The Best Non-toxic Baby Laundry Detergent 2023

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These days, there are so many non-toxic laundry detergents on the market, but what is the best non-toxic baby laundry detergent?

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Why you should re-think your baby laundry detergent

The skin is the largest organ in our body and laundry products can be one of the biggest offenders of harmful ingredients. It absorbs everything we put on it; lotions, body washes, sunscreens, and laundry detergent. Most people understand the lotion and body wash part, but a lot of people forget about laundry detergent.

That stuff we wash our clothes in, put on our bodies for all day and night. Yeah, that stuff sinks into our skin as well and is probably one of the most important things to clean up in your journey to a non-toxic lifestyle. In this post, I will be sharing the best non-toxic baby laundry detergent that will boost your mom life to the max.

What is truly important in baby buying

When my first child was born almost 7 years ago, I remember getting so many instructions as to what the baby needed. Bassinet, swing, burp cloths, car seat recommendations, what onesies to buy, and that I NEEDED this specific baby laundry detergent. New parents are bombarded with products are child will need and all the tips and tricks to be the best parents.

If you are reading this post I am sure you are aware of that certain laundry detergent I am referring to. That one that targets new babies with that “newborn smell” scent but filled with toxic chemicals. Let me tell you, the minute I picked up that detergent and washed her clothes in it, my whole laundry room filled with that amazing artificial “newborn smell” scent and just loved it. I loved that every time I opened her drawers that scent would hit me in the face and it was just so lovely.

This was before I started my non-toxic living journey of course. The scent now gives me a headache every time I smell it on a baby. Hopefully, you are fed up with conventional detergents and with the marketing antics consumers are sold to and ready to make an important swap for your little one.

Ingredients in baby laundry detergent

• C10-16 Pareth-this is a surfactant(or what cleans) and it is rated a “D” “HIGH CONCERN Likely hazards to health or the environment”on EWG
• Sodium C10-16 Alkylbenzenesulfonate-  another surfactant/cleaning agent’ rated a “c” MODERATE CONCERN
• Sodium Salts Of C12-18 Fatty Acids suds reducer rated “c” MODERATE CONCERN Some potential for hazards to health or the environment on on ewg
• Sodium borate – a stabilizer is rated a “5” which is a moderate hazard
• Synthetic Fragrances(artificial fragrances)- a slew of up to 4,000 unregulated chemicals can cause allergic reactions

• Propylene Glycol- used as a solvent. EWG rates this an “A” which surprises me because this is used as a “less toxic” anti-freeze” It is the less toxic version of Ethylene glycol. It is an ingredient I wouldn’t want to be absorbed into my skin.

There is good news though! There are much safer options out there for your baby some of which even “smell good”

What Does an EWG rating mean?

You might be confused as to what all these letter and number ratings mean when I am referring to “EWG rating.” The EWG stands for “Environmental Working Group” EWG is a non-profit largely funded by individual donations and grants from charitable foundations.

Their mission is as follows:

Our mission is simple: To empower you with breakthrough research to make informed choices and live a healthy life in a healthy environment.

EWG has been around since 1993 advocating for the consumer so they know what they are putting on and in their bodies. Industry loopholes from businesses that don’t want you to know the ingredients and outdated legislation are the driving force behind EWG.

They have a whole team of scientists, policy experts, and lawyers that have come up with a whole database for consumers that scores tens of thousands of personal care products, cleaning products, tap water, and other chemicals being made and put into our environment.

They have ratings for specific products “EWG certified” to F.  Obviously, the lower rating products are most likely products to steer clear from. I am only comfortable with using products with no lower than a “B” rating. 

With specific ingredients they have numeric ratings from 1-10. 1-2 are low hazard, 2-6 are moderate hazards and 7-10 are high hazard.

Check them out here

Best natural baby laundry detergents

All of the brands included here include detergents that are great for tough baby stains. They are free of synthetic dyes, volatile organic compounds and use non-toxic ingredients. The best baby detergent brand of all time is Molly’s Suds. Molly’s Suds is known for its great natural detergents and came out with a laundry detergent specifically for babies recently and I was over the moon excited. 

This detergent is made for blowout and spit-up stains without the harsh chemicals. As a mom who used to use cloth diapering, I wish this was out when I did! This formula is made as well for cloth diapering. 

