I just returned from spending the last year in Japan, and a phrase I learned there stuck with me. "Chiri mo tsumoreba yama to naru" is a mouthful that means that even dust becomes a mountain when piled together. In other words, small acts make a monumental difference. And while doing laundry may feel like a small part of our daily lives, it’s a task that can have an impact.
Eco-friendly laundry detergent not only makes laundry a bit more enjoyable, it also adds to our quality of life by reassuring us that we're not contributing to the billions of non-recyclable plastics filling our earth with garbage and carbon dioxide. However, beyond the plastic-free benefits, what qualities are most important to you in a laundry detergent? Is it cleaning power, being vegan, or paraben-free?
With so many brands now offering eco-friendly laundry detergent strips, I decided to order Tru Earth laundry strips, as well as some of the other top brands on the market, to see how they measure up against the qualities that I value the most. Then, I wrote a series of reviews to share what I found so that you can answer those questions for yourself.
Tru Earth Key Takeaways - 3.8/5 stars
Before I go into further detail, here's a quick list of the pros and cons that stood out to me and a small summary of my overall impression of Tru Earth’s laundry strips.
What I loved:
- Community outreach: For every $25 spent on Tru Earth laundry strips, they donate an entire month's worth of laundry detergent to one person who is a part of one of the 800+ organizations they work with globally.
- Tru Earth packaging: Tru Earth Eco-Strips are plastic-free. They come in biodegradable packs that were delivered to my door as-is—aside from Amazon's cardboard box.
- Subtle scent: Tru Earth's Fresh Linen Scent was bright and refreshing without having a chemical smell.
- Flexible: Tru Earth Eco-Strips work just as well in cold washes as in hot water.
What could be better:
- Weaker clean: While they do sell a stronger stain-removal formula, it's even more expensive than their already comparatively pricey regular formula.
- Expensive: I can't say for sure why they’re so much pricier than their competitors.
- Distributed by Amazon: Although you can also purchase Tru Earth laundry strips directly from their website, they are also sold on Amazon and, therefore, aren't always in control of their carbon footprint. Amazon also adds further packaging waste around Tru Earth’s envelope.
- Potentially breaks down in humidity: The fact that they started clumping and became sticky after a few days was a concern.
Bottom line:
Not a buy. I really respect Tru Earth for their commitment to eco-friendly detergents and giving back globally.
How Tru Earth Compares to Other Brands
Comparing Tru Earth to its peers reveals a few key strengths and points of difference from HeySunday and Earth Breeze.
What Are Tru Earth Eco-Strips?
Canadian-based Tru Earth was founded by three friends looking to eliminate the billion plastic jugs and microplastics that enter landfills and oceans every year from liquid detergent or detergent pods.
Tru Earth Eco-Strips are thin foam sheets of liquid-free laundry soap. Each one is a pre-measured strip, so you can either use one strip for a large load or half a strip for a small- or medium-sized load. Each square sheet of laundry detergent is perforated, making them easy to separate evenly. That said, I felt that even on a medium-sized load, using the full sheet was more effective.
Tru Earth is one of the most expensive laundry strips, but they also provide the most options. Their laundry strips come in Fresh Linen, Lilac Breeze, and Fragrance Free scents. They also have regular detergent sheets and a Platinum Laundry Detergent that is even more expensive but purports a stronger clean.
Fresh Linen Ingredients List:
- Corn Starch
- Polyvinyl Alcohol
- Glycerin
- Sodium C14-16 Olefin Sulfonate
- Aqua
- Glyceryl Cocoate
- Cocamidopropyl Betaine
- Caprylyl/Capryl Glucoside
- Sodium Gluconate
- Paraffinum Liquidum
- Potassium Sorbate
- Lauryl Glucoside
- C10-16 Olefin
- Sodium Chloride
- Sodium Sulfate
How Tru Earth Measures Up Overall
On a scale from one to five stars, I rated Tru Earth laundry strips based on the qualities that I value most in a laundry detergent: eco-friendliness, cleaning power, gentleness, convenience, and cost-effectiveness. Here is how Tru Earth performed:
Eco-Friendliness: 4.5 stars
Like most eco-friendly detergents, Tru Earth’s sheets are concentrated laundry strips and use significantly less water than traditional liquid detergent, which can be up to 90% water.
True to their claim of eliminating plastic waste, Tru Earth's entire package was biodegradable and felt durable. Their ingredients are also biodegradable, vegan, cruelty-free, and phosphate-free to ensure an environmentally friendly clean.
Still, because Tru Earth Eco Strips are also distributed through Amazon, I felt that they can't completely control their carbon footprint or external/internal packaging.
Pros:
- Environmentally responsible ingredients
- Zero-waste brand packaging
Cons:
- Distributed through Amazon
Cleaning Power: 3 stars
To measure how effective Tru Earth laundry strips are on dirty clothes, I put them up to the Italian Dinner Test with my family: tomato sauce, olive oil, and red wine.
