Is it responsible to use plant-based liquid laundry detergent like coconut oil?

[Omaha Steve]

I know we are supposed to not use palm oil in cooking/products because of environmental devastation.

OS

[WhiteTara]

1. Nope. There are many detergents that are

environmentally responsible and I don't this oil would be a good surfficant anyway.

[crazycatlady]

2. Years ago I tried an 'organic' laundry detergent

IIRC it was Trader Joe's brand.

I was not happy with it. I've noticed that it got the clothes clean but did not remove the odors (for example a smelly pair of socks was visibly clean but still smelled like feet) even when I added baking soda to the load.

If someone could find an effective green detergent (preferably unscented) that gets clothes clean and removes odors, please let me know. Right now I'm using Arm and Hammer (good sale on them at the grocery store).

[TexasProgresive]

3. I don't know of good detergents for the environment that work well, but I learned something

I am a road cyclist. The clothes we wear are made of synthetic fabrics. Odors can build up in them. What I found that works very well is the following:
Use cold water on delicate cycle, add detergent and washing powder (borax), DO NOT use fabric softener but fill the softener dispenser with white vinegar. Drip dry. The odor of the vinegar will not linger. The final thing is to drip dry if possible. The high heat of a dryer tends to bake odors into the fabric.

For the dirty socks try my method and go a head and use the dryer. We use a detergent without added scent and all of our clothes smell like nothing out of the dryer or off the line, sunshine is great.

[dixiegrrrrl]

5. I use vinegar a LOT for lots of things.

Spray bottle of straight vinegar kills all fungus/mold in our shower.
I dump a cup down the sink drains couple times a month, kills odors, and fruit flies.
Same in toilet tanks, even tho it is diluted a lot by the water, it works, or even in the bowl, let sit over night...presto.
i use it in the dishwasher instead of that chemical stuff that prevents spots.
Kitchen counters get wiped down with it, and the cutting board also.

Good stuff. Nice and cheap.

[TexasProgresive]

6. If you use my tip- don't put it in with the detergent which is base and will be neutralized

by the acid vinegar. It is great stuff and relatively cheap. I'm going to try your toilet tank tip- we have very hard water.

[dixiegrrrrl]

8. Mr. Dixie just reminded me...

When we were using the "drop in the tank" commercial pellets, which were made of compacted bleach, the bleach ate some of the rubber tank parts, and he said best use vinegar in the BOWL,overnight, to clean any stains.

[Omaha Steve]

13. Great example

Thanks!

OS

[hunter]

10. Borax is like magic for dog bedding and smelly socks...

... but depending upon where your sewage ends up, it's not so good for the environment.

If you are using wastewater from your washing machine to irrigate landscaping, you definitely don't want to use borax. Small amounts of boron (measured in parts per million) are essential for normal plant growth, but too much is toxic to plants.

There are technologies for removing boron from domestic wastewater, at sewage treatment plants for example, but they are expensive and not widely implemented.

Ordinary washing soda (sodium carbonate) is an alternative, and often a large component of powdered laundry detergents, but it's not as good as borax for washing smelly laundry.

I'm intolerant of scented laundry detergents and any kind of fabric softener.

[Blue_true]

12. Pre soak the difficult cloths in water with a small amount of white vinegar and regular bath soap in

it. Then wash them using your environmentally sensitive detergent. Ivory soap is the best soap because it is simple and dissolves in water well. Pre soak for at least 3 hours, overnight is ideal.

[Rollo]

4. Method brand detergent is relatively benign and works well...

Enough for most loads. I still use a powder for heavily soiled laundry.

[Omaha Steve]

7. We have used Method, Green Works, Mrs Meyers, Dr Bronner's, etc in the past with great results

After our 23 year old Kenmore died, we got a new top rated cleaning HE front loading Maytag (MADE in USA) washer early this year. We want to avoid standard (petroleum based) detergents. We have been experimenting.

We know using avocados, almonds, and palm oil are no no's in general for various environmental reasons.

We bought a bottle of the new plant based Tide Pure Clean: https://tide.com/en-us/shop/type/liquid/tide-purclean

Tide purclean™ is a formula made with 100% renewable wind power electricity* and is made at a site that sends zero manufacturing waste to a landfill. It is also formulated to be free of dyes, chlorine and phosphates. The formula contains water, plant derived surfactants, coconut derived cleaning agent, plant derived processing aid, bio-derived enzymes, mineral based enzyme stabilizer, pH adjuster, chelant, and for scented variance, fragrance (Honey Lavender scent only).

1st plant-based detergent with the cleaning power of Tide (65% plant-based)
USDA Certified Tide liquid laundry detergent
Formula made with 100% renewable wind power electricity
This product is made at a zero manufacturing waste to landfill site
It is designed free of dyes, chlorine, phosphates or optical brighteners (unscented variant is also free of perfumes)
Available in Honey Lavender scent and Unscented variants
*The same facility also uses steam power; electricity represents approximately 50% of total energy used.

We have had great results. Love the light scent version.

So is this a responsible plant based choice?

OS

[BannonsLiver]

9. Yes, it is.

[burrowowl]

11. I recommend Bio-Green Clean

all around cleaner, plant based, worked better than Dawn on oily birds. Check it out.