives to chemical-laden containerized detergents that pollute our rivers, landfills, and sometimes even our clothes. Laundry detergent sheets also eliminate the need for all those plastic containers.
“They usually come in cardboard containers, and because the amount of detergent is concentrated and without water, the package can be small,” says Rich Handel, laundry expert at Consumer Reports. “This leaves a smaller environmental footprint than the plastic containers that liquid detergents, capsules and detergent packets come in.”
This is not just any benefit, according to the most recent data from the Environmental Protection Agency, in 2018 14.5 million tons of plastic packaging and containers were generated, which represents 5% of municipal solid waste. Therefore, laundry detergent sheets can reduce the burden on both our recycling and the environment. But how well can they clean your clothes?
How do laundry detergent sheets compare to other detergents?
What are the differences between liquid detergents, capsules and laundry sheets? Below, we present a comparison in terms of cleaning, of three detergents that obtained the best ratings by category in our tests. For additional information and details on the options we recommend, as well as those that didn’t fare well in our laundry tests, check out the best and worst laundry detergents from CR’s tests and our full ratings list.
Laundry Detergent Sheets
Earth Breeze Liquidless Eco Sheets
Liquid detergent
Tide Plus Ultra Stain Release
Detergent in capsules/packets
Tide Hygienic Clean Heavy Duty 10X Power PODS
You may know them by different names: laundry sheets, detergent strips, or detergent boxes, among other terms. They are essentially the same: sheets of concentrated, plastic-free laundry detergent whose ingredients are held together by a resin and dissolvable paper. They produce little foam and dissolve in both cold and hot water. Also, they take up less cabinet or shelf space in your laundry room.
Detergent sheets have environmentally friendly names and usually come in biodegradable packaging. Most claim that they are hypoallergenic: free of parabens, phosphates, bleaches and dyes. You may not find them among those brightly colored containers in the detergent aisle of your store, but they are widely available online, some by subscription.
“Laundry detergent sheets are still a relatively new category, but interest in sustainability, environmental and biodegradable products is increasing,” says César Carroll, market analyst at CR. “Consumers, especially Generation Z and millennials, are looking for alternatives that are more natural and produce less waste. Therefore, brands are trying to meet this need.”
Do laundry detergent sheets save you money?
Laundry detergent sheets work with all types of washing machines, including high-efficiency ones. For a medium-sized load, its cost is similar to that of liquid, capsule and packet detergents. You can find these detergent sheets in boxes that cost between $15 and $20 and will wash 30 to 60 loads.
Making the switch from liquid detergent to sheet detergent will reduce detergent waste, a common mistake among consumers. (Our detergent tests have consistently found that only about 1.5 ounces of liquid detergent are needed for an average load.)
Do Laundry Detergent Sheets Really Work?
CR has been testing and rating liquid detergents, capsules and packets for a long time. For this reason, our engineers recently put laundry detergent sheets from six brands to the test: Earth Breeze, Ecos, Ecowise, Kind, Sheets Laundry Club and Tru Earth.
For detergent testing, our engineers wash fabric samples that are soaked in blood, body oil, chocolate, coffee, dirt, grass, and salad dressings. We use stains that are extremely difficult to remove so we can detect significant differences between products. We wash using a normal cycle setting, with cold water, high spin and a high soil level.
Even the best detergents cannot completely remove all stains. But overall, the laundry detergent sheets didn’t perform well, earning scores ranging from fair to poor.
“In fact, as a group, they underperformed our lower-performing liquid or capsule/pack detergents,” says Handel. And only one brand of laundry detergent sheets performed better than average when cleaning any of the stains (Earth Breeze liquidless Eco Sheets performed moderately when it comes to cleaning dirt stains).
By comparison, the highest-rated liquid detergent in our tests, Tide Plus Ultra Stain Release, earned an overall rating of 84, with impressive ratings for cleaning a variety of stains, including body oil, dirt, and salad dressings. The best pod/pack in our tests, Tide Power-Pods Heavy Duty 10X, receives a rating of 75. In contrast, Earth Breeze, the highest-rated detergent sheet brand, receives a rating of 29. Tru Earth Eco Strips, The lowest-rated detergent sheets received a dismal overall score of 11.
We also found that the laundry detergent sheets we tested are especially bad at cleaning coffee stains. If you start your day with a cup of coffee, you may want to avoid these detergent sheets in favor of a liquid detergent like Tide Eco-Box Original, the top-rated detergent for these types of tough stains.
Should you try laundry detergent sheets?
If you are organizing your home around a sustainable lifestyle and your clothes are not very dirty, detergent sheets may be a good option. For example, you can use the detergent sheets for normal loads of laundry and reserve traditional liquid or capsule detergent for deeper cleaning, using a minimal amount per load and increasing the dosage only for your dirtiest clothes.
“In most cases, that’s enough to do laundry,” says Handel. “Consumers who are concerned about the environment can also choose Tide Eco-Box Original. It comes in a cardboard box with a small plastic dispenser and Tide claims it uses 60% less plastic.” Handel also indicates that he has noticed a slight eco-friendly change in capsule/package detergent containers.
If you’re concerned about harmful chemicals, one option is Sensitive Home brand detergent for sensitive skin, which is EPA Safer Choice certified. It is said to be made up of 96% plant-based ingredients, is hypoallergenic, and is free of dyes, fragrances, parabens, and other chemicals that may seem dangerous. CR has not tested this product.
“In general, it is recommended that anyone with sensitive skin avoid cleaning products containing SLS (sulfates),” says Tunde Akinleye, CR chemist. “Alternatives include cleaning products that are sulfate-free or that use nonionic surfactants such as alkyl ethoxylate or fatty acid ethoxylate.”
Sulfates are anionic surfactants used in cleaning products to effectively remove stains. Although they are considered safe for household products, they are known to be irritating and can cause itching or a rash in people with sensitive skin.
Until laundry detergent sheets improve their performance, environmentally conscious consumers will have to continue to pressure the detergent industry to address environmental problems with better packaging and more effective, environmentally friendly detergent formulations. environment. Until that happens, patience and ingenuity will be required since, for now, laundry detergent sheets are not the best option.
Consumer Reports is an independent, nonprofit organization that works side by side with consumers to create a fairer, safer, and healthier world. CR does not endorse products or services, and does not accept advertising. Copyright © 2023, Consumer Reports, Inc.