Unfortunately, Tru Earth did not pass. While I do acknowledge that my Italian Dinner Test comprises some of the harshest stains most clothes can face, these are everyday potential stains for my family, who often also have dinner parties.
However, I think Tru Earth performed decently for everyday cleaning. Since I prefer to wash my clothes on the delicate wash cycle, I tested Tru Earth laundry strips in cold water and found they completely dissolved and cleaned at the same level as in hot water. I also took them with me on a trip to see how they perform in other types of washing machines, and they performed just as well.
With that in mind, using a laundry detergent that can't stand up to tough stains AND isn’t completely excellent at everyday washes feels somewhat counterintuitive. Clean laundry is an essential way that laundry detergent can contribute to our quality of life, and Tru Earth's regular formula didn't show that it can provide that quality.
However, Tru Earth does also offer a Platinum Laundry detergent that is meant for heavy-duty laundry, but it costs far more than laundry sheets from HeySunday or Sheets Laundry Club, which offer a similar power in their regular formulas.
Pros:
- Dissolves completely in both hot and cold water
- Compatible with all washing machines
- Regular formula clears average stains
- Offers a Platinum formula for serious stains
Cons:
- Regular formula didn’t stand up to tough stains
- Platinum formula is even more expensive
Gentleness: 5 stars
In terms of gentleness, Tru Earth's laundry sheets are amazing. They left my clothes feeling ultra soft and comfortable on my sensitive skin. Hypoallergenic, paraben-free, and phosphate-free, you can feel safe knowing their laundry detergent has no harsh chemicals that could bother your or your family's skin.
The Fresh Linen scent was subtle and bright with no chemical smell, and that faint aroma of freshness lasted all day.
Pros:
- Ultra soft
- Hypoallergenic
- Offers a variety of subtle scents
- Long-lasting aroma
Cons:
- The scent is so subtle that it may disappoint those hoping for a more distinct scent.
Convenience: 4 stars
Like many eco-friendly laundry strips, Tru Earth laundry strips' slim and lightweight packaging is not only travel-friendly, but also makes doing laundry in the house just more pleasant. You never have to lift a heavy plastic jug or get sticky from a messy detergent dispenser. Just place the strip directly in your laundry machine, and you're good to go.
Additionally, for those of you who do your laundry outside of your living space, they're effortlessly portable.
I did, however, find one aspect of Tru Earth Eco-Strips somewhat worrying. After a few days, I noticed that the sheets started to clump together, and I felt a sticky residue that led me to believe some of the formula was evaporating in the summer heat and humidity. When I noticed the larger bubbles that formed on half a strip, it seemed as though my suspicion was confirmed. I've never seen this reaction on any other laundry sheet brand.
Pros:
- Effortlessly portable
- Pre-measured perforated strips
- Mostly mess-free
Cons:
- May breakdown in humidity and clump
Cost-Effectiveness: 2.5 stars
I've already mentioned that Tru Earth eco strips are one of the most expensive brands on the market and that they offer a wide variety of products in return. They also have a flexible subscription deal that includes free shipping. However, at a cost breakdown of roughly $0.40 per load, that discount only gets you down to twice the price of other detergent sheet brands that offer free shipping to all customers.
That said, I wonder how much actual value there is in their variety. The subtleness of the Fresh Linen scent led to questions about whether or not their scents are that distinct. And while they also offer a Platinum formula, other brands offer regular formulas that can already perform like this without asking for a higher price.
While I don't think their wide variety justifies the cost of their detergent, what could potentially account for it, though, is their community outreach. Tru Earth gives a lot back, not only in Canada, but also across the globe. However, it’s worth noting that brands like Earth Breeze can offer similar philanthropy without the upcharge.
Pros:
- Community outreach is a possible factor in their higher price
- Flexible subscription costs with free shipping
Cons:
- Markedly more expensive than other detergent sheet brands
- Free shipping is only for subscribers
Would I Recommend Tru Earth Eco-Strips?
The short answer is probably not. If you're willing to spend the extra money on their platinum formula and community outreach, and you don't mind storing your laundry detergent in a cool space separated from your laundry room, Tru Earth strips are not a bad option. However, if the qualities you are looking for in a laundry detergent sheet brand are cleaning power, convenience, and cost-effectiveness, my recommendation is HeySunday.
Seeing as a high level of eco-friendliness is a given for most laundry detergent sheet brands, I believe a great laundry detergent sheet brand like HeySunday adds to my quality of life by easily providing me with clean clothes at one of the most affordable prices on the market. HeySunday's detergent sheets are just as gentle on my skin as Tru Earth or Earth Breeze, they're lightweight and travel-friendly, and I don't have to worry about them dissolving from humidity or clumping together.
For a family of cooks, we can't afford to compromise on effectiveness. For something that we have to use as often as laundry detergent, especially when it comes to holidays when the whole family is around, an affordable price is a must. Naturally, my family’s values for a laundry detergent may be different from yours, so I hope this review helps you to make an informed choice based on the qualities that are important to you.
