Posted By: Truly Free Home
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Posted On: 10/17/2025
Simply put, laundry detergent sheets or laundry detergent strips are pre-measured, concentrated laundry detergents held together with resin and dissolvable paper. The laundry sheet’s detergent is released when it comes into contact with hot or cold water and dissolves. Often, laundry detergent sheets are advertised as convenient, plastic-free, and space-saving.
The answer: no. Laundry detergent sheets don’t work well. Testing by Wirecutter and Consumer Reports found that across the top brands, cleaning results ranged from mediocre to lousy, noting that laundry detergent sheets do not work as well as liquid detergents and are significantly worse at removing stains than most liquid laundry detergents.
“In fact, [laundry sheets] had lower performance as a group than our lowest-performing liquid or pod/packs detergents,” says Rich Handel, Consumer Reports’ laundry expert.
During cold water testing—a key metric because cold water laundry cycles save energy and are easier on fabrics—laundry detergent sheet performance was particularly bad. While laundry detergent sheets did perform better in a warm water cycle, the improvement was negligible.
So what about odors? Laundry detergent sheets failed in this department, too. In odor-removal tests by Wirecutter, no brand was able to rid shirts of bacon grease and pepperoni pizza smells.
Most laundry detergent sheets contain sodium lauryl sulfate (SLS), a known skin irritant that is also harmful to aquatic life.
Laundry detergent sheets are also often scented with “fragrances”, an ambiguous term that can hide any number of harsh, toxic ingredients. (In the U.S., companies are not required to provide information about ingredients in fragrances or parfum.)
It’s true that laundry detergent sheets are light and require less packaging than laundry jugs or laundry detergent pods, so they require less fuel and resources to ship. The caveat? Many laundry detergent sheets are manufactured in China, so their long journey to U.S. consumers cancels out any emissions-saving efforts.
When it comes to water usage, there’s also reason to doubt laundry sheets’ eco-friendliness. Laundry detergent sheets are said to eliminate overdosing of laundry detergent—a common user error with liquid detergents—so you can cut down on extra rinse cycles needed to get rid of unnecessary suds.
But because laundry detergent sheets aren’t great at cleaning clothes, users often have to run multiple cycles to remove odors and dirt, making water usage excessive compared to liquid detergents like Truly Free Home Laundry Wash.
Then there’s polyvinyl alcohol (PVA/PVOH). Polyvinyl alcohol is a water-soluble synthetic polymer. You know it as the clear material used to wrap laundry detergent pods. Laundry detergent sheets also include PVA/PVOH in their formulas.
While the Environmental Protection Agency currently includes PVA/PVOH on its Safer Choice and Safer Chemical Ingredients lists, there’s no conclusive proof that the material is biodegradable.
When used in laundry detergent pods and laundry detergent sheets, PVA/PVOH films are particularly harmful to the environment because they wash straight into your home’s wastewater. Even after sewage treatment, the microplastics left behind are difficult to filter out, allowing them to persist in the environment and threaten waterways and your health.
When it comes to cleaning power, safety, and sustainability, Truly Free Home Laundry Wash stands in a class of its own. While laundry detergent sheets often fall short in performance and leave behind harmful residues in both your clothes and the environment, Truly Free Home’s formula delivers a deep, effective clean that’s safe for your family and the planet.
Plus, our Laundry Wash is crafted without toxic fragrances, dyes, or harsh surfactants like sodium lauryl sulfate (SLS). Instead, it uses plant-powered ingredients and our patented quadrasalt technology to lift away stains, neutralize odors, and break down buildup—even in cold or hard water.
Even better? Your first order comes with one reusable Forever Jug and recyclable refill pouches, keeping countless plastic bottles out of landfills and waterways. By switching, you’re not just choosing a cleaner detergent; you’re helping close the loop on plastic waste.
So, before you reach for laundry detergent sheets that promise convenience but deliver pollution (and dirty clothes), try Truly Free Home Laundry Wash—a solution that truly lives up to its name.
