Laundry detergent sheets are still relatively new. We love them for replacing laundry detergent that is often more toxic, comes in single-use plastic containers, and is very heavy to lift. They are often hypoallergenic and biodegradable too. Sure, the environmental benefits are worth it. So is the lack of mess (no liquid to spill). And the control over how much detergent to use. But we also want it to be effective.
Everyone wondered if laundry sheets were worth it. How well do they whiten whites and clean stains? And what about the cost? So we tested the top 4 bestselling laundry detergent brands to see which wins and how they compare against the leading liquid brand, Tide.
Laundry Detergent Sheets Comparison
In this video, we compare the sheet sizes, scents, cost, and stain-fighting power of bestselling laundry detergent strips. We tested them for whiteness/brightening and how well they cleaned. We used spaghetti sauce and concealer stains on white t-shirt material. Then washed in warm water and dried in a clothes dryer (we know it’s more environmentally friendly to dry on a line or rack). Then we compared their stain-fighting ability against Tide, just to see if Tide could do a much better job at cleaning.
Consumer Reports did a stain test with detergent strips using completely different stains. They found laundry strips way underperformed compared to national laundry detergent brands. What did we find? Watch the video below or keep reading to find out!!
Laundry Detergent Strip Brands We Compared
We picked these laundry strip brands to compare because they’re the top-selling laundry detergent sheets on Amazon.
➡️ Earth Breeze
➡️ Breezeo
➡️ Tru Earth
➡️ Sheets Laundry Club
More about what laundry detergent sheets are
- Dehydrated laundry detergent
- Flat sheets that are white and look like a dryer sheet
- Tear the sheet into pieces and put it in the washer first, then add the clothes
- Read the label on how many to use based on the size of your load
- Works on HE and regular machines
Laundry sheets are perfect for college students or anyone using a laundromat. For anyone wanting to save water and have less plastic. For people who live in an apartment or have a small amount of storage, like less laundry clutter.
Why I love them and am trying to convince my husband to use them too
We bought the 4 bestselling detergent strips from Amazon. I should say that previously we were sent laundry strips from Tru Earth, Earth Breeze and Eco Living Club but I’ve purchased refills of them myself. I’ve been using them for over a year, and I’m so thankful to those companies for reaching out because they were new to me at the time.
One day, we hope the cleaning aisle of the future looks different. With no big jugs of plastic — unless it’s reusable. I hope every brand from Tide to Arm & Hammer has laundry detergent sheets.
Why use laundry strips instead of pods, liquid, or powder
Here are the top reasons to use them:
- Can’t spill, so mess-free – a clean freak’s dream
- Can’t use too much, you only need 1-2 T and I’m pretty sure that’s way less than most people use. Can control how much. You can’t really put in half of a pod, can you? If you’re only washing one thing you can just add a quarter of a sheet. I love that.
- No plastic at all in the packaging or detergent
- Less harsh chemicals (no phosphates or parabens) and no chlorine bleach
Compact and lightweight, great for travel or transporting but also take up small space in the cupboard. A dream for anyone who likes a super-organized laundry room. I just store them in a drawer.
- DON’T WASTE – Laundry jugs come in giant plastic containers that take up to 1000 years to decompose. They even contain up to 90% water! Earth Breeze comes in plastic-free packaging and uses water from the machine to dissolve the sheets.
- Climate Pledge Friendly and more sustainable, they don’t have added dyes (they’re all white) and parabens, optical brighteners, or bleach in them.
You can’t get the strips wet, though, so you need to store them in a dry place. If you live in a humid climate or they break down. You may want a tin like the one from Tru Earth to hold them in or an airtight container.
How to use
Laundry sheets work by dissolving in water. They recommend putting it in your washing machine first and then in your clothing. If you put it on TOP of your clothing, it may not dissolve properly. You can tear it up into pieces too, or push clothing aside if you forget as I do.
