Review of Earth Choice laundry detergent
“Environmentally friendly” is a label often stereotyped as a thing for tree-huggers who really don’t mind a bit of dirt – not quite the image you might associate with effective home cleaning products. Earth Choice takes that stereotype and dissolves it, just like it does stubborn spaghetti stain on your favourite dress shirt. Find out everything you need to know about Earth Choice laundry powder in this Canstar Blue review.
Earth Choice
Earth Choice is a brand under the umbrella of Australian-owned Nature’s Organics, a home and beauty company whose products are all Australian made. The brand can be widely found at major supermarkets and many other local retailers, as it quickly took off when it introduced affordable, effective eco-friendly cleaners and toiletries onto the Australian mass market.
The entire Earth Choice product range is vegan friendly, using only plant and mineral based ingredients. Earth Choice is accredited as cruelty free by CCF (Choose Cruelty Free), Australia’s peak body for the certifying products and their source ingredients as completely free from animal testing. That means you can be assured that there is no animal suffering involved in Earth Choice products.
Earth Choice laundry products are also grey water and septic system safe, meaning that you don’t need to worry about whether your washing habits are polluting our waterways. If your home runs on a septic system, the laundry runoff when using Earth Choice will be completely compatible and safe, as will your garden if you want to reuse the greywater on your lawn and flowerbed. All Earth Choice laundry products are suitable for both top and front loader washing machines.
Read on to find out how you can keep both your clothes and the environment clean and safe.
Earth Choice Laundry Powder
The plant and mineral-based Earth Choice Ultra Concentrate Laundry Powder is said to be a thorough cleaner without phosphorus or petrochemical ingredients. Earth Choice laundry powder comes in 1kg and 2kg boxes made of 95% recycled cardboard, and 4kg buckets.
Earth Choice Laundry Liquid
There are two different regular laundry liquid products available from Earth Choice – a value and a concentrate formula. For a low price, this liquid detergent gets your clothes and linen clean without harming the environment. The plant based solution contains no enzymes, phosphates, or bleaches, and is low sodium so that doing the laundry doesn’t pollute the planet. This product is available in 1L bottles made of 100% recycled and recyclable plastic.
Earth Choice Ultra Concentrate Laundry Liquid
The biodegradable surfactants in this powerful laundry detergent destroy stains but then breaks down into harmless natural chemicals to leave no trace when it flows out as wastewater. It does this using only plant-based ingredients and no phosphates, bleach, enzymes or optical brighteners. This product’s packaging is 100% recycled and recyclable plastic.
This product is available in 750mL, 2L and 4L bottles with measuring caps and handles, made of 100% recycled and recyclable plastic.
Earth Choice Wool & Delicates Laundry Liquid
This plant-based laundry detergent adds eucalyptus oil and vegetable glycerine to soften wool and other delicate fabrics during the cleaning cycle. As a bonus, the eucalyptus leaves your clothes with a gentle, fresh eucalyptus scent. This product is available in 1L bottles, made of 100% recycled and recyclable plastic.
Earth Choice Fabric Softeners
There’s plenty of choice here, with six fabric softener varieties available across the Earth Choice range. If you’re fussy about your fragrance, you’ve got a decent chance of finding something you like. Like the value Earth Choice Laundry Liquid, this fabric softener offers a reliable result at a low price. It carries a subtle scent and is designed to prevent wrinkling so you don’t have to spend as much time ironing. It’s plant based and palm oil free for minimal environmental impact.
This product is available in a 1L bottle made of 100% recycled & recyclable plastic.
Earth Choice Ultra Concentrate Fabric Softener (Cherry Blossom & Sweet Pea)
This sweet, fresh floral fragrant fabric softener is an ultra-concentrate that claims ultra-long lasting results. Just one bottle can soften over 40 washes, while each use leaves that fresh effect lasting up to 21 days. The scent is created from essential oils, in a completely plant based and palm oil free formula that reduces creasing.
This product is available in a 1L bottle with measuring cap, made of 100% recycled & recyclable plastic.
Earth Choice Elements Ultra Concentrate Fabric Softener (Amber Spice, Morning Dew)
Coming in a choice of two fragrances – the alluring Amber Spice and the fresh and crisp Morning Dew – the Earth Choice Elements fabric softener promises to keep your clothes smelling fresh for 14 days after washing. The ingredients are sourced from nature, including essential oils for fragrance, but are free of the environmentally-unfriendly palm oil.
This product is available in a 1L bottle with measuring cap and handle, made of 100% recycled & recyclable plastic.
Earth Choice 4x Ultra Concentrate Fabric Softener (Violet & Patchouli, Jasmine & Lily)
Choose from a heady Violet & Patchouli or light and floral Jasmine & Lily scent to soften your clothes and linen in Earth Choice’s most concentrated fabric softener. The plant-based ingredients include biodegradable surfactants so that the only damage done is to undesirable qualities within your fabrics, ad not to the environment. It’s free from phosphates, bleach, enzymes and optical brighteners.
This product is available in a 750mL bottle with measuring cap, made of 100% recycled & recyclable plastic.
Earth Choice Pre-Wash Stain Removers & Brightening Boosters
Earth Choice Pre-Wash Stain Remover
This spray adds an intense stain-busting boost to help lift tough stains out of clothes and linen. Simply spray liberally onto stains, and allow a couple of minutes to soak before washing the fabric as usual. This plant-based formula is free from chlorine, ammonia, bleach and phosphates. This product is available in a 400mL trigger spray bottle made of 100% recycled & recyclable plastic.
Earth Choice Laundry Soaker & In-Wash Booster
When you’ve got a lot of heavy cleaning or seriously big stains to deal with, your regular laundry detergent may need a little help. The Earth Choice Laundry Soaker & In-Wash Booster can be used to supplement your regular detergent, by adding a capful into the wash. It can also be used on its own to soak stained fabric to work on those tough stains for longer before you wash all the dislodged dirt out through a run in the washing machine. In either case, this product is designed to both break down stains (such as grease, oil, and wine stains) and whiten and brighten light colours.
This uses only plant based ingredients including sodium carbonate, for a naturally powerful clean. This product is available in a 2kg tub made of 100% recycled and recyclable plastic.
Should I use Earth Choice laundry detergent?
Reducing environmental impact is always a massive plus, and there are so far no other affordable, widely-available laundry brands to compete with Earth Choice. The brand also offers plenty of variety in scents and packaging sizes. That makes it easy to choose from buying in bulk to save money and packaging, or buy more easily manageable sizes if you don’t have much storage space.
The major downside is that Earth Choice laundry products don’t contain the strongest cleaning ingredients on the planet, simply because those ingredients aren’t good for the planet. This leaves consumers with the choice between the most thorough clean and the most environmentally friendly option. That doesn’t mean Earth Choice isn’t an effective cleaner, however – it simply draws the line at being so effective at breaking down stains that it extends the damage to the environment.
If reducing your impact on the environment is a priority for you, Earth Choice laundry detergent makes that easy to do without costing the earth.
About the author of this page
This report was written by Canstar Blue’s Home & Lifestyle Content Lead, Megan Birot. She’s an expert on household appliances, health & beauty products, as well as all things grocery and shopping. When she’s not writing up our research-based ratings reports, Megan spends her time helping consumers make better purchase decisions, whether it’s at the supermarket, other retailers, or online, highlighting the best deals and flagging anything you need to be aware of.