In an effort to reduce plastic waste on the planet, there has been a revolution in the laundry industry in recent years. Brands like Earth Breeze—founded on the mission of producing liquidless laundry detergent sheets stored in biodegradable, eco-friendly packaging—have come out as alternatives to big plastic jugs.
Personally, now that laundry detergent sheets exist, I can't imagine a world in which I go back to using bulky, messy liquid laundry detergent. That said, coming from a big Italian family who views cooking as a religious practice, laundry sheets that can take out tough stains with the same powerful clean as traditional laundry detergent are essential.
With so many different brands now offering laundry detergent sheets, it's hard to know which one best strikes that perfect balance between clean laundry and eco-friendly laundry detergent.
This Earth Breeze review is one of many to come, where I review the top detergent sheets on the market and share my experience. To test how Earth Breeze sheets perform on tough stains, I tested them against the three stains that have most plagued my family: tomato sauce, olive oil, and wine.
Key Takeaways - 4.3/5 stars
Here’s a quick summary of the pros and cons of Fresh Scent Earth Breeze laundry detergent sheets before I explain my experience in more depth.
What I loved
- Their community outreach: Earth Breeze donates 1% of their revenue to nonprofits, and for every pack you purchase, they donate ten loads of laundry to an organization of your choice.
- Hypoallergenic and dermatologist tested: For someone with extremely sensitive skin, their formula is phosphate-free and very gentle.
- Slim packaging: Easy storage and travel-friendly.
- Subtle scent: Their Fresh Scent had no chemical smell.
What could be better
- Packaging: Although the pack itself is biodegradable, it was flimsy and delivered wrapped in plastic (from Amazon).
- Measuring is inconvenient: Each pack comes with 30 unperforated sheets, which are then supposed to be split in half to get the advertised 60 loads. It’s a small but annoying added step to have to divide the half sheets yourself (and likely unevenly).
- Can’t stand up to tougher stains like oil and wine: The average clean worked but left a lot to be desired for tough stains.
Bottom line
Earth Breeze is a great brand for their commitment to all-natural, cruelty-free ingredients and for donating to organizations all across the United States.
That said, their packaging left a lot to be desired and overall the performance did not convince me to switch from my family’s current brand, HeySunday, which offers twice the cleaning power for a similar price.
Earth Breeze vs. Other Brands
How does Earth Breeze compare to the competition? Here’s an analysis of a few of the leading laundry detergent sheet brands I tried.
What Are Earth Breeze Eco Sheets?
Earth Breeze is a company founded on the principles Reduce, Regenerate, Redistribute. To reduce the single-use plastic waste used in packaging, they created their Eco Sheets as an environmentally-responsible laundry detergent.
Eco Sheets are 100% biodegradable laundry detergent sheets in the form of a soft, spongey sheet that breaks down in water to offer the same dissolubility of a traditional laundry detergent but without wasting tons of water.
Earth Breeze laundry detergent comes in Fresh Scent and Fragrance Free options. Made from vegan and all-natural ingredients, Earth Breeze Eco Sheets are cruelty-free, hypoallergenic, and dermatologist-tested.
Ingredients List:
Although they also have a Fragrance Free option, here are the ingredients listed for the Fresh Scent sheets.
- Glycerol
- Primary Alcohol Ethoxylate
- Sodium Dodecyl Sulfate
- Sodium Acetate Trihydrate
- Protease
- Polyvinyl alcohol
- Deionized Water
- Fragrance
- Starch
How Earth Breeze Measures Up Overall
Sustainability and cleaning power are essential requirements of an eco-friendly detergent, but a few other perks of using detergent sheets vs. liquid detergent are the convenience and gentleness on the skin.
For that reason, I decided to measure Earth Breeze on a scale of one to five stars in terms of the things most important to me in a laundry detergent: sustainability, cleaning power, gentleness, convenience, and cost-effectiveness. Here is how Earth Breeze performed:
Eco-Friendliness: 4 stars
Like most laundry detergent sheet brands, Earth Breeze offers concentrated sheets without all the water that traditional liquid detergents have. Their formula is also better for you and the environment because it’s bleach-free, dye-free, and phthalate-free. When I placed my order, I was happy to see that their sheets are packaged in a biodegradable paper envelope.
However, one thing that stood out to me right away when I got my order was that Earth Breeze came to my door wrapped in plastic. Granted, this amount of plastic is nothing compared to huge plastic jugs that are terrible for the environment and rarely get recycled. Though this unnecessary extra packaging was likely Amazon’s doing, it still felt strange for a leading eco-friendly detergent brand like Earth Breeze to deliver their product this way.
