Eggcellent Detergent Alternative

So, here’s what we have: a couple little egg things with “natural cleaning pellets” inside that essentially work as an eco-friendly alternative to traditional detergent. Just toss one into the wash and it’ll go to work. Apparently, each one can do about 210 loads of laundry, so, with this 2-pack, it can handle about 420.

If it feels like we’re rushing through the basic details, it’s because we are. The reason? It doesn’t matter how these things work, exactly. What matters is if they work.

So we went hunting around the Amazon reviews to see what we could find.

First off, they get 4.3 out of 5 based on over 900 reviews. That’s good. Then again, the potential issue with a product like this is that people want it to work, so they might throw one in with shirts that aren’t even that dirty and then write a 5-star review when they come out of the machine looking about the same as they went in. In other words, you can’t trust broad positivity as proof that it works.

What we wanted to know is how they do with really nasty laundry. And we found some promising stuff. Like this review from Michaela:

I have tested this with notably dirty items with dirt or food on them and they do come out clean. My kids’ basketball shorts and other items of that strange synthetic fabric seemed to get the mildew smell from the washer more often than other items and now they come out without that smell. I don’t think it would work as well if I were using it in a washer that had detergent residue, however, so it might not be good for laundromat use or shared machines.

And this one from Ocean Rain:

Read the mixed reviews but since I need fragrance free detergent decided to give it a try. Honestly did not expect it to work; but it does! I don’t know exactly how its possible; but my clothes, towels and even the dirty cleaning rags at the end of week come clean. I do use washer balls, an eco bleach and white vinegar for softener, but when I very first tried the egg, did not use any of that. Even my husbands smelly workout clothes came out fresh and clean.

And this one from someone known as ‘kindle customer’:

Being limited on space this egg works wonders. I have tried other eco-friendly laundry soaps but this has worked the best. My clothes are clean without having a scent, I found the cost reasonable, and it takes up very little space. The only downside is, per the instructions, you are to let it dry out between loads. Does this mean you need to buy more than 1 egg?

To be fair, that reviewer doesn’t mention the state of the clothing that went into the machine in the first place. But we included it because it makes this 2-pack an even more compelling sale. After all, while you might put in a load here and there most days, there will come a time when you need to do a laundry marathon, and the last thing you want is to be waiting around for something to dry out to start the next batch.

In conclusion: while it sounds promising, none of this definitively proves that these work. Which means the only solution is to buy some and try yourself. (And, as usual, definitely report back.)