When laundry is something we do as often as every week, I believe finding the right laundry detergent for our homes and the environment can actually add to our quality of life.
With that in mind, whether you're looking to lessen your plastic waste, have sensitive skin and want a detergent free of harsh chemicals, or just love that sheets are lightweight, mess-free, and travel-friendly, there are many reasons to switch from liquid laundry detergent to laundry detergent sheets.
But with so many different brands offering eco-friendly detergent strips, it can be hard to find the right sheets for your needs. To answer that question for myself, I compiled a list of the qualities I value most in laundry sheets and ordered some of the top brands on the market to test them against those qualities.
In this Clean People review, I describe how their laundry sheets stood up to my test, and I hope these reviews can bring you one step closer to finding the laundry detergent sheets that add a little extra joy to your Sunday.
Key Takeaways - 3.4/5 Stars
Here's a brief look at the pros and cons of Clean People laundry detergent strips before I go into more detail about my experience.
What I loved:
- Distributed only through their website: By controlling their distribution, Clean People can also control their product's carbon footprint.
- Clean ingredients: Clean People uses cruelty-free, vegan, and plant-based ingredients in their biodegradable laundry sheets.
What could be better:
- Not effective on stains: Although they also offer a natural stain remover, their regular formula did not perform as well as I had hoped, even on average stains.
- More efficient packaging: The box that the sheets came in was perfectly fitted to the product, but a slim envelope like competitors use could lessen paper waste and shipping weight.
- Expensive: While they offer a number of value packs and discount options, those discounts are not enough to put them at a competitive price.
- Chemical scent: Even after my clothes went through the washer and dryer, I felt that the scent on my clothes was overpowering.
Bottom line:
Not a buy. Although Clean People laundry sheets are a better alternative to liquid detergent in many ways, and their value packs are a convenient option, I felt that their cleaning power was not strong enough to justify the price of their sheets.
In the end, I was happier with the brand my family currently uses, HeySunday, which is less expensive and more effective in cleaning my clothes.
Clean People vs. Competitors
Here’s a quick look at how Clean People compares to the other leading sheets brands I tried.
What Are Clean People Laundry Detergent Sheets?
Based in San Francisco, Clean People is an environmentally friendly household cleaner company that offers products such as dryer sheets, dishwasher detergent pods, and, of course, laundry detergent, all made from natural and clean ingredients designed to be better for you and the environment.
Clean People's laundry strips are concentrated laundry detergents made from biodegradable, plant-based ingredients in the form of spongy squares. In addition to their laundry pods, Clean People laundry detergent strips' concentrated formula offers the benefits of liquid laundry detergents without the bulky plastic jugs and wasted water.
Clean People laundry detergent strips come in Fresh Scent, Fragrance Free, as well as an extra-sensitive Baby formula. Although Clean People products are more expensive than other eco-friendly brands, they also offer a few different value-pack options because they have a wider variety of products than other detergent sheet companies.
Ingredients List:
- Vegetable Glycerin
- Starch
- PVA
- Potassium Sorbate
- Light Mineral Oil (not an active product ingredient)
- Cocamidopropyl Betaine
- Sodium Gluconate
- Sodium C14-16 Olefin Sulfonate
- Glyceryl Cocoate
- Lauryl Glucoside
- Residual Water
How Clean People Measures Up Overall
To see how Clean People compares to other laundry detergent sheets, I measured them on a scale from one to five stars in terms of the qualities I value most in laundry strips: eco-friendliness, cleaning power, gentleness, convenience, and cost-effectiveness. Here is how Clean People performed:
Eco-Friendliness: 3.5 stars
Clean People sells a variety of laundry detergent products, including oxygen brightener stain remover and laundry pods. While the company claims these products still use over 50% less plastic and energy waste than liquid laundry detergent, the stain remover is packaged in a plastic pouch, and the pods do use more water to dissolve than laundry strips.
Clean People laundry detergent sheets arrived at my door in this tiny recyclable cardboard box—within another box. I appreciate that this biodegradable approach uses less packaging by being perfectly sized to their product. However, their packaging is not as efficient as HeySunday’s or Tru Earth’s, which feature a slim envelope and no internal packaging to cut down on environmental waste.
For a cleaner concentrate, Clean People's laundry strips are vegan, cruelty-free, paraben-free, phosphate-free, and made using plant-based ingredients.
