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Keep your conscience as clean as your clothes with these ethical washing products

It’s easy to feel helpless after watching yet another TV documentary about the dire state of our planet, but there are many small changes you can make to live an environmentally friendly lifestyle.

One such easy move could be substituting your regular laundry detergent for a greener alternative. Conscious brands like Method and Ecover are all about finding a cleaner way to clean, without sacrificing quality for ethics, so let’s run through the best eco-friendly laundry detergents and help you make a difference today.

Our expert tester tried a range of bio and non-bio eco laundry detergents to find the best that combine green credentials with powerful cleaning performance. These were their eight top picks:

Eco laundry detergents can work just as well as their mainstream chemical counterparts – or at least, the ones on our list do! The difference is that they are free from harsh synthetic ingredients, such as phosphates, that can pollute our waterways, poison aquatic life and potentially irritate our skin and lungs. They also tend to be packaged more thoughtfully in recycled and recyclable bottles.

Powder laundry detergents tend to be greener than liquids because they haven’t been diluted with water, which in turn makes them more energy efficient to transport.

That said, many of the liquid laundry detergents on our roundup come concentrated to minimise water and energy waste. What’s more, if you use too much powder (easily done!), it can leave a white residue on your clothes, leading to an extra rinse cycle that gobbles up more water.

Instead, you might want to try laundry capsules, which provide you with just the right dose of detergent. They dissolve more slowly than powders and liquids, too, meaning less is lost down the drain.

Whatever laundry detergent you choose, the greenest possible wash involves running a lower temperature cycle (30C rather than 40C, for example) that will use less energy. Switch to cold water washing for a year and you will save enough energy to power up your iPhone 30,000 times, according to Cold Water Saves. It’s actually better to wash clothes stained with blood, makeup and grass in cold water, as heat sets stains and makes them harder to remove.

You’ll need to decide whether to use biological or non-biological detergent. Bio formulas contain enzymes that break down amino acids in protein-based stains such as egg and blood, but they can cause colours to fade. They’re great at brightening your whites and leaving muddy sports kit sparkling, but opt for non-bio if you have sensitive skin or regularly wash delicates like silk or wool.

In terms of labels, look for laundry detergents that are phosphate-free, biodegradable, cruelty-free and/or certified by a trusted environmental body like The Vegan Society or Soil Association.

Consider the packaging. Many eco alternatives are packaged in recyclable bottles or cartons made from recycled plastic. Some are entirely plastic-free.

Our expert tester stained a pile of polycotton and cotton laundry with tea, mud, makeup and other common household stains. They then ran a series of 40C cycles with each detergent, before using a nifty piece of lab equipment called a DigiEye to assess how well it had removed the stains, retained whiteness and prevented colour fading. We also handed out the same detergents to a panel and asked for their feedback, before compiling our list of the best.

So, without further ado, let’s clean up the environment, as well as your clothes.

Our winning bio laundry detergent won’t spark that age-old war between ethics and practicality. Plant-based with biodegradable ingredients, it made 89% of stains vanish from our pile of polycotton clothing, with only notoriously stubborn tea getting the better of it. 

It scored full marks for colour retention – impressive for a bio formula – and left our white garms looking brand new. The bottle lacks a handle, making it a tad tricky to grip, and it wasn’t clear whether to dispense the liquid into the drawer or drum. It’s pricey, too, but certainly effective. 

Key specifications Format: Liquid Type: Bio Use: Drawer Capacity: 1.5L or 42 washes Eco claims: Plant-based, biodegradable ingredients, bottle made from 100% recycled plastic and widely recyclable, made in Ecover’s Zero Waste certified factory, certified cruelty-free

In close second is this stain-fighting liquid bio formula, which wowed us by banishing 90% of stains from polycotton laundry. There was minimal colour fading and it retained whiteness well on nylon, but we noticed some slight greying on our white polycotton and cotton clothing. 

It comes in a choice of three fragrances (we tried and liked peony blush), but these aren’t entirely natural, which may irritate those with perfume sensitivity. There’s no handle to aid accurate pouring and it’s quite bulky to store, but our entire panel said they’d buy it again.

