Washing powders are one of the most common substances that cause allergies. Therefore, environmentally friendly products have taken a special niche and role in the development of this industry. Eco-friendly washing powder is a substance that uses the safest chemical compounds that do not cause allergies in either adults or children. Recently, this has become increasingly important, as the number of allergy sufferers is inexorably increasing compared to previous years.
Quality requirements
But for a product to receive the eco label, several more indicators are required:
- It should not contain synthetically created components;
- It should not contain potent substances that are aggressive to human skin and the environment;
- The production should be environmentally friendly;
- The composition should contain only ingredients that decompose into substances that are natural for the natural environment.
Consumers
Usually, based on the name, people believe that eco-friendly products are of interest only to people with an active position in the issue of ecology, caring about the environment. However, the circle of consumers of this product on the market is much wider:
- These are families with small children, because the safest compositions should be used for washing children's clothes.
- People with hypersensitive skin usually react badly to things in which unwashed powder remains. This threatens severe irritation of the skin.The same reaction can be caused by tissues deformed by a harsh agent.
- Allergy sufferers should also be careful when choosing all detergents, as making the wrong choice can seriously affect their health.
Compound
Eco-friendly laundry detergents are subject to strict composition requirements:
- The main material for production will be ordinary soap or plant substances that actively interact with the surface of the fabric.
- Eco powder must not contain phosphates, that is, salts of phosphoric acid. Manufacturers usually add them to the composition to reduce water hardness, which negatively affects the condition of the washing machine. Phosphates act as follows: they block molecular compounds that make water hard - calcium and magnesium ions, and the water inside the machine becomes much softer. Their second function is to improve the penetration of active substances into fabrics, making washing more efficient.
Water with an excessive content of phosphates blooms: they prepare an environment for microorganisms and bacteria, whose waste products negatively affect the safety of water - some of them are very toxic, make the water undrinkable and destroy the ecological system of the reservoir.
- Products marked eco laundry detergent should not contain surfactants. These are ingredients that interact with the fabric and weaken the surface tension of the fabric so that the cleaning agent goes deeper and washes dirt out of all the threads in the fabric.
- There should be no additional ingredients that give the product or washed items a fragrance smell.
- Also, the composition should not contain additions that enhance the properties - substances for whitening or color restoration.
- The composition may include soap - this is a basic and environmentally friendly cleaning product.
- The composition may contain enzymes - enzymes, natural organic compounds with various properties and functions.
- Any herbal ingredients can be added to add fragrance or for a better cleansing effect.
- Salt can also be in powder, as it helps clean light-colored laundry.
- You can find soda in the composition - a way to clean fabrics and surfaces well and quickly.
Composition requirements quite tough, but different companies manage to create compositions that are different from each other, using exclusively environmentally friendly components. Typically, companies produce an eco-friendly product as one of the forms of their product, rather than specializing in the production of only environmentally friendly products. Among them there are both Russian and foreign manufacturers.
Foreign manufacturers
There is a rating of companies that specialize in the production of eco-powders; it is compiled based on reviews and chemical indicators. Most companies produce both laundry liquid and powder for washing machines.
The top foreign companies will include such firms as:
- Ecover;
- Nordland;
- Biomio;
- Ecomix;
- Garden;
- Frosch Baby.
The Garden and Biomio companies are joint projects in which Russia also participates; the joint efforts of two countries - Russia and Denmark - are used to create Biomio, and Russia and Ukraine are making efforts to produce Garden.
Biomio drug Among other advantages, it is suitable for working at low temperatures, which allows machine owners to use an energy-saving mode, as well as wash fabrics that do not tolerate heat well. Biomio is slowly depleted. It not only preserves the structure of the fabric, but also greatly softens it, which adds a pleasant feeling to the linen. In addition, Biomio preserves the color of things without making them paler. However, this very popular product also has serious drawbacks: it does not remove stains from fruit juice, as well as any bright stains on clothes. In addition, it is poorly packaged - it spills regularly, and the spoon included with the product is very inconvenient to use - it turns out to be difficult to measure the product in the right amount.
Several types of Biomio are available - for sensitive skin, for white clothes, as well as a separate product for colored and bright linen.
Garden's powder, on the other hand, cannot be used if the water temperature is below 60 degrees. It is used up quickly and does not remove old stains that have become embedded in the fabric, but despite these shortcomings it has a lot of advantages.
