I am a little obsessed with laundry. It is one household chore I really enjoy. I love trying out different green detergents, dryer balls, boosters and the like. The only downside is having to fold all those clothes and diapers later! Eco-friendly detergents are a big topic in the green parenting world and I have been trying to cover several of them in my ongoing detergent reviews. I have wanted to try Ecover for quite a while and was delighted to have the opportunity to try their new Ecover Zero Detergent.
Ecover Zero is their newish ‘free & clear’ line of detergent. It has no chlorine, fragrance, or optical brighteners. It does have some enzymes, which work well for cleaning and removing stains, but depending on the manufacturer it may void your warranty if you use it on your PUL based diapers. (Since I have a lot of cloth diapering parents as readers, I felt the need to mention this.) However, I have been using it on my diapers and I really like it. in fact, it is my new favorite detergent because it works so well.
Ecover Zero Laundry Powder Ingredients:
Zeolite
Sodium C12-18 Alkyl Sulfate
Sodium Carbonate
Sodium Bicarbonate
Disodium disilicate
Sodium citrate
Sodium polyaspartate
Fatty Acids Methyl Esters Ethoxylates
Aqua
Sodium sulfate
Sodium oleate
Cellulose gum
Trisodium Ethylenediamine Disuccinate
Amylase
Subtilisin
I used about a 1/4 cup in my large top loader and it effectively cleaned diapers and our sweaty work out clothing. This detergent is not nearly as basic as some other brands, but there is no questioning the cleaning power! I personally like a detergent with enzymes for particularly grimy loads because otherwise, the odor never quite leaves the fabric. Ecover Zero powder is quickly becoming my favorite detergent.
Ecover powder is low sudsing and rinses easily , which I like since I hate having detergent residue left on our clothing. I have also used this for a couple weeks on cloth diapers and have not had any build up.
Ecover fabric softener is fairly popular among my peers. It is the only popular cloth diaper friendly fabric softener on the market because it does not cause repelling or buildup.
Ecover Fabric Softener Ingredients:
Aqua
Dipalmitoylethyl Hydroxyethylmonium Methosulfate
Dipropylene glycol
Fragrance
Sorbic acid
Magnesium chloride
Linalool (allergen)
Citronellol (allergen)
I have never been a fabric softener user. Never in my life. Not once did I understand the point of adding more stuff to my laundry routine just to make my clothing soft. I have spent my entire life using very hard water and crunchy, stiff fabric is just a way of life to me. My mother and grandmother also did not and do not use softeners, so I suppose I never new what I was missing. With that said, I obviously do not have anything to compare Ecover Fabric Softener to, other than vinegar and dryer balls. However, I get it now. I have been using it in my last rinse for my cloth diapers, and they come out so incredibly soft, it feels unnatural to me! My husband was pulling some flats out of the pile and actually asked why they were so soft. The fluffy,cozy cloth and light scent are rather nice and I totally get what people love about it now.
Have you been using the fabric softener with every cloth diaper load? I wasn’t sure how often I could use it with mine without causing absorbancy issues???
I am always too nervous to switch our wash routine, you are brave! We have hard water and sensitive skin so I would be interested to see if this works for us, thanks for sharing!
We have hard water and sensitive skin too. Ecover and Biokleen powder are now on top for what works for us. But, my machine has a really short wash cycle so I usually turn it off and let everything soak for an hour.
We have used Ecover’s Fabric Softener and LOVE it!!! In fact, I need to order more! I’ve not tried their powder detergent though – thanks for telling me about it! 🙂
I am afraid of getting hooked on the softener!
I’ve never tried either. I like that the detergent has enzymes. I think the ones that don’t have it don’t really clean all that well.
I have heard so many good things about Ecover! Maybe I will have to try it after this. We are just now going back to “real” detergent after a year of using homemade.
Thanks so much for trying Ecover and blogging about it! We are thrilled to hear that it’s your new favorite detergent … and your story about never having tried fabric softener before is great! We are delighted to hear that you now “get” why some people use fabric softener, and especially that you found Ecover’s version to work wonders. Thank you again for taking the time to review the products. Take care, and enjoy those super-soft diapers!
-Deb for Ecover