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Conventional laundry detergents found at local stores are full of known toxins that are dangerous to people, aquatic life and the environment as a whole. If you are concerned about the quality of water, protecting our water system, oceans, and family, greening your laundry detergent is an important step in the right direction.
‘It is not too late, but it is urgent to realise the need and essential value of water for the good of mankind.” Pope Francis
Why Try Molly’s Suds Brand?
After some research on the dangers of laundry detergents (including this fairly-comprehensive article from Mercola.com) and their safer, greener alternatives, I found that other eco-friendly, green-minded people favored these 4 safe laundry detergents, with Molly’s Suds clearly on top. Three times as many people favored Molly’s Suds for its safety, effectiveness, and affordability over the others. There were still a few who feel the Molly’s brand didn’t work as well as they would like, but overall, it was the clear top choice.
About Molly’s Suds
In addition to being a popular eco-friendly choice, Molly’s Suds has a very sad, but loving story. The brand was brought about by the loss of baby Molly from stillbirth. Her mother, Monica, though understanding that Molly is “serving our mighty God” in ways we can’t understand, she made it her quest to better understand the reasons for stillbirth and found that toxins (including those in laundry detergent) are contributing causes. You can learn more about Monica’s story here: The Molly’s Suds Story. For those of us who are parents, we know that protecting our children is our number one goal. Monica, turned her heartbreak into mission in order to help protect her own children and ours by creating the Molly’s Suds line of safe and environmentally friendly products.
Molly’s Suds offers several great eco-friendly laundry products.
Testing Molly’s Suds
I have tested two of Molly’s Suds laundry products over the past year: Molly’s Suds All Sports Laundry Wash and Molly’s Suds Laundry Powder. Other than me, our family is all boys, so I’ve tested these two products on a good variety of clothes: normal everyday clothes, my husband’s work clothes (office), preschool boy clothes, dirty, stinky, teen-age boy sports clothes and even stinky dog towels/blankets. They were all washed in a front-loading washing machine with softened hard water, following the directions on the package.
I’m happy to report that overall I’m very pleased. Both products work well for us after being tested for at least 6 months each and I continue to use the Laundry Powder everyday.
Only 1 scoop of product is usually enough for regular loads.
Here are a few more details based on Molly’s Suds Laundry POWDER:
Washing Everyday/Office Clothes & Adding Scent
When following the directions and using one scoop of the product, our clothes came out looking clean and not smelling. Although the product includes organic peppermint oil as one of its 5 ingredients, it’s not a bold smell, even to my sensitive nose. So, for me who likes clothes not-smelling perfumed, it is perfect. My husband however, likes things a little more scented, so for him I add extra essential oils to our dryer balls.
Poofy Organics Laundry Pre-spray is a very effective stain remover.
Washing Preschool Boy Clothes & Stains
I wash his clothes separately, mostly so I don’t lose little socks and always have clean training underwear available. Again, I have had good results with only 1 scoop of detergent. The only time, I’ve had to do anything different is to remove or avoid stains. The Molly’s Suds package recommends pretreating with dish soap or their All Sport liquid, but I haven’t tried it. I use a few sprays of Poofy Organics Laundry Pre-spray as soon as the potential stain occurs then wash normally. It avoids or removes almost every mess my preschool makes, which in my opinion is a miracle worker!
Add Molly’s Suds to the washer before your clothes.
Washing Stinky Teen Boy/Athletic Clothes & Presoaking
For extra dirty clothes or extra-large loads, the Molly’s Sud’s packaging suggests using an extra ½ scoop of product with warm water and either a long soak or longest wash cycle for best results. My machine only has a 20 minute soak feature, so I use all of their suggestions combined (extra powder, soak, and longer cycle) and amazingly, the stink is gone!
Using Laundry Powder from another container is easier to use.
Washing Dog Towels & Blankets
We have two dogs, one who doesn’t get too stinky and one who is the definition of stinky! Our little house dog still has some potty accidents and our extra-large outside dog makes for some very stinking blankets and bath towels. All of these things get two full scoops for Molly’s Laundry Powder and extra soaking time. Dog smell gone. Yay!
Molly’s Suds Oxygen Whitener is only one of their many eco-friendly products.
Washing White Clothes & Molly’s Oxygen Whitener
I almost forgot, I have also used Molly’s Oxygen Whitener. Although I’ve used it, I haven’t tested it. I have only used it preventively as a booster and I’m pleased. With that being said, since I stopped using chemical bleach, my “white” standards have been lowered. I’m OK with a little less than bright white in order to avoid bleach and environmental problems it causes.
Leaving the washer door open can avoid a mildew smell.
A Few Other Notes About Molly’s Suds Products
Other people have reported that their clothes do not get the same great results that I get and others have said it’s the greatest product ever. When trying to trouble shoot some of the problems, here are some of the suggestions made by those who love and recommend Molly’s Suds:
- Especially if you have a front loading machine, presoak very dirty or very stinky clothes in a sink or a bucket of warm water for at least 30 minutes before washing.
