As a mom, you already do so much to protect your family- buckling seat belts, cooking healthy meals and requiring bike helmets. But did you know that the laundry detergent you may be using could contain little-known chemicals called optical brighteners?

When my brothers and I were babies, my parents lived in a 2 story house. My grandmother on the bottom and my parents on the top.  Whenever there was a stain on one of our things that my mom couldn’t get out, she said she would always leave it on the washer. She had no idea how but my grandmother would ALWAYS get the stains out. I wish she had told me the secret!

With 2 boys in the house and a husband who works in a factory, you can probably imagine that their clothes take quite the beating from dirt. I am not big on laundry so anything that will help make my job easier makes me happy!

The Green Works detergent really did a great job on the kids clothes. If you are not really familiar with using laundry products, the directions on both the detergent and the Stain remover are so simple to follow and they are easy to use. One bottle of detergent is good for over 30 loads! I did find that the Green Works Stain Remover work really well on stains that were fresh but not really on things that were already there or missed. I would say this is more to prevent stains than a stain remover.  But in Clorox’s defense, I have yet to find a stain remover that REMOVED preexisting stains.

Green Works Natural Stain Remover – Fight your toughest spills and soils with natural stain-fighting ingredients that clean with the power you expect from Clorox. Our natural stain remover has the power to dissolve spaghetti sauce, chocolate, even grape juice – but is dermatologist-tested, color-safe and won’t leave a harsh, chemical residue. Spray it on: All types of stains and rub in to cover completely. Wait 5 minutes, then wash in warmest water recommended for the fabric.

Green Works Natural Laundry Detergent – Now your clothes, linens and towels can get the Green Works® treatment. Our new detergent is dermatologist tested, safe on colors and made with natural, plant-based cleaning ingredients. And clothes washed in Green Works™ natural laundry detergent won’t leave a harsh chemical residue and are gentle on skin. Yet it still cleans with the power you expect from Clorox. For a dye-and-fragrance-free choice, try it in free & clear. Available in 30-load and 60-load bottles. Specially formulated for both standard and high-efficiency washers. To use: Start washer, add detergent, then add clothes. Fill to line 1 for medium loads, line 2 for larger loads and use more for heavily soiled items. Pre-treat stains by gently rubbing a small amount onto stain and set for 5 minutes.

Photo By AICAD

As a mom of boys ages 2 and 7 and a husband who gets dirty at work, there is always laundry to be washed around here. With that being said, I have decided to do a few blog posts on different products that I am getting to try and which ones I like the best. There are SO many out there that it can be a headache trying to get one that suits your families needs. So, as you can imagine, I go through a lot of laundry detergent and have probably tried them all. Not only are there many brands and scents, but now there are special ones just for front loading washers. Over the course of this year, I was sent several laundry products to try. I am going to touch base on a few products in this post. Wisk 2X Ultra High Efficiency – If you have a front load washer, as I do, this product worked great. This detergent will not overload your washing machine with suds. Doing so can cause damage to your front loader. It did leave behind a few stains on my 2 year olds things on the first wash. I washed them again and the stains were gone. Maybe a little pre-treater or stain booster with this one. It smelled great and like a I have seen a few other people mention, the fill lines on the measuring cup were difficult to see at first glance. It did last an entire month since you have to use so little of it.

Purex Complete 3-in-1 Laundry Sheets – I had mixed feelings about this.  First, I have a front load washer so this may work differently if you have a top load. While I think that the concept is really great and it smelled fabulous, I did have a few issues with this item. If you wash your clothes in hot water this is not a product you want to use unless you ensure that your water temperature is 120 degrees or below. I used the very first one on my 2 year olds clothes in hot water, as I am sure most moms do. The heat from the water pretty much melted off all of the softener strip. I ended up using a dryer sheet anyway.  I am not 100% certain of my water temperature but it is set HOT so this could have been my own issue and not so much the sheet. The detergent smelled wonderful, I didn’t think my entire load smelled good though. Just portions of it which I thought was weird. I washed the next load in cold water to see what would happen to the softener strip then. Some of it was still missing so it may have been the hot water the first time but not the second. Perhaps you naturally lose a little via tumbling and such?

Dropps – I did not have any initial issues with this products use. In my experience with them, I hardly saw any suds at all. These were designed as a deep-cleaning detergent that gets down and dirty on your laundry without a lot of hullabaloo. The packs are 100% Bio-degradeable and can be used in hot OR cold water which I liked.  It worked great and the clothes came out clean. I was able to try the Baby and the Fresh Scent. I personally like the baby scent much better. The Fresh Scent seemed a tad to strong for me and it is very rare that I have enough scent. You can purchase Dropps here.

I hope that you have found this helpful in your search for a new laundry detergent. I would love to hear what one you are currently using and how you like it. Don’t worry if your not brand loyal on this category, neither am I!