Taylor's Free & Clear Seventh Generation Natural Laundry Detergent Review

by Taylor

I have been using the liquid Seventh Generation natural laundry detergent, in the free and clear scent, for about the last week and a half, and I have to say I am quite impressed with it.

I had gotten several good reviews of this product before (see all the experiences from readers below), and it made be interested in trying out a natural and hypoallergenic brand.

Then, what put it much higher up on my list of laundry soaps to try was the fact that it got such a good rating in Consumer Reports.

After all that hype I was concerned it would be a dud, but I was wrong. Instead, I've been pleasantly surprised by how well it has cleaned my family's clothes.

I like the fact that the detergent is dual compatible, made for both HE and standard machines.

I was slightly concerned because it does not contain optical brighteners (the stuff that makes your clothes glow under ultra-violet light), fearing the clothing would not look as clean as I was used to. However, I've been pleasantly surprised that I haven't noticed a difference.

You know I'm very interested in how a product does in removing stains, and this one has worked pretty well overall. My daughter did get a bit of pink toothpaste on a hand towel, and after washing (without any pretreatment because I frankly forgot to) there was a very slight pink ghost mark on the towel, but it was very faint. Overall, I was impressed it got as much of that stain out as it did.

It has worked well, in general, for both cleaning and odor removal too. We've had some pretty stinky clothes recently, because of lots of tennis matches and soccer games, and all the workout clothes have come out clean and fresh, like you'd expect.

Finally, I like that it is eco-friendly. It makes me glad to know that I can use a detergent that is both good for the environment and actually works as well as a leading brand to clean fabric.

The only con I see for this product is that it costs more than some of the bargain detergents, such as ALL and Purex that I have been using to save some cash. This one issue may make it less likely that I buy it again, consistently in the future.

However, I will be on the look out for sales and coupons which could make it within my normal buying range, since I liked it enough to use it again.



What about you? Have you tried any of this brand's products and want to share your experiences? If so, you can share your Seventh Generation cleaning products and laundry supplies reviews here, or read other reviews that have already been submitted.

Seventh Generation Free And Clear Detergent Review

by S. A. Johnson
(Nixon, NV, USA)

S.A. has provided a review of Seventh Generation Free and Clear detergent.

S.A. says:

I'm very picky about what type of laundry detergent I use because it seems that I not only am I cursed with being anal retentive, I am also cursed with being allergic to almost everything.

Even some products that claim to be hypo-allergenic, can make me itch and uncomfortable.

My family and I live on a ranch, we have our own natural spring water, lots of animals and on top of that we live over an hour away from the nearest city. As you can imagine, ranch living isn't exactly clean and so it's important that stains and an odors are knocked out.

Because it's really important to us that we use as many products that are not harmful to our environment as possible we switched from our normal laundry detergent to Seventh Generation free and clear detergent.

The container said that it was hypo-allergenic, nontoxic, safe for septic tanks and best of all, not tested on animals.

I was nervous about it because I found that it was a bit pricey for us but I figured that if it worked, it was worth it. When we brought it home I followed the directions on the container and when I was finished washing and drying the clothes, as I was folding them, I examined them.

I smelled the possible problem areas and didn't notice any odors. In addition, I rubbed some of them over my skin (my arms), to see if I would have any reaction to it. Absolutely no problems, it smelled clean and felt fine.

It worked like charm and we've been using it ever since.

Taylor says:

Thanks S.A. for your Seventh Generation free and clear detergent review.

I'm glad you found something that would work with your laundry detergent allergy.

Has anyone else used Seventh Generation detergent, and want to share a review? If so, you can share your Seventh Generation laundry detergent reviews here, or read other reviews that have already been submitted.

You can also share your other laundry detergent reviews here, to tell me which detergent you like best, and why.

Seventh Generation Free & Clear Detergent Review - Great Prices Online

by Amy
(Washington, DC)

Amy says:

I've been using Seventh Generation Free & Clear laundry detergent for the past year. I buy the 2x concentrated in a 50 oz. bottle that does 33 loads. I'd highly recommend Seventh Generation for anyone looking for an effective free and clear detergent.

I don't have allergies or anything like that. I just prefer a detergent without any fragrance or dyes. However, that means it really needs to work because there isn't any artificial "clean smell" to trick your nose and cover up something that's not-so-clean.

