SHOP SMART
Next time you’re stocking up on laundry essentials, choose some of these greener options that we love
Plastic-free
Smol delivers detergent with lower levels of chemicals in plastic-free fully recyclable packaging direct through your letterbox. You can even try it out for free (just pay the £1 postage). Smol laundry capsules, £4.50 for 24, smolproducts.com.
Bulk buy
Save the planet by splashing out on the largest box of detergent you can find. We like this 10 litre box containing a refillable bag, which is fragrance and dye-free and made from natural soy and chicory root. Bulk laundry liquid, £55.50, wearth london.com.
Ditch the detergent
Planet and purse-friendly ecoegg replaces detergent using essential oil-fragrance pellets inside a reusable capsule to produce natural foam that lifts dirt from material fibres. Laundry egg, £9.99 (7p per wash), Lakeland.
Green clean
Shopping for a new washing machine? Refer to sust-it.net’s top 10 machines for eco-efficiency. We’d pick the LG Turbowash360™ F4V910WTSE with a 10.5kg capacity, £819.98, lg.com.
Gently does it
Worried about your delicates? Turn to kair’s wool, silk and delicates wash, £18 from kair.care, fragranced with cedarwood, amber and iris. Formulated with plant-based ingredients and zero harmful chemicals, this detergent can be bought in a glass bottle or refill pouch.
Simple swap
Ditch the plastic in favour of refill pouches and glass bottles. Not only do they look a lot nicer when on display, recycled styles are better for the environment, too. Dunelm do a range of eco-cleaning alternatives, we love these Eco-recycled spray
bottles in Amber, £4 each, that can be used to store detergents, stain-removers and conditioners.
Twice as nice
A firm favourite in many ecoconscious households, Method products not only look and smell good, but do good, too. Their products are cruelty-free and future-friendly. Try the peony blush concentrated laundry detergent, £9, teamed with the tropical coconut fabric softener, £4.99, for a scent-sational wash.
Easy win
Morrisons have launched an eco-cleaning range that’s not only greener, but affordable, too. It includes a tropical non-bio laundry liquid and fabric conditioner, from as little as £1 per litre. So next time you’re doing the weekly shop, bung these bargains in your shopping trolley.
Try powder
It might seem old-fashioned, but swapping to a laundry powder by bide can make a big difference. Bide’s whole range is biodegradable, vegan and supplied in eco-friendly packaging. The company is working to address unemployment in marginalised communities, too, with its home manufacturing network that sees cleaning products handmade at kitchen tables around the UK. Ecofriendly laundry powder, £10.40, bideboxes. com.
On brand
Stick with companies who you know have a green ethos. A brand like Faith In Nature, that has been using 100% recycled and recyclable bottles since 1999, saving 340 tonnes of plastic from landfill. They have refill stations around the country, or you can buy a big refill bottle of your own to have at home. Aloe vera and rosemary laundry liquid, £25.99 for 5l, faithinnature.co.uk.
Shop small
Try using a zero-waste shop, either on the high street or online, for supplementing your weekly shop. You’re sure to find independent brands at affordable prices, without impacting the planet. Try Mint Green for household products, like this Bondi Wash laundry wash, £18, mintgreen.store.
Feel-good factor
If you want to ditch fabric conditioner – after all, it’s another chemical you’re pouring down the drain – try adding 10-15 drops of your favourite essential oil to a jam jar of white vinegar. The vinegar leaves clothes fluffy and reduces static and gives your machine a clean at the same time, while the oil leaves them smelling wonderful.