- Sometimes front loaders get a mildew smell that can leave the clothes smelling bad. Leaving the washer door open between loads helps to avoid the mildew and the smell. (It does make a difference!)
- Check to see if your washer needs cleaned. Sometimes soap products build up and leave the washer smelling bad.
- It may not work for everyone. Depending on your water, your machine and your family, what works for most will not necessarily work for everyone.
Molly’s Suds Laundry Powder is effective and affordable.
Molly’s Suds Laundry POWDER Versus Molly’s Suds ALL SPORT Laundry Wash Liquid
Which one is best? I think they are both good products and work well for us. Although I prefer a liquid laundry detergent and think the All Sport cleans athletic clothes with less effort, I personally use the Laundry Powder.
120 Eco-Friendly loads in one bag.
Why I choose Molly’s Laundry Powder
The primary reason is cost.The All Sport liquid washes 32 loads for approximately $12.99 and the Laundry Powder cleans 120 loads for $21.99. When you do the math it works out to a difference of 23 cents less per load for the Laundry Powder.
The second reason is waste. The All Sport liquid holds only 32 loads in a recyclable plastic bottle. The Laundry Powder comes in a non-recyclable pouch, but holds 120 loads. I am able to wash all most 4 times as many loads of laundry with the Molly’s Laundry Powder before buying more, which means less packaging and less waste in the long run.
Note about Molly’s Suds Packaging
Since no recycling symbol is printed on the Laundry Powder pouch, I contacted the company directly to ask about its ability to be recycled. They sent me a very quick and thorough response explaining that they have done their research when choosing packaging and although their currently Laundry Powder pouch is not recyclable, the company that produces them does so with little environmental impact, recycled materials when possible, and non-toxic inks. Also, the plastic pouches they have chosen is food-safe (no plastic leaching) and reduce plastic packaging waste by up to 80% compared to other packaging options. Unlike other powdered laundry options (even natural ones), Molly’s Suds doesn’t use chemical anti-caking agents because of their danger to humans which leaves them fewer safe packaging options. Overall, I am confident that Molly’s Suds is working very hard to make their products as safe as possible and despite the need for use of plastic packaging.
“Molly’s Suds is always looking for better packaging, but it has to keep our product, our first and foremost mission, stable and effective. You can also put your powder in a glass sealing (like a cookie jar) container. It looks really cute in the laundry room as an added bonus!” –Laundry Guru, Molly’s Suds
The directions are easy to follow and I like to keep them handy for the family.
What I like about Molly’s Suds
- Product has only 5, people and earth-friendly ingredients: Sodium carbonate sourced from the Green River Basin in Wyoming, sodium bicarbonate, magnesium sulfate (heptahydrate), unrefined sea salt, and organic (Arvensis) peppermint oil.
- It doesn’t contain any 1,4-dioxane or formaldehyde, other nasty chemicals or artificial fragrances.
- Made and packaged in the USA
- Allergen Conscious: Peanut, Gluten and Coconut Free
- Safe for Septic systems and all washing machine types include HE
- Laundry Powder holds 120 loads per bag and uses only approx. 1 tablespoon for most loads
- The brand’s commitment and dedication to their purpose of providing safe laundry options
Powdered Detergent can be a bit messy.
What I don’t like about Molly’s Suds
- The All Sport liquid, which is a great product, only holds 32 loads per bottle. I’d like to see this in a larger recyclable package.
- The Laundry Powder, is a powder, making it a bit messier than liquid and leaves dust.
- The Laundry Powder comes in a non-recyclable package, although the company is always seeking better options.
- A small percentage of eco-friendly users have reported that it doesn’t work as well as they would prefer for their family.
- I find it inconvenient to use from the bag and choose to put it in my own glass container for easier scooping.
Molly’s Suds is a very good, safe and healthy alternative to mainline laundry detergents.
The Bottom Line
Molly’s Suds is a very good, safe and healthy alternative to mainline laundry detergents. With only 5 ingredients and no synthetic or artificial fragrances, dyes, or optical brighteners, it is very eco-friendly and safe for people and the environment. The All Sport Laundry Wash works well, but is a bit more expensive than my personal choice, The Laundry Powder. The powder is affordable and effective for most laundry types, but may need boosters and/or extra powder for heavily soiled loads.
Have you tried any Molly’s Suds Products? If so, please share your experience. Does it work for your family?
Star Rating and Review Summary [wp-review id=”969″]
This detergent is cruelty-free and vegan, so it’s perfect for people who are sensitive to fragrances, chemicals, and who easily break out with other detergents. We love that you can also use this powder for pretreating. The cleansing action of this powder is very strong. You can pretreat stains using a paste of this powder.