Pros:
- Recyclable cardboard packaging
- Biodegradable, plant-based ingredients
Cons:
- As a brand, uses more plastic waste than competitors
- Could reduce their paper packaging further
Cleaning Power: 2.5 stars
To measure how well Clean People laundry detergent sheets work on tough stains, I tested them on napkins stained with tomato sauce, olive oil, and wine, all common problems for my Italian family.
Firstly, Clean People laundry detergent strips work well in all washing machines, dissolved completely every time in both hot and cold water, and did leave my clothes feeling softer and brighter than before.
That said, their stain removal power felt non-existent. I recognize that these are some of the toughest stains your clothes, or napkins, will ever face. That said, I also used the sheets on average loads of laundry and have to say I was disappointed with the results.
In the picture above, I have circled a minimal coffee stain, but that’s because I tried hard to lift that stain before I even put it through a wash cycle. I expected a light stain like that to be completely gone after going through the wash, as has been my experience with other laundry detergents in the past, but there was no visible change.
As I mentioned earlier, Clean People also has a stain remover product that may boost the cleaning power of its laundry sheets when used in tandem.
Pros:
- Dissolves in hot or cold water
- Compatible with all washing machines
- Leaves clothes feeling fresh
Cons:
- Did not stand up to most stains
- Requires buying additional products to get the same clean as competitors
Gentleness: 4 stars
Clean People laundry detergent is hypoallergenic, free of dyes or harsh chemicals, and formulated for sensitive skin. Although they are not dermatologist tested, my clothes felt soft and gentle on my skin after going through a load of laundry. Clean People also uses essential oils in their scented formulas and offers natural bleach alternatives.
I was bothered, however, by the smell of my laundry when it came out of the dryer. While they do claim to use essential oils in their scented formulas, I couldn't find a clear list of ingredients on their packaging (though their website has it) and felt that my clothes had an overpowering chemical smell.
Although I do love for my laundry to have a bit of a scent, I wished that I had bought the Fragrance Free option instead because that smell was too strong for someone like me who is sensitive to scent.
Pros:
- Hypoallergenic
- Clothes are soft to the touch
Cons:
- Overpowering, chemical smell
Convenience: 4.5 stars
Clean People's laundry sheets are much more lightweight than liquid detergent, which makes them travel-friendly and convenient to store in the laundry room. The instructions are also clearly written on the back for ease of use, and like other laundry detergent sheets, they are pre-measured, so adding the detergent is as simple as placing a strip onto the floor of your washing machine. Additionally, each square of laundry detergent is perforated, so you can divide them easily for smaller loads.
That said, I do find their square box packaging slightly bulkier than the slim paper packs that HeySunday, Earth Breeze, and Tru Earth use.
Pros:
- Travel-friendly
- Pre-measured perforated sheets
- Mess-free
Cons:
- Slightly bulkier to store than other brands
Cost-Effectiveness: 3 stars
Clean People offers free shipping and returns on all orders in North America. Flexible subscription options, discounts for subscribers, and value packs are also additional perks that customers can enjoy.
A box of 32 sheets comes to about $0.47 per load, while a larger, 96-count box drops the price to $0.34 per load. While less expensive than Tru Earth, their laundry sheets are still not as affordable as brands like HeySunday or Earth Breeze (unless you opt for the bulk box of 192 sheets for $0.28 a load). Nonetheless, the cost was still not worth it to me, considering the lack of cleaning performance.
Pros:
- Discounts for subscribers and value bulk packs
- Free shipping and returns in North America
- Flexible subscription options
Cons:
- More expensive than other detergents
- May have to order extra products to get the clean you want
Would I Recommend Clean People Laundry Sheets?
Unfortunately, I wouldn't. Although Clean People laundry strips are much more convenient to use, better for the environment, and better for your skin in comparison to liquid laundry detergents, these are all benefits that you can find in other laundry detergent sheets. In terms of cost-effectiveness and cleaning power, they did not stand up to my family's current favorite laundry detergent: HeySunday.
When it comes to something that we use as often as laundry detergent, I believe that little things can make a big impact, so I would rather not compromise on the qualities that are important to me. I hope this review helped you to determine what’s important to you and maybe brought you a little closer to finding the laundry detergent sheets that are right for your needs.