It helps soften the structure of the fabric, this is especially important when washing towels and bed linen, as well as underwear. There is no fragrance in it, it quickly dissolves in water and is easily washed off from things. The packaging is also good - it is hermetically sealed and accidental contacts with the substance are reduced to zero. The package includes a convenient measuring spoon. The main substance in it is ordinary soap and soda, it is produced both for regular washing (release form - Universal) and for children (release form - Kids).
The Belgian product from Ecover has several pleasant qualities: it does not affect the color of the item, has a pleasant smell, quickly dissolves in water, and is also packaged in biodegradable packaging. The last detail suggests that manufacturers take issues of preserving the natural environment very seriously. However, there are a number of problems that make this expensive product not as effective as we would like: it does not remove difficult stains: cosmetics and persistent substances will remain on the fabric, in addition, the result is achieved only if the stains on things were washed immediately.
The Nordland company specializes in environmentally friendly laundry detergents and produces several varieties of the product for different items. The strengths of the product are the economical consumption of the substance, the complete absence of odor in both the product and the washed laundry, a measuring cup that helps to correctly measure the dose and, in addition, the product has convenient packaging. It works well with a basic wash, copes with serious stains, but does not remove stubborn stains.
Ecomix is a Ukrainian company specializing in powders for children's laundry. She is working on unscented products and making laundry feel softer and fresher. These two qualities are noted in ratings comparing items after washing. This product is only effective for machine washing and is not suitable for hand washing. In addition, it specializes in light stains, but practically does not remove strong and complex stains.
Frosch Baby, as the name suggests, is a German company that also specializes in environmentally friendly laundry products for children.However, it has many drawbacks that greatly spoil the impression of the product: it is a fragrance, moreover, the substance is difficult to wash out of laundry, removes organic stains well, but does not cope well with old stains. It is quickly consumed, but at the same time it is suitable for different washes - it has a bleaching effect, but does not affect bright things, and does not “bleach” them either. Thus, it has good properties, but is inferior in environmental parameters, especially since the company does not specialize in the production of environmentally friendly laundry detergents.
Domestic manufacturers
In Russia, many companies specialize in the production of substances for environmentally friendly washing:
- EverClean.
- Molecola Ecological.
- Ecoleiv.
- Organic Natural.
- Refine Ecoclean.
- Ecole.
- Ecostar.
Each company has its own strengths, and there are disadvantages characteristic of each manufacturer. So, let's look at them in detail.
Ever Clean company produces not only washing powder children's items, but also an environmentally friendly product with a whitening effect and a separate type of product for bright items, which preserves the color of clothes. The advantages of this manufacturer will be: complete absence of odor in the mixture and in items after washing, the feeling of freshness of the laundry. Ever Clean is used well and economically; not all manufacturers pay attention to this. The substance also copes well with simple pollution. Fruit stains are washed off worse; substances practically do not interact with them. Another disadvantage is the formation of lumps if there is too much of it in the washing solution.
Molecola Ecological 
- a product developed in laboratories based exclusively on natural substances.The advantages of the composition are respect for the color of the item and the structure of the fabric; it does not damage the appearance. The substance is used economically; one package lasts a long time. The product has no odor and is packaged in biodegradable paper. An additional nice detail will be a measuring spoon in the package. But this substance also has negative sides: Molecola Ecological does not work with old and stubborn stains, and is also poorly washed out of things if it is used for washing thick fabrics.
Ecoleiv 
- another company specializing in substances for soft washing, that is, primarily for washing household fabrics - towels and bed linen. The powder makes fabrics soft and removes almost all stains. It is consumed slowly, which makes it a fairly budget-friendly purchase option. The only drawback is the presence of odor after washing. It is produced in several types: this is a separate type of powder for children's clothes, and an option for colored linen, which preserves color and prevents colored linen from staining; in addition, there is a line for white things with a bleaching effect. In addition to specialized lines, a universal product is produced, suitable for regular washing.
Ecole has good ratings: it is used in small dosages, so it is a very economical option and choice. It softens the water, which makes it extremely convenient and contributes to the long service life of the washing machine: hard water, a common circumstance during eco-washing, can severely damage the insides of the mechanism, since heavy salts and other substances are deposited on various parts and greatly reduce the life of the device.Another advantage of Ecole is its quick dissolution in water. This powder is well and conveniently packaged, so accidental contact with it will minimize the consequences, which is very important for allergy sufferers.
The disadvantages include incomplete compliance with the requirements for eco-friendly washing powders - the powder contains fragrance and phosphates, although in smaller quantities than in conventional washing powders . After repeated use, the powder leaves a smell.