They have an unscented and “sweet baby shea” which honestly smells so fresh without the headache from toxic ingredients. They list their ingredients which most brands do not. Check out the ingredients below:

Mollys Sud’s Baby Laundry Detergent ingredients:

• Sodium Carbonate sourced from the Green River Basin in Wyoming
• Sodium Bicarbonate
• Magnesium Sulfate (Heptahydrate)
• Unrefined Sea Salt
• Naturally occurring Enzymes (Protease, Mannanase, Lipase)
• Natural Fragrance*

Their natural fragrance is plant-derived from essential oils and natural ingredients.

The baby detergent is hypoallergenic and specifically formulated with enzymes that break up hard stains like baby poop. If you know, you know! 

It can be used in any washer, standard, high efficiency(HE), and commercial. It is super concentrated so a little goes a long way, and provides up to 120 loads.

Not only does it have amazing ingredients, but it also outperforms all detergents I have used for baby garments. It truly gets out the baby blowout stains. If it was a rough blowout (which happens way more often these days) there is nothing a good stain spray- Molly’s Suds has a great one, Molly’s Suds baby detergent, and putting clothing out in the sun for a little bit can’t do. Check out their non-toxic baby laundry detergent here

Another key point, I also add I use their oxygen brightener or Branch Basics oxy boost as an add-in to help boost any brightening/whitening powers but you don’t need to!

Tips:

Opposite to what we are usually told for stains using cold water, Hot water works best on formula, poop & spit-up stains. 

If you must use cold water, pre-treat with  Stain Remover Spray and use an extra 1-2 scoops of powder.

If your home has hard water, add ½ cup of white vinegar to balance the pH level. Vinegar is a natural fabric softener! Use as a laundry booster for extra dirty or stained loads — it’s a safe, natural bleach alternative.

An amazing mission

The founder of Molly’s Suds, Monica unfortunately delivered a stillborn baby and started asking some hard questions.  She was also a nurse and wanted some answers she couldn’t find herself. After she began researching what goes on and in our bodies these days, she found out that only 200 of 80,000 chemicals were approved for human safety. Chemicals which are now found in the umbilical cords of newborn babies. So we know now that these toxic ingredients get into our skin and therefore reach our bloodstream. Monica knew that we as consumers deserved better so a great product, Molly’s Suds was formed in honor of her baby, Molly. Molly’s Suds pride themselves on clean ingredients and they prove that with their “A” rating in the EWG system.

Cost per load: 0.21 cents per load on Amazon

Cost per load on Thrive Market: 0.20 center per load

If you are new to Thrive Market and what it is, check out my post on it here!

Good choice non-toxic baby laundry detergent options

Molly’s suds Regular detergent- 

I have been a regular user and super fan of Molly’s Suds for over 3 years now. They have a powdered form and now a liquid laundry detergent. Their products not only perform extremely well, are budget friendly and they have a great mission. Before their baby laundry detergent even came out, I used their regular detergent for all my baby clothing, even cloth diapers and it still worked wonders!

Cost per load: 0.16 per load on Amazon

Biokleen

Biokleen is a newer detergent for me. I just started recently experimenting with it for our family laundry and I like it! It has a light citrus smell from natural essence and it cleans very well. I threw in some baby onesies and it cleaned them very well. I wouldn’t say it got blowout stains as well as Molly’s Suds did, but as I said previously there is no stain the sun cannot take out! 

Cost per load on Amazon: 0.10 cents per load

NaturOli Soap Nuts

Okay, this one surprised me! Hear me out on this one as it sounds a tad bizarre. Have you ever heard of a soap nut before? In essence, a soapnut is a nut made from saponin which is a natural soap. It produces a lather when they are mixed with water. They are wild-harvested, sun-dried Sapindus Mukorossi fruit from the Himalayas of India and Nepal.

I had some big doubts when I tried these out, but they worked amazingly! You put 7-8 of the soap nuts into this little bag that is included, soak the bag in hot water if you plan to use hot water during wash for about 5 min, and then throw them in the washer in the bag. If you plan to use cold water you can throw them in right away.

I noticed the soap lather immediately when I placed them in the warm water to soak. The clothing came out super clean and no lingering scents or anything. This is a great option for babies or a family who is very sensitive to even the lightest scents. It is the best choice for delicate skin. This brand is organic and packaged in the U.S. You want to be careful about the brand and quality bought as there are a lot made in China and not as high quality as this brand. Safe for delicates, silks, wools, & organic fabrics. Excellent for cloth diapers and one of the better non-toxic baby laundry detergent options!

Cost per load on Amazon-0.05 cents per load!