NO
- Optical Brighteners
- Added Dyes
- Chlorine Bleach
- Parabens
- Plastic
4 categories
I’ve purchased other brands myself since. I have my favorite so far, but today, we tested these based on the following categories:
Cost
We compared the cost per load, considering each brand had a different number of sheets to use for a large load. This varied widely, so you can’t base the cost on the # of loads listed on the packaging.
Prices may vary. All price per load info was based on prices on Amazon at the time of the review along with the recommended number of sheets or amount of liquid to use to clean a large load of laundry. As much as possible, we wanted a fair per-load comparison.
| Brand | Price | # of Sheets | Customer Reviews | Ratings | # of Loads |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Earth Breeze | $14.14 ($0.47/load) | 32 Sheets | 4.5 out of 5 stars | 12,335 ratings | 1 strip for a large load |
| Breezeo | $8.97 ($0.37/load) | 30 Sheets | 4.4 out of 5 stars | 15,679 ratings | They base the pricing on a medium size load which you use half a sheet for 1 sheet per large load so to make it consistent, we estimate 30 loads. |
| Tru Earth | $15.95 ($0.50/load) | 32 Sheets | 4.4 out of 5 stars | 12,499 ratings | 48 loads but each strip has 4 and you need 2 for a large load, so 24 large loads. They are perforated so you can easily tear off the size you need. 2 strips for a large load. |
| Sheets Laundry Club | $16.65 ($0.67/load) | 50 Sheets | 4.5 out of 5 stars | 10,687 ratings | 2 sheets for a large load |
| Tide concentrated HE | $12.97 ($0.76/load) | 64 loads | 5 out of 5 stars | 61,113 ratings | Fill to line 1. For large loads, fill just below bar 3. For HE full loads, fill to bar 5. This means a large load uses a lot more liquid (the loads are based on filling to the first line) |
Lowest Cost per Large Load
Breezeo by a long shot at 37 cents a load, beating out Tide and everyone else by a hefty margin!
Whiteness
Breezeo was also best for keeping whiteness.
Scent
My personal favorite scent overall is the fresh linen-scented Sheets Laundry Club. Usually, I don’t smell anything on my clothes or a very light scent after the clothes are dry, even if I use a scented version.
But overall, the scents from laundry sheets are lighter and more naturally scented. Ideal for people with allergies or who don’t like a strong scent.
If you want the classic Tide scent or like heavily scented clothes laundry strips, I’ll tell you the closest I could get to what my husband wanted.
Use Fresh Linen fragrance oil. I like the brand I linked to (I tried another brand and didn’t like it). This smells the closest to Bounce or Downy dryer sheets. If you want a natural scent, use essential oil (like lavender and vanilla).
If you want more scent, here’s what I do. I use fresh linen fragrance oil and wool dryer balls. Use 3 or 4 balls for a large load and put 5-10 drops of oil on each ball. I tricked my husband into thinking I used Bounce dryer sheets when I did this.
The best part is you can control how much you use to make a stronger or lighter scent. One thing people say is that laundry strips are easy to use. I LOVE them for travel or if I need to use a laundry mat. But I use them for every load.
Stains
Tru Earth was the winner for stains.
Overall Winner
We found Breezeo to be the overall winner for price and whiteness.
My favorite is the Sheets Laundry Club. I like the packaging and fresh linen scent; they made my clothes and especially my sheets so soft.
Dissolve
Since they’re dehydrated sheets, they need to dissolve. This can be a challenge with HE machines that use less water.
I’ve had some detergent sheets stick to the side of my machine or leave a residue on my clothes. So always put the sheet inside the washing machine before your clothes to avoid that problem. Tear them into pieces. Some people tear them and put them in the detergent compartment.
Cleaning Test
This is the motherload as it were – do these clean as well as other laundry detergents. A huge complaint with more natural laundry detergent is that clothes don’t clean as well. We’re neat freaks and don’t usually have large stains or very dirty laundry.So we created extra thick stains to see if there was a dramatic difference.
Have you heard of laundry detergent sheets and if yes, have you used them? Comment and let me know because I think they’re still unfamiliar to a lot of people but think of them like dryer sheets instead of for drying your clothes, they’re for washing your clothes.
