What’s Really in Conventional Laundry Detergent (and What We Use Instead)

What’s Really in Conventional Laundry Detergent (and What We Use Instead)

by Wash & Cloth | www.washandcloth.com

When was the last time you turned over your bottle of laundry detergent and looked at the ingredients? For most conventional brands, you’ll find vague descriptions like “fragrance,” “brighteners,” or “cleaning agents”—but not much real transparency.

At Wash & Cloth, we believe clean should mean more than just “smells fresh.” It should mean safe for your skin, your home, and the environment. That’s why we created a plant-based powder laundry soap that’s gentle, effective, and made without the harsh additives hiding in most mainstream detergents.

Let’s take a closer look at what’s really in commercial laundry products—and how we do things differently.

The Hidden Ingredients in Mainstream Detergents

Most store-bought laundry detergents are filled with chemicals that are designed to create suds, add strong fragrance, or make fabrics appear brighter—not actually clean them better. And unfortunately, many of these ingredients can be irritating to your skin or harmful to your home environment.

Some of the most concerning additives include:

🥺Optical Brighteners

Chemicals that coat fabrics to reflect light, making clothes look “whiter” without actually removing stains. These can cause skin sensitivity and don’t rinse out easily.

🥺Synthetic Fragrance

Often labeled simply as “fragrance,” this can include hundreds of undisclosed chemical ingredients—many of which are linked to hormone disruption and allergic reactions.

🥺Sulfates (SLS, SLES)

Harsh detergents used to create foam, but known to strip the skin’s natural barrier and contribute to irritation.

🥺Preservatives and Dyes

Ingredients like methylisothiazolinone (MIT) or unnecessary dyes can trigger allergies and serve no real purpose in cleaning.

Why It Matters

Laundry detergent residue doesn’t just go down the drain—it stays in your clothes, your sheets, your towels, and anything else you wash. That residue then sits against your skin all day (and all night), which is especially concerning for babies, children, or anyone with sensitivities or skin conditions.

We knew there had to be a better way—so we made it ourselves.

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What You’ll Find in Wash & Cloth Powder Laundry Soap

We created our laundry soap to clean effectively without harsh chemicals or mystery ingredients. Every small batch is made with just a few intentional, plant-based ingredients, and scented with our clean fragrance blend that’s designed to be safe for both people and planet.

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Our Ingredient List:

🌱 Sodium Carbonate

A powerful mineral-based cleaner (also known as washing soda) that helps lift dirt, grime, and oils from fabric.

🌱 Citric Acid

A naturally occurring acid that softens hard water, boosts cleaning power, and prevents buildup on fabric and in your machine.

🌱 Coconut Soap (Flake Form)

A gentle, biodegradable soap made from pure coconut oil that cuts through grease and dirt without leaving residue.

🌱 Epsom Salt

Rich in magnesium, it helps soften fabric naturally and supports rinsing, making clothes feel clean and fresh.

🌱 Clean Fragrance Blend

signature scents are made with a blend of essential oils and safe aroma isolates. They’re free from carcinogens, phthalates, and hormone-disrupting ingredients, so you can feel confident using them for the whole family—even your littlest ones.

Gentle on Skin, Tough on Laundry

This isn’t just a cleaner formula—it’s a smarter one. Our laundry soap is safe for sensitive skin, babies, delicates, and even cloth diapers. It’s strong enough to handle real messes, yet gentle enough to become a daily staple in your laundry room.

If you prefer to skip scent altogether, we also offer fragrance-free options.

A Cleaner Way to Clean

We didn’t set out to reinvent laundry—we just wanted a safer, simpler option for our families and homes. That vision grew into Wash & Cloth: small batch, ingredient-conscious, and proudly rooted in transparency.

No residues. No harsh chemicals. No compromise.

Just clean laundry you can feel good about.

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Shop our full collection of powder laundry soaps at

www.washandcloth.com

✨ Thoughtfully made for the skin you live in and the home you love.

Casey & Cara

Two sisters on a mission to create clean, nature-based products that quickly become your new favorites.

Our love for nature was rooted in the way we were raised. Inspired by our parents, we spent summers at the lake and winters by the ocean, eating home-cooked meals and picking herbs from the garden. We lived simply—barefoot in the grass, surrounded by the natural world.

That grounding shaped our vision: to offer products made with all-natural bases and clean, high-quality fragrances— without the junk. We skip the basic essential oils scents and focus on scents that feel beautiful and linger just the right amount.

Everything we create is a reflection of where we came from—and a step toward helping you bring a little bit of that simple, intentional living into your everyday life.

www.washandcloth.com