ECOS Laundry Detergent-

This was also a newer to me laundry detergent. I tried out the unscented and it worked well. It’s made entirely from plants and has a built-in fabric softener. It is also hypoallergenic and dermatologist-tested so great for baby clothes.

You will notice with all of these detergents that they are all ultra concentrated so way less detergent is needed. Ultimately saving you money!

Cost per load on Amazon-0.17 cents per load

Branch Basics-

This was the very first non-toxic product swap I did almost 6 years ago and I have used them ever since. If you are new to Branch Basics, they are an awesome company that formulated an all-in-one formula that is a multipurpose cleaner, bathroom cleaner, and laundry cleaner all in one. Branch Basics was founded by three wonderful women, two of whom completely healed their chronic illnesses by switching over to non-toxic cleaning products. 

What is cool is they send you one bottle of the “concentrate” and you can choose to purchase the cleaning bottles as well, which now have a glass option I love it! You take the bottle of concentrate, fill up the bottles to the recommended line on the bottle, and fill the rest with water. You know have your cleaning solution. They have a laundry option as well. It works fabulous and is so gentle, especially for those baby clothes.

They also have a non-toxic oxygen boost/ whitener that works great on stains! All you do is spray the stain down with their all-purpose (or their bathroom spray if it is a really bad stain) apply the oxygen boost, rub it in, and let it sit for about 5-10 min. Throw it in with your clothes and let it work its magic!

You can get $10 off your first order here!

Price per load: 

1 bottle of Branch Basics concentrate can give you 3 bottles EACH of all-purpose ($2.90 per bottle), bathroom ($5.80 per bottle), streak-free ($0.20 per bottle), and foaming hand wash ($2.90 per bottle), and 64 loads of laundry ($0.24 per load).

Truly Free

Ok, I  am sure you have seen this brand being pushed by influencers all over the internet as the newest and best non-toxic laundry detergent out there. And while it did clean the clothes great, and has great ingredients, I won’t continue to use the product. I have a very sensitive smell these days and their signature scent of laundry detergent almost smelled like a conventional detergent to me. 

This might be an awesome choice though for someone who wants to switch over to the non-toxic side of laundry but needs that certain “smell”

They also do have an unscented version which I have not tried. They send you a laundry bottle in which you fill up with water to almost the top and then put the pack of detergent in and mix it up. 

Cost per load on Amazon 0.27 cents per load

My other non-toxic baby laundry essentials:

Mollys suds stain spray

Mollys Suds Oxygen Brightener

Branch Basics Oxyboost

What is the safest baby laundry detergent?

In my opinion, if you do your research and look up ingredients on the EWG website, I would say any detergent that rates an “EWG certified through a B” is safe for baby laundry detergent. The least ingredients possible is the end goal so Molly’s Suds, NaturOli, or Branch Basics would be my top choice for baby laundry.

What should not be in baby laundry detergent?

Any of the ingredients I listed above, along with these:

• Optical Brighteners
• Formaldehyde
• Phosphates or 1,4 dioxane
• Petrochemicals
• Nonylphenol ethoxylates
• Synthetic Fragrance

Which laundry detergent is toxic-free?

All of the above-mentioned laundry detergents are all non-toxic!

Any of the above mentioned in this post, or any laundry detergents with ratings no lower than “B” on the EWG database

Luckily, there are so many options these days for non-toxic detergent!

Which laundry detergent works best for babies?

Molly’s Suds baby laundry detergent is the best in my opinion, because it is made specifically for babies and the tough stains that come with babies. 

It is hypoallergenic and gentle for even the most sensitive skin.

Do you really need baby laundry detergent?

Of course not! If you have a great non-toxic detergent that works well for you, go with that! As I mentioned previously, I used the regular Molly’s Suds detergent long before they came out with a baby version and it worked amazing! I just truly love how gentle yet tough on blowout stains the Molly’s Suds baby detergent is while still smelling good!

Laundry detergent was one of the first easy changes I made when transitioning to a more non-toxic lifestyle over 6 years ago. It truly has changed my life. I cannot even walk down the laundry detergent aisle at the store now without getting a headache.

Our bodies truly adjust to our environments for better or for worse! I am a huge fan of starting small in your non-toxic living journey and making small, sustainable, budget-friendly choices when possible. I believe laundry detergent can be one of the biggest health risks, especially for the littlest bodies.

Hopefully, you found this blog on the best non-toxic baby detergent helpful, let me know down in the comments which one you tried and your thoughts!

If you enjoyed this post make sure you check out my previous posts!