We care for your skin and the planet – that’s why we create simple plant-based formulas that are healthy for you, your family, and Mother Earth. You don’t have to sacrifice your skin or the environment to get beautifully clean clothes. Why is powder detergent more eco-friendly? Keep reading!

Plant-Based and Biodegradable

Our Laundry Soda is made with a plant-based surfactant. Plants are an excellent source of renewable energy because we can replant them! Plus, all of Nellie’s products are biodegradable, so when it moves through the water system there are no lasting effects on the environment. The environment stays as spotless as your clothes!

Moving Water

Traditional liquid detergents consist mostly of water. It doesn’t make sense to us to ship water around the world! Powder packs more tightly than liquid-based detergents, meaning less space is used in shipping and transporting your favourite Laundry Soda.

Tougher than Liquid

Powder-based detergent formulas are more stable than liquids or detergent pods. This means that our simple formula performs exceptionally well on tough-to-remove outdoor stains like grass, dirt, mud, as well as blood. Pair the Laundry Soda with the Oxygen Brightener for brighter whites and more vibrant colours, without using bleach or any other nasties!

Do you or your children suffer from skin issues like irritation or rashes? These problems are often caused by regular laundry detergent. Lots of common detergents use dyes, fragrance, softeners, and other fillers in their formulas. Both kids and adults can be sensitive to traditional laundry detergent’s icky chemicals, dyes, perfumes, and other additives, and can experience symptoms of contact dermatitis, or ‘laundry rash,’ with an itchy, hive-like rash.

What Causes Laundry Rash?

Laundry rash is caused when chemicals in laundry detergent stay behind after washing. This residue contains dyes, perfumes, surfactants, and other stuff that can cause allergic reactions. Symptoms can include an irritating, itchy rash that looks like hives, sneezing and itchy eyes, and an elevation in skin temperature, where skin may be hot to the touch and can even blister.
The top 3 offending ingredients are sodium lauryl sulfate, fragrances, and coconut diethanolamide. Sodium lauryl sulfate (or SLS) is a chemical that affects the skin’s oil layer, causing your skin to dry out. Plus, SLS's can cause eye irritation and poor eye development in children! Fragrances, which are totally unnecessary for cleaning clothing, often cause allergic reactions. Coconut diethanolamide works in a similar way to SLS, causing dryness and reactions for those with allergies.

Powder is Best for Sensitive Skin!

Nellie’s Laundry Soda has no fillers and consists of just 4 ingredients. It also rinses clear, leaving no residue behind in your clothes and fabrics – no perfumes, no optical brighteners, and no solid synthetics to irritate you. It also dissolves quickly in both hot and cold water, and is safe for HE and standard washing machines. No more double rinses, irritations, or rashes!
Want to know more about why powder is better than liquid? Click here!

Why Powder? Because it's more effective! It’s a common misconception – more bubbles means more clean, right? No way! Most conventional powder detergents contain suds-producing fillers, like SLS and SLES, which can actually be harmful to your HE washing machine! Nellie’s, on the other hand, is a low-sudsing powder detergent and is safe to use in your HE machine.

What are SLS and SLES?

Sodium Lauryl Sulfate (SLS) and Sodium Laureth Sulfate (SLES) are both surfactants, and are added to products to increase the foaming action when used. This is because of the idea that more foam or bubbles equals a better product performance. SLS and SLES lower the surface tension of the water and act as a dispersion agent. SLS and SLES are known for being skin irritants – not good for sensitive skin! They can both be found in a wide range of household products, from toothpaste to shampoo. Studies have linked SLS to eye irritation and poor eye development in children. Even at very low levels it can be absorbed through the skin and cause issues with eye health.

Friction is Good

Fabrics need to rub against each other in your washing machine to effectively lift dirt and odours. It’s this friction, combined with a surfactant, that helps penetrate dirt and stains. Too many bubbles can