Earth Breeze is a laundry brand that sells a novel product called “Eco Sheets.” The brand suggests in their marketing that Eco Sheets are better for the environment and healthier than traditional detergent.
But what are Earth Breeze Eco Sheets made of and are they really a healthier option than commercial detergent? Are they as effective? Do Eco Sheets contain any unhealthy ingredients? And what was our experience trying Earth Breeze for weeks?
In this article we’ll answer all of these questions and more, as we analyze the ingredients in Earth Breeze to give our take on whether or not this product is actually a healthier choice than traditional laundry detergent.
We'll share our experience after exclusively using Earth Breeze to do laundry for several weeks, compare the ingredients in Earth Breeze to Tide and compare Earth Breeze to other popular "healthy" detergent brands like Tru Earth Laundry Strips.
Key takeaways:
- Much healthier ingredients than traditional detergent
- Fragrance is the one ingredient to avoid
- We currently recommend the Fragrance-Free version of Earth Breeze
Ingredient Analysis
The ingredients in the Fragrance Free version of Earth Breeze are shown below:
Sodium dodecyl sulfate is an effective natural detergent ingredient that is “of no concern with respect to human health” according to PubChem. It’s also an antimicrobial which makes it a sensible laundry detergent ingredient choice.
Primary alcohol ethoxylate is another safe and effective natural surfactant (cleaning ingredient) that was found in a medical review published in the Toxicology journal to cause no skin irritation and have no toxicity concern.
Another medical review found corn starch to be an effective and biodegradable ingredient for laundry detergent.
We consider all of the ingredients used in Earth Breeze Laundry Sheets to be safe and effective.
To illustrate why we consider Earth Breeze to be a healthier and more eco-friendly choice than commercial laundry sheets, let’s analyze the ingredients in Tide Fresh Coral Blast laundry detergent, shown below:
Fragrances have been clinically shown to pose risks to human health, as we referenced in our review of Dr. Squatch Soap.
Ethanolamine is described by the New Jersey Department of Health’s Hazardous Substance Fact Sheet as a “corrosive” chemical that can pass through the skin and damage organ systems.
Surely there’s a very small amount in Tide’s detergent, but it seems logical to avoid this ingredient in our opinion.
An extensive medical review published in the International Journal of Occupational and Environmental Health reviewed the ingredients in over 100 commercial cleaning products including detergents and concluded that “hazardous substances” existed in many of them.
Overall, we currently recommend Earth Breeze.
We Tested Earth Breeze
As the author of this article, I wanted to try Earth Breeze myself to share my thoughts on its scent and the overall product experience.
I have a high-efficiency washer in my apartment, and tried Earth Breeze on a variety of load types (from small, delicate loads to heavy loads with towels).
I used the fragrance-free version of Earth Breeze, and clothes smelled clean coming out of the washer. The cleaning performance was equal to the detergent I typically use.
I like the product experience much better than traditional laundry detergent.
Earth Breeze is compact and plastic-free, and putting a small eco-sheet into the detergent section of the washer prevents spills and is a slightly improved product experience to traditional detergent.
I would rate Earth Breeze 10/10 and plan to recommend it to friends and family.
The convenience, efficiency and plastic-free nature of this product makes it the best healthy detergent on the market in my opinion.
Is Earth Breeze Eco-Friendly?
Earth Breeze Laundry Sheets are shipped in a recyclable cardboard box that’s biodegradable. The sheets themselves dissolve into water so there’s no plastic waste.
We consider this to be a significant upgrade, both functionally and environmentally, from the standard laundry detergent that is sold in a plastic container.
We know from medical research that plastics are an environmental hazard to both human health and animal health, so any time a consumer switches from a plastic product to a plastic-free alternative we would consider it an eco-friendly choice.
Earth Breeze is also a carbon neutral company, and donates 1% of revenue to non-profit organizations with an environmental focus.
According to the brand’s website, over 700 million single-use plastic laundry jugs are disposed of every year, which is a shocking figure.
We recommend Earth Breeze Laundry Sheets from an environmental perspective.
Earth Breeze vs. Popular "Healthy" Detergents
Here's how Earth Breeze compares to other popular "healthy" detergent brands in terms of effectiveness and healthiness, in our opinion:
Clean People
Contains vegetable glycerin, which is clinically shown to have odor-blocking effects.
However, Earth Breeze contains more research-backed active ingredients.
Winner: Earth Breeze
Tru Earth
Fragrance-free version is similarly healthy to Earth Breeze.
However, Earth Breeze gets the (slight) edge in regard to potential efficacy, because we identified three active ingredients in Earth Breeze with research backing, versus only two in Tru Earth.
Winner: Earth Breeze
ECOS
Contains a synthetic preservative we consider unhealthy, and is packaged in single-use plastic.
Winner: Earth Breeze
Earth Breeze Pros and Cons
Pros:
- More convenient than regular detergent
- Healthier than regular detergent
- Fragrance-free version has no questionable additives
- Cost-effective
- Extremely positive online customer reviews
- Prevents spillage in laundry room
- Environmentally-friendly
- Cleans effectively based on our tests
Cons:
- Fresh Scent version contains fragrance
