Tru Earth is making a name for itself with the Eco Strip Laundry Detergent. My current go-to laundry detergent is Dropps, but I’m open to trying other brands and products out, especially ones that are supposed to be eco-friendly. Tru Earth’s Eco-Strips are unlike any other product because they literally come as crazy thin, sheet-like strips in super minimal packaging. I decided to give them a try, here’s how that went.
Table of Contents
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Ratings
Overall Score
Function
Ease of Use
Packaging
Tru Earth Pros & Cons
Pros
- Takes up almost no space
- Works really well and smells great
- Reduces plastic packaging and transportation pollution
Cons
- Website feels outdated and clunky
Ratings Breakdown
Do I recommend Tru Earth Eco-Strips?
I do recommend Tru Earth detergent strips. Tru Earth’s Eco-Strip laundry detergent is a simple yet fresh take on laundry detergent that works impressively well. Not only will these help you go plastic-free, but they’ll also save a ton of space in your laundry room.
Does it get the job done? (Function)
The Tru Earth detergent strips worked great for me! I was actually really surprised by them. The variety that I ordered was the fresh-linen scented version and they smell great! The fragrance isn’t overpowering at all. And honestly, it almost smells like a fragrance free detergent but with an extra clean oomph to it. It is the most realistic “fresh linen” scent I’ve ever smelled. Keep in mind this is a low-suds detergent so it’s not as bubbly as some others, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t working hard.
The texture and appearance of my clothes was the same with these as with my normal detergent, which is Dropps laundry pods. The only time I had an issue with stains was with one ink stain. I work in Food & Beverage so oil, grease, and sauces are familiar to me. I never had an issue with those. But that ink stain would not come out! It wouldn’t come out with Dropps pods either, but I may have set the stain in the process of washing with Tru Earth strips. (Update, it didn’t even come out with a professional cleaning so I really can’t blame Tru Earth.) Other than that, these strips did everything I expected of them.
Ease of use?
Tru Earth’s strips are super easy to use. Even though they’re unlike any other detergent, you treat them the same as a laundry pod. Simply place them at the bottom of the barrel, add clothes, and start your cycle. There is a slight catch though, if you have a front-load washer, Tru Earth says to use the detergent slot instead. If you’d like to see their exact phrasing, you can visit their FAQ page here. It will be listed under the “How To Use” section.
Admittedly, I’ve been putting the strips on top of my laundry and they’ve still worked great. I swear I saw someone doing that in a video or blog post somewhere. Regardless, it’s worked fine for me so sticking to the Tru Earth recommendation can only get you better results.
Packaging
The packaging was extremely simple, as expected. It’s a major selling point for this detergent! They’re strips! I only ordered one 32-load pack and it came in a classic white-paper envelope mailer. Inside was the Tru Earth branded envelope that housed the actual strips. There wasn’t any padding, any air-bubble packaging, or anything else. The packaging is plain and simple.
What product options does Tru Earth offer?
Tru Earth actually sells a bunch of different products, not just laundry detergent. But for the purpose of this review, I’m only going to cover their detergents here. If you want to check out their other offerings, you can visit their store page.
For detergents they offer Tru Earth Eco-Strips Laundry Detergent in the following scent/fragrance options:
- Baby
- Fragrance-Free
- Fresh Linen
- Lemon Fresh
- Platinum Fresh Linen
- Platinum Fragrance-Free
You should be able to order the detergents in packs of 8, 16, 32, 64, and 384 loads. Under my subscriptions for my personal account I also have the option to choose a 192-load pack but I don’t see that listed on the actual Store page. As I mentioned for the only con, their website is a little clunky. It feels outdated and like it needs some professional-developer love so it’s entirely possible I’ve missed something. Make sure to check out their site for yourself at the store link above.
Cost Comparison
So how do Tru Earth eco-strips compare to other big brand names in terms of cost? Good question. The table below (Table 1) compares the cost of Tru Earth to 2 other brands, Dropps and Blueland. Dropps and Blueland both make popular laundry detergents that are plastic-free, sustainable, and ingredient-conscious. Their products come in tablet/pod forms so I’m comparing them on a per/wash cost calculated at 1 wash per tablet/pod/strip.
Table 1.
| Brand | Quantity | Cost per Pack (USD) | Cost Per Wash (USD) |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Tru Earth |
32 |
$19.95 |
$0.62 |
|
Tru Earth |
384 |
$149.00 |
$0.39 |
|
Blueland |
40 |
$14.00 |
$0.35 |
|
Dropps |
56 |
$18.00 |
$0.32 |
|
Dropps |
210 |
$49.50 |
$0.24 |
Based on my calculations, Tru Earth eco-strips are more expensive than their competition. The price is somewhat comparable if you opt for the whopping 384-strip pack, but I don’t think many people will be selecting that. Even still, the cost per wash is still 4 cents more expensive than the most expensive Blueland tablet option.
Tru Earth’s laundry strips could be great if you need to save space or prefer their formula over other formulas. I recommend giving these a chance if you are looking for a new detergent, but I also have to recommend Blueland and Dropps.
Beware of Subscriptions
The subscription options are what you would expect for any subscription based cleaning product. They offer shipment frequencies at monthly, bi-monthly, quarterly, and semi-annually.
You can also change, pause, or cancel your subscription at any time by navigating to your account and clicking “My Subscriptions.” It’s very easy to alter your current subscriptions when you need to.
Ingredient Things
Tru Earth claims to have the following certifications:
- Paraben-free
- Phosphate-free
- No added dyes
- Free of chlorine bleach
- Free of 1,4-dioxane, as certified by independent laboratory tests
- Readily biodegradable in accordance with OECD 310D
- Hypoallergenic, certified by independent dermatologists
- Vegan: no animal-based ingredients or testing on animals by us or our ingredient suppliers
They also claim that they are SLS and SLES free, and gluten-free. I did find it interesting that polyvinyl alcohol is listed as a “biodegradable supporting mixture” in their ingredients list.
They specifically refer to it as PVA, but you might recognize it as PVOH. They’re the same thing. PVOH is the clear wrap-like stuff that usually includes laundry pods, like Tide Pods or Dropps. Some people are opposed to PVOH, if that’s you then it unfortunately looks like Tru Earth detergent strips aren’t the one for you.
For their own list of these things as well as access to MSDS data sheets, visit this page.
What makes Tru Earth a sustainable choice?
Concentrated products will almost always be more eco-friendly than their counterparts and Tru Earth is a detergent concentrate. Rather than shipping a plastic jug largely full of tap water, they ship a concentrated form of their laundry detergent. This saves on materials, fuel during transportation, packaging, and more. That makes this laundry detergent a great choice if you’re looking to cut down on plastic, packaging in general, and reduce your environmental footprint.
The ingredients also look to be very clean and overall earth friendly with mineral oil drawing the lowest ingredient rating from the EWG.
Overall, Tru Earth’s eco-strip laundry detergent is a great alternative to any generic liquid detergent you might have previously bought at a supermarket or grocery store. If you’re not already seriously committed to Blueland or Dropps laundry detergents, I definitely recommend giving Tru Earth a try!
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In case you didn’t catch my posts about sustainable things coming in plastic packaging, you can check it out here.
Sustainably is supported by readers like you. When you buy through links on this site, we may earn an affiliate commission at no additional cost to you. You can read more about affiliate links on our “Affiliate Marketing…” page.