There are a lot of cool things out there that make us wonder — do they really work? In our I Tried It series, we set out to use them in the real world and have determined that, in fact, they really do.
The Product on Trial
Blueland Laundry Essentials Kit
The Tester
Eunice Lucero-Lee, laundry addict, Shakira fan
The Brief
If I had to pick an absolute favorite chore — let’s pretend those exist — it would probably be doing laundry. Being able to make old, dirty clothes fresh, clean, and seemingly new again is one of the most satisfying feelings ever. (BTW, Shakira said something similar when she titled her ~seminal~ 2001 tour de force Laundry Service, so I know I’m onto something.)
That said, I’m also trying to minimize using single-use plastics as a whole, and I’ve noticed that one of the biggest sources of them in our household was with our laundry, specifically with detergents, softeners, and dryer sheets. I’ve also developed adult-onset asthma and anything that can minimize harsh fragrances in the dryer, while still retaining a fresh-linen smell (mmm, the best) is a plus.
I found out about Blueland’s buzzworthy cleaning supplies and was pleasantly surprised to find that they also made refillable, zero-waste laundry products. Hurray! FYI, Blueland is a certified B corporation that makes eco-friendly household cleaners, like dishwashing and hand soap, toilet cleaners, cleaning sprays, and yes, laundry soap. So what's so revolutionary about their approach? They offer all of the above in sustainably produced liquid, tablet, or powder form to create a “refill forever” system, meaning you buy one of their Forever Bottles or Forever Tins just once to drastically minimize your single-use plastic consumption.
(Did you know that we eat a credit card’s worth of plastic, in microplastic form, each week? And that plastic has been found in 100% of marine turtles they examined!? I did not, and am now so very depressed.)
Anyway, the Blueland Laundry Essentials Kit includes 40 laundry detergent tablets, a steel tin to keep said tablets in, a 500-gram packet of their “Clear Skies”-scented Oxi Booster Powder (good for around 25 standard loads) plus its own tin, and three compostable wool dryer balls.
BTW, it’s also not lost on me that eco-friendly products tend to cost more than regular liquid detergent (do better, Big Detergent!). Although not the absolute cheapest on the market, thankfully Blueland has managed to keep things fairly competitive: The Laundry Tablet refills cost $14 for 40 tablets, compared to $21.24 for a 48-pack of Tide Pods. The draw is that Blueland also offers a 20% discount when you buy in bulk — and as we all know, buying in bulk (*full-circle moment*) once again minimizes your consumption of single-use plastic. Plus Blueland’s tablets (both laundry and dishwasher) all come without any plastic film so I know I'm not eating a Mastercard’s worth of plastic, because honestly, my monthly bill scares me enough.
So after making sure our hamper was simply busting at the seams with dirty laundry, I was ready to get to work. All in all, I tested the kit on six medium to large loads of laundry, separated into whites, darks, brights, delicates, towels, and bedsheets. As mentioned, I’m a bit of a laundry geek and tend to get anal with my washing — mesh bags for lingerie are a must-have, for starters — so I made sure everything was just how I usually did it, with just the detergent, booster, and dryer balls being the variance in my control setup.
The first point of adjustment I had to make was with the detergent: You put one tablet — two for bigger loads — directly into the drum before putting clothes in. I may or may not have jumped the gun here and put the clothes in first out of habit. (I self-corrected, don’t worry.) Next came the powder booster, which goes on the very top, after loading clothes. Pouring the booster was admittedly a bit of a clumsy process for me since they say to measure it using the cap on the tin. I poured a bit too much into the cap the first time, rightfully panicked, decided my whites were just going to smell like a truckload of the freshest linens on Earth, and started a warm wash.
After my machine’s standard 43-minute normal wash — so fresh, so clean, Shakira Shakira — into the dryer they went, along with the cutest dryer balls this world has ever seen (they’re made of ethically sheared New Zealand wool, from what I think can only be powder-blue New Zealand sheep … must investigate). I especially loved this process, because this efficiently did away with putting in a fabric sheet with each load, aka the most tedious thing ever, while also not sacrificing your clothes’ softness.
After around 50 minutes, my whites were done. They smelled amazing, felt so soft, and despite maybe one or two shirts having some static cling (some reviews noted as much), were as bright as could be expected. The minimum amount of static was definitely not a deal-breaker by any means, though, as the balls also seemed to minimize wrinkling — or at least kept them to a manageable level. No dullness or yellowing, either, nor was there any bacon-ing on the necklines.
The Closing Argument
After trying the laundry tablets, powder booster, and drying balls on six loads, I’m convinced that single-use laundry products are the only way to go. The Blueland Laundry Essentials Kit seriously did the job so well — I’m talking no-compromise softness, cleanliness, and freshness — and I’m honestly a bit ashamed it took me this long to get with the program. If you’re thinking of making the switch to being more eco-friendly, this is an amazingly practical way to get started that honestly won’t break the bank. Thanks for the game changer, Blueland! And for saving the turtles.
Shop the Laundry Essentials Kit
