We Finally Found The Best Nontoxic Laundry Detergent Of 2025 (Based On Reviews)

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When you spot a stain of unknown origin while you're sorting through a pile of dirty clothes, it might seem like your laundry room turns into a mad scientist's laboratory. But behind all the bubbly bottles, foaming sprays, and scented sheets, the scariest thing is often what ingredients are hiding inside traditional detergents. Typically full of synthetic fragrance, optical brighteners, and phosphates, actual scientists are linking laundry detergents to skin irritation, respiratory issues, and even hormone disruption. There isn't just evidence that traditional laundry detergents are bad for your body. Most are packaged in super-sized plastic jugs that pile up in landfills where chemicals leech into the soil, or worse, in burn piles that emit harmful greenhouse gases. And, since liquid detergents are mostly water, they're heavy and expensive to ship, further increasing your overall carbon footprint every time you wash a load. Fortunately, there's a booming trend toward nontoxic, biodegradable, and plant-based products like Clean People Laundry Detergent Sheets, which is the best nontoxic laundry detergent of 2025 according to thousands of reviewers.

Although laundry detergent sheets are still a relatively new idea, thousands of people appreciate their ability to deliver a powerful clean without the plastic jug. Lightweight and mess-free, they also drastically reduce waste. While they're not the most affordable eco-friendly laundry detergent sheets on the market, Clean People Laundry Detergent Sheets are hypoallergenic and contain no optical brighteners, synthetic dyes, phosphates, parabens, or sodium lauryl sulfates. Clean People claims the Canada-made laundry detergent sheets work in any temperature cycle of top or front loading washing machines. Available in fragrance-free or several scented options including lavender and peppermint, the product is also septic-safe.

Professional product reviewers, regular everyday users, and random Redditors alike overwhelmingly love Clean People Laundry Detergent Sheets. It's an Amazon Choice product, selling over 20,000 boxes each month through the mega-site, although you can also find it competitively priced at Walmart or on Clean People's website. The sheets receive tons of praise for how well they dissolve in various water temperatures without leaving weird residue that makes fabric feel stiff, a common complaint with other laundry sheet brands. Although perspectives vary on which scent is the best, many reviewers appreciate that their clothes come out of the washing machine smelling fresh but not overpowering. That quality also makes it a top choice for those with sensitive skin that's easily irritated by synthetic fragrances, one of the toxic laundry room staples to avoid using at all costs.

Along with the overall cleaning power, Clean People Laundry Detergent Sheets also receive high marks related to their nontoxic packaging. Sold in a simple recyclable box, reviewers appreciate that their sheets take up way less space on laundry room shelving than jugs. Several users mentioned how easy it is to tear the sheets for small loads, while others recommended using several if your clothes are seriously soiled. Many highly recommended these sheets for travelers or seniors who want to remain independent, describing them as an outstanding choice because they are much lighter and easier to use than lifting, measuring, and potentially spilling heavy bottles or messy powdered detergents. Reviewers of all ages appreciate the product's overall simplicity so much that they've signed up for Clean People subscriptions (which also comes with a hefty discount.)

To identify the best nontoxic laundry detergent, we began with broad research across dozens of "best of" lists compiled by eco-friendly lifestyle blogs, health publications, news organizations, and household product reviewers. This allowed us to capture a wide range of detergents that are marketed as clean and green. From there, we narrowed down those recommendations based on product availability at major national retailers, including Amazon, Target, and Walmart, to ensure our final selection was accessible to a wide audience.

Next, we filtered the remaining products by overall customer rating, limiting our selections to products with four star reviews or higher. Then, we organized them by total number of reviews. This step helped us separate highly praised but little-known products from those nontoxic laundry detergents that have earned consistent approval across thousands of users. From our final contenders, we began examining ingredient claims and packaging. Every product in traditional plastic jugs was eliminated, because even if a detergent itself is nontoxic, plastic packaging can leech into the environment, which contradicts the overall idea of sustainability.

Finally, we checked product safety against the Environmental Working Group's (EWG) Guide to Healthy Cleaning. While not every product carried an official EWG rating, none of the top three finalists failed EWG's testing criteria. Ultimately, our selection leaned heavily on consumer experience, reviews, and ratings, rather than laboratory testing or ingredient specifics.