Most laundry detergent contains chemicals I'm trying to avoid.
This includes 1,4 dioxane (the EPA says this likely causes cancer), ethoxylated alcohols, synthetic dyes, optical brighteners, SLS/SLES, parabens, phosphates, sulfates & more. Your laundry detergent gets absorbed into your body through your skin (your largest organ) so it's important to know what's in your laundry detergent.
I used several different laundry detergent brands at home. These are the 5 best.
TLDR: SOVELY Laundry Detergent came in #1 because its cleans well, uses plastic-free packaging, has no 1,4 dioxane, SLS/SLES, parabens, phosphates, sulfates, synthetic dyes, and no optical brighteners! I use Sovely in my home and love it.
1. SOVELY Laundry Detergent
Sovely Laundry Detergent blew us away and was our favorite laundry detergent by far, earning 5 stars ★★★★★. It is effective at cleaning and eliminating odors – we washed sweaty gym clothes and kids clothes with stains. All the clothes came out fresh and clean. In other words, it works!
Sovely uses simple, effective ingredients, and doesn't contain harsh chemicals like 1,4 dioxane, optical brighteners, sulfates, phosphates, parabens, chlorine, or synthetic dyes (that's why it's hypoallergenic and certified by Dermatologists).
We love that it's 100% Plastic Free Packaging. That means it's better for the environment than using plastic jugs.
Finally, we love all the great reviews that Sovely has earned, including one from us!
Sovely comes in Fragrance Free and Fresh & Clean Scent. We love the Fragrance Free option but our favorite is Fresh & Clean!
This is what we recommend and use at home and thus earned the #1 spot.
UPDATE: Sovely has a 4-Pack Bundle offer with 64% OFF still live right now on their official website. It's not available on Amazon or anywhere else.
2. Thieves
Thieves earned my #2 spot. Like #1 Sovely, Thieves is made from simple, effective ingredients. While Sovely is a laundry sheet, Thieves is liquid laundry. I love that it is easy to pour. Thieves offers strong cleaning power with clean ingredients and performed well on all my laundry. Thieves comes in an amazing spicy aroma.
The combination of cleaning power, ingredients, and little plastic earned Thieves my #2 spot.
3. Seventh Generation
Seventh Generation came in 3rd place. Free & Clear is a fragrance free formula. Seventh Generation did well at cleaning and removing odors. Seventh Generation uses simple, effective ingredients and is hypoallergenic. However, Seventh Generation's ingredients include ingredients that we don't like. First off, Free & Clear includes SLS (sodium lauryl sulfate) which can cause rashes and harm your skin. Additionally, the detergent includes preservatives (methylisothiazolinone and benzisothiazolinone) that are known to cause extreme allergic reactions in some people.
The plastic laundry detergent bottles are made mostly from recycled plastic which we like. But plastic laundry detergent bottles often end up in the landfill.
We loved the cleanliness. But the 1,4 dioxane & plastic bottle dropped Seventh Generation to our #3 spot.
4. Mrs. Myers
Mrs. Myers came in 4th place. Mrs. Myers is what you think of when you think of clean Laundry Detergent. It has pleasant, garden-inspired scents, plant-derived ingredients, enzymes for cleaning, concentration (little goes a long way), and cruelty-free status. It does have methylisothiazolinone which is a potential allergen and knocked it lower on my list.
We did love the scent and cleaning power, and based on the thousands of reviews that the product has on Amazon, so did many others.
5. Dirty Labs
Great product! And I love their aluminum containers (aluminum is infinitely recyclable which makes it an environmentally friendly option) but it is too expensive to make it make sense.
And The Winner Is…
The winner is SOVELY. Simple, effective ingredients, no gross ingredients, plastic free packaging, powerful at cleaning and stain removal, and you can get a 4-Pack Bundle offer with 64% OFF right now.
#1 SOVELY Fresh & Clean: Buy It Here
#2 Thieves: Buy It Here
#3 Seventh Generation: Buy it Here
#4 Mrs. Myers: Buy it Here
#5 Dirty Labs: Buy it Here
Cynthia
12 Comments
Barbara
March 12, 2026 at 8:14 am
I've been using Sovely for several months and am completely satisfied with my laundry. I also use 7th generation for dish detergent.
Donna
March 9, 2026 at 6:02 pm
I've been using Molly's Suds for laundry and all their other products too for 3 years. Love them.
Karen
March 8, 2026 at 11:47 am
Where is Sovely manufactured?
Cynthia
March 8, 2026 at 2:19 pm
Sovely laundry sheets are made in the USA. Sovely laundry pods & dishwasher pods are Made in the USA too.
Lisa
March 5, 2026 at 7:33 am
SOVELY is the BEST!! My skin is so grateful for switching to it. Skin Cancer sucks and I feel safe with SOVELY. We use the laundry detergent and the dryer sheets……
J. Healy
March 3, 2026 at 4:51 pm
Thank you so much for this info. A real eye opener ❤️
Marie
March 2, 2026 at 9:08 am
Laundry Sheets are a God send for travelers. Weighs nothing & not a liquid if only traveling with carry on.
Phyllis
February 27, 2026 at 1:22 pm
Our washing machine uses the liquid with “he” symbol on it such as the ALL detergent. Can the sheets, your #1 choice be used in all washing machines or just top loading ones?
Cynthia
February 27, 2026 at 3:40 pm
Hi Phyllis – yes you can use Sovely laundry sheets in HE (High Efficiency) washing machines. You can use them in front loaders and top loaders too. You can also use them with hot or cold water temperature washes.
Stephanie
February 24, 2026 at 10:15 am
I've used Sovely Laundry Sheets since August 2023. I love them, they clean great, are easy to use and I love that they're the safest option too.
Janice
February 21, 2026 at 5:56 pm
Thanks for the reminder. Are oxygen brighteners harmful??
Cynthia
February 21, 2026 at 7:12 pm
Janice, oxygen brightener is not harmful, it's a great bleach alternative. Be sure to use chlorine-free and color safe oxygen brightener that has no chlorine. I recommend getting it from the #1 or #2 brand on my list – both make oxy brightener with just 4 safe ingredients.
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