Plastic Laundry Jugs: There’s Nothing Clean About Them

You’ve spent all day doing the laundry. And it was gross. You’re not sure what your youngest did to her shirt, but you’re pretty sure she went through basic training. Nevertheless, you persisted.

And with each load, that 50-lb. plastic jug started feeling lighter and lighter. Your biceps are cut, but now the bottle is empty.

So you toss it. You buy another one. You do the laundry; you toss that one. On and on the cycle goes.

And there’s no guilt. Why should there be? You’re completing a chore, so you’re doing something that should make you feel proud.

The problem is, while those giant plastic jugs are great at cleaning clothes, they’re terrible for the environment.

Your Laundry Detergent Needs To Confess To Its Crimes

In North America alone, more than 30 billion loads of laundry are run every single year. That astronomical number adds up to about 900 million laundry jugs being tossed out annually.

It’s estimated that only 30 percent of these plastic jugs are recycled. That means 630 million plastic jugs are finding their way into North American landfills on a yearly basis.

Ouch.

And to make matters worse, these jugs are made of some of the worst plastic around: high-density polyethylene. Not only are they clogging up landfills, they’re made from petroleum or natural gas.

Even If You Recycle, These Jugs Are Still Problematic

One of the major problems about these jugs isn’t what they’re made of, but the amount of water they contain. Liquid laundry detergents, in non-concentrated form, are made up of 60 to 90 percent water.

The water isn’t even necessary — you can certainly locate concentrated detergents. But large bottles stand out in grocery aisles, meaning the water is a marketing ploy, not a chemistry need.

But it’s just water, right? What’s the issue? Well, the water itself isn’t the problem. Everyone is okay with water. The problem is the weight of that excess water. You see, by adding that much water in order to have larger, more marketable bottles of detergent, you’re weighing down and limiting the amount of space on the trucks that transport that detergent across the continent.

That means more trucks are on the road, working harder than they need to work, spewing their exhaust into the atmosphere, just so we can have big, shiny, plastic jugs filled with unnecessary water.

Let’s Talk About Chemicals While We’re At It

It’s hard to think of something that cleans as being toxic and bad for the environment, but, well … here we are.

Inside those plastic jugs of detergent is a veritable chemistry set. While not every brand has every single toxic chemical in them, you can certainly expect to find some, including phosphates, dyes, formaldehyde and more. We’re not going to dive into every single dangerous chemical; instead, we’re going to focus on three of the most dangerous — and most common — chemicals in liquid laundry detergent.

1. Sodium lauryl sulfate – This guy is known to contribute to all sorts of health problems, including cancer, endocrine disruption and good-old-fashioned skin irritation.
2. 1,4 dioxane – This one even shows up on the CDC’s list, being known for liver and kidney problems, as well as nervous system issues.
3. Nonylphenol ethoxylate – More endocrine disruptions here, and it has been shown to mimic estrogen, confusing your body as to which is which.

So, what’s a person to do? We love the earth, but we also don’t want to smell last week’s workout on our new gym shirt.

Luckily, there’s an incredible, sustainable alternative that carries all of the cleaning power of those big jugs of laundry detergent without any of the environmental hang-ups that should give every one of us pause.

A detergent free from toxic chemicals. A detergent that is held in remarkably small, earth-friendly packaging.

Meet Net Zero Strips Laundry Detergent

They are ultra-concentrated, hypoallergenic and completely ecofriendly.

Never deal with the weight or waste of those bulky plastic jugs ever again. Our detergent strips are designed to work in any washing machine, including sensitive HE machines. Top load or front load … it doesn’t matter.

Plus, they easily dissolve in hot or cold water, so the washer settings don’t matter — just toss a pre-measured strip in with your dirty clothes, turn on the machine and walk away. When you come back, your clothes will be incredibly clean. Net Zero Strips deliver a powerful clean every time that:

• Eliminates tough stains
• Keeps colors bright
• Restores whites

What’s more, our detergent strips are as ecofriendly as possible. There’s no plastic in this zero-waste, compostable packaging.

And the size! The packaging is so small it barely takes up any space at all. And because each strip weights a miniscule three grams, they create 94 percent less transportation pollution than their plastic jug counterparts.

Net Zero Strips are designed for even the most sensitive skin, and they come with a whole host of certifications, including:

• Paraben free
• Phosphate free
• No dyes
• No chlorine bleach
• No 1,4 dioxane (as certified by independent laboratory tests)
• Readily biodegradable in accordance with OECD 310D
• Completely vegan — no animal-based ingredients or animal testing by us or our suppliers

And since no toxic chemicals are going into your laundry, no toxic chemicals are being flushed out into the water supply.

Want to take your ecofriendly laundry routine a step further? Here’s a few things you can do:

• Lose the dryer sheets, and turn to reusable wool dryer balls. These little wonders bounce around the dryer, keeping clothes from sticking together and adding another layer of drying power.
• Is it really dirty? If you didn’t spill something on that shirt or get it sweaty, it probably has another wear or two in it.
• Switch to only using cold water.
• Air dry your clothes if you have the ability to.

With Net Zero Strips Laundry Detergent, you can get the same level of clean as the top liquid detergents with none of the guilt. And just like every other item we sell, we plant a tree with every order, and we ensure all shipping is 100% compostable and free of plastic.