Key specifications Format: Liquid Type: Bio Use: Drawer Capacity: 1.56L or 39 washes Eco claims: Naturally derived enzymes, 98% biodegradable ingredients, bottle made from 100% recycled plastic and is recyclable, certified cruelty-free

If it’s eco-friendly packaging you’re looking for, you’ll appreciate the recycled and recyclable cardboard carton that houses this bio laundry detergent. It’s another liquid, but this time fragrance-free, and you get a decent 66 washes per bottle. 

Though not the best option for tackling heavily stained garms, it performed fairly well on polycotton and cotton. Its colour retention was fantastic and it left our white clothing gleaming, but we did find the measurements inside the dosing cap hard to read.

Key specifications Format: Liquid Type: Bio (fragrance-free) Use: Drawer Capacity: 1.47L or 66 washes Eco claims: Packaging made from 100% recycled fibre, zero colourants or optical brighteners, certified cruelty-free, 96% plant-based ingredients

The stain removers in this liquid bio formula may be plant-based and biodegradable, but they proved just as powerful in the face of stains as their chemical equivalents. Make-up, blood and baby food disappeared without a trace and our coloured items kept their vibrancy. 

These results pleased us given the good-value price tag (a fiver for 38 washes is more reasonable than most), but look elsewhere if whiteness retention is a priority. Note also that you’ll need to order a dosage cap separately.

Key specifications Format: Liquid Type: Bio Use: Drawer Capacity: 1.026L or 38 washes Eco claims: Plant-based and biodegradable stain removers, bottle is 100% recyclable and contains recycled plastic

Prefer a non-bio formula? This excellent liquid laundry detergent banished over 90% of stains from our cotton and polycotton pile, including devilish tomato puree. Its colour retention was flawless and it kept our white nylon garms looking fresh, but our other items came out tinged with grey. 

It’s unclear where to dispense it - drum or drawer? – and removing the seal from the lid breaks the dosing function. More positively, there’s a choice between cotton or no fragrance, and you can buy refill packs to minimise plastic waste. What’s more, send back eight empty pouches and Splosh will recycle them for you.

Key specifications Format: Liquid Type: Non-bio (available in fragrance-free) Use: Drawer Capacity: 430ml or 23 washes Eco claims: Refill pouches cut plastic waste by around 95% and they will re-use them if you send them back, certified cruelty-free and vegan

If you’re trying to live a plastic-free lifestyle, consider giving these vegan non-bio capsules a go. You’ll need to sign up for a subscription but if that feels like too big a commitment, there’s a free nine-wash trial offer available. If you like them, you can choose the frequency of your deliveries and tweak it at any time. 

They proved a hit with us, dissolving quickly and erasing over 80% of stains from our cotton clothing, including coffee and make-up. Some colourful garms faded a touch but the whiteness retention was brilliant, leading most of our panel to say they would use them again. 

Key specifications Format: Capsules Type: Non-bio  Use: Drum Capacity: 24 capsules Eco claims: Lower levels of added chemicals per wash, 100% plastic-free and recyclable packaging, certified cruelty-free and vegan

Here’s another good option if eco-friendly packaging is high on your shopping agenda. The liquid non-bio formula comes in a bottle made entirely from recycled materials, and there’s even a handle for controlled, mess-free pouring. 

It was a top performer in both the colour and whiteness retention stakes but its sweet fragrance split our panel like Marmite. It removed 71% of stains from cotton, which is OK but not great for that fabric, and it left a fair few foundation streaks on polycotton. It also proved hard to read the measurements printed inside the dosing cap. 

Key specifications Format: Liquid Type: Non-bio Use: Drawer Capacity: 1L or 25 washes Eco claims: Bottle made from 100% recycled material, ingredients are naturally derived, made in the UK, certified cruelty-free and vegan

If itchy skin is getting you down, try this hypoallergenic non-bio laundry detergent from good ol' M&S. It comes in two sizes – handy if you have a huge pile of muddy clothes to plough through – and the bigger bottle has a handle for easier use. 

It took 90% of stains out of our polycotton items, including blood and baby food, and was an impressive colour retainer. It kept our white cotton garms sparkling, too, but greyed polycotton and nylon. There’s also no guidance telling you where to dispense it, but that’s a minor niggle. 

Key specifications Format: Liquid Type: Non-bio (fragrance-free) Use: Drawer Capacity: 630ml or 21 washes (or £5 for 1.5L or 50 washes) Eco claims: Plant-based ingredients, 100% recyclable bottle, certified cruelty-free and vegan