Happily, Seventh Generation works great! My clothes come out of the washer nice and clean, and over 12 months of doing several loads of laundry a week, I haven't experienced any disappointments.

No noticeable wear and tear on fabric, and no loads requiring a re-wash. I've also had good luck getting out stains by doing a little pre-treating with a dab of detergent.

The bottle says it will work in either HE or standard machines. I use it in a standard machine (I'm an apartment dweller using a shared laundry room). I definitely get the full 33 loads from the bottle - I never feel like I need to use extra to get the job done.

I also feel good that the product is less harmful for the environment (no phosphates!) and that the company I'm supporting is socially responsible.

Also, I'm generally willing to pay a little bit extra for a product that's better for the environment, but I'm usually able to find Seventh Generation at a price that meets or beats the big brands - especially if I shop online.

Taylor says:

Thanks Amy for your review of Seventh Generation natural laundry detergent.

It seems like the free and clear version of this detergent is quite popular, since I've gotten several positive reviews of it already.

Photo courtesy of TXFireFighter on Amazon.com

Compostable Bottle Is Great But Detergent Caused Hives

by Julie
(Indiana)

Julie wrote in to share her family's experience with this detergent.

Julie says:

My son is suffering from an outbreak of hives.

I have determined it has to be the detergent.

I have always used fragance free, no dye detergents in the past.

However, I was intrigued by the compostable bottle and since I'm always looking to be more earth-friendly, I thought I would switch detergents especially since the detergent met my standards.

Well, I have to stop using it. I will go back to what worked for us and not recommend this detergent to anyone.

But kudos to the compostable bottle. Really cool!

Taylor says:

Sorry to hear about your son's allergic reaction Julie. It is no fun when your child is sick and in pain, so I hope he feels better soon.

I put this review under the free and clear page, because I believe you were saying you used the scent free version, but if instead you were using a scented version please tell me, so I can correct that.

I agree, the compostable bottle is pretty cool. For other readers who may not know, this bottle is innovative packaging from the company which puts a liquid detergent into a cardboard, compostable bottle. It doesn't leak because it has a thin plastic liner inside (which is also recyclable). This means much less packaging waste, which is really awesome!

I recently tried this detergent (you can see my review at the top of the page) but I bought the plastic bottle.

Thankfully, it did not cause anyone in my family to have an allergic reaction, but sometimes an ingredient will do this for some people, even for the allergy-free versions.

I think I'll try the compostable bottle next time though, since I really love the idea of it, and want to see if it works well and doesn't drip (which is one of my concerns with it). Anyone else use this type of bottle and want to share how it worked for them?

If so, you can share your review here.

***Update: An SR101 Reader wrote in to share their experience with this product as well, and it also gave them an allergic reaction. She said:

I can't find a product that doesn't make me itch and burn so I tried this. I went to work and my arm felt like it had fiberglass in it. I itched and burned all over. Never again.

***End Update

Seventh Generation Natural Laundry Detergent Review - Free & Clear

by Carolyn

Carolyn says:

Since I was little, I could barely walk down the detergent aisle without sneezing and wheezing, so I seek out products that are as natural as possible.

And that goes double for laundry detergents which are sometimes gratuitously loaded with scents and such. So Seventh Generation's Laundry Liquid Concentrate, Free & Clear is our top choice first and foremost for what is doesn't contain or do: free of phosphates, non-toxic, not tested on animals, hypoallergenic and no fragrances or dyes.

And yes, it cleans laundry well and works especially well on hard water.

But what really seals the deal is the "walking the talk" that Seventh Generation exhibits environmentally and socially as a company! That's what counterbalances the slightly higher price for us, although we actually find we don't have to use as much as it suggests thereby stretching its use + they always offer helpful coupons, to boot!

Great product, great company!

Taylor says:

Thanks Carolyn for sharing your Seventh Generation natural laundry detergent review. For you, as for many more people these days, taking care of our environment is as important as getting clean clothes, so I am glad to hear you've found a brand that can meet both of those goals at once.

Equally good, since it sounds like you, as many others, suffer from a laundry detergent allergy, you've found a hypoallergenic laundry detergent that won't cause you to suffer from allergy symptoms.

I would love to hear from others about their experiences with Seventh Generation detergents, or any other laundry detergent brand for that matter.

You can share your reviews of this brand here, or read other reviews that have already been submitted.

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