When I opened the packaging, I soon learned the potential cause.
The packaging itself is lightweight, but so easily breakable that I can’t see it holding up even in my laundry room. Even if I’d ordered directly from the company instead of Amazon, I still can’t see how this flimsy envelope would have stood up to shipping without it.
Again, other brands like Tru Earth and HeySunday have taken a more efficient approach to solving this problem, so I felt that I had to give Earth Breeze 4 stars in terms of eco-friendliness.
Pros:
- Compostable packaging
- Carbon neutral shipping
- Vegan and animal-friendly formula without harsh chemicals
Cons:
- Delivered wrapped in plastic from Amazon
- Packaging is easily breakable
Cleaning Power: 3.5 stars
When I tested Earth Breeze against my family’s common stains, the sheets completely took out the tomato sauce stain, but against oil and wine, it didn’t perform as well. It did, however, noticeably reduce those stains, so if you are willing to use stain remover products or your own homemade mixture before the wash, Earth Breeze is a decent option.
The sheets completely dissolved even in cold water, and there was no residue left over on my towels. In terms of cleaning power, it performed better than brands like Clean People but not as well as Tide Pods, Sheets Laundry Club, or HeySunday.
Pros:
- Dissolves completely, even in cold water
- No residue left on towels
- The whites looked brighter after a load
- Cleared the tomato sauce stain
Cons:
- Not as tough on oil or wine stains
- Has to be paired with other products for a tougher clean
Gentleness: 5 stars
For someone with sensitive skin, Earth Breeze is a great option. The towels I washed felt soft and didn’t irritate my sensitive skin. The Fresh Scent was also extremely subtle, which for me is a positive, although someone looking for a strong, lasting scent may feel it is no different than the scentless option.
Although this may seem like a given for an eco-friendly detergent brand, I felt that Earth Breeze’s hypoallergenic formula lived up to my expectations in terms of gentleness.
Pros:
- Soft to the touch
- Hypoallergenic and gentle on skin
- The Fresh Scent is extremely subtle
Cons:
- For someone looking for scent, they may feel disappointed.
Convenience: 4.5 stars
The slim packaging of Earth Breeze makes it easily portable for trips, and it takes up virtually no room on the shelf. In comparison to bulky liquid detergent jugs, Earth Breeze is pretty easy to use, the directions are clear, and you tear off a half-sheet to throw in the washing machine.
That said, the packaging itself was difficult to open and tore easily. Additionally, there is a sticky coating on the lid that I have to rip every time I open the package, which tears the packaging more.
Another point that was inconvenient for me was the measuring. The package has 30 sheets that you then need to rip in half and only use a half-strip per wash. It’s a small complaint, which is why I only docked half a point overall, but I accidentally used one whole sheet (instead of the recommended half per load), and then inconsistently ripped these for future loads. For something so easy that could make a difference to the consumer, why don’t they just arrive pre-cut as 60 sheets like other brands?
Pros:
- Thin, easily-portable packaging
- Clear directions
Cons:
- The packaging tears easily
- A sticky seal makes it more inconvenient to open than other brands
- You have to split the sheets yourself without perforation
Cost-Effectiveness: 4.5 stars
The subscription process is very user-friendly, and you can easily adjust how often you renew, from every one to four months. Plus, they always offer free shipping. The Earth Breeze website lists this price as an affordable $0.20 per medium-sized load, but I think that number is a little misleading. Sure, if you follow these instructions, the 30 sheets split into halves will get you 60 loads.
However, due to the weaker cleaning power, it’s unlikely that you would want to use only a half sheet, even in a standard load. Keeping that in mind, the price is maybe more accurately $0.40 per load. That cost is still more affordable than brands like Tru Earth but twice the price of brands like HeySunday.
Pros:
- Flexible subscription options
- Free shipping
- Offers a good discount for subscribers
Cons:
- You may end up using more (and spending more) to get the clean you want
Would I Recommend Earth Breeze Eco Strips?
As an eco-friendly laundry sheets brand, I really respect Earth Breeze’s community outreach and commitment to using cruelty-free and natural ingredients that are gentle on sensitive skin. That said, in terms of sustainability, cleaning power, and cost-effectiveness, I believe other brands have proven stronger.
When taking all of that into consideration, I found that Earth Breeze is an all-around good eco-friendly detergent sheets option, but not my top choice like HeySunday. Hopefully, this breakdown helps you decide what qualities are most important to you in a detergent so you can find the best fit for your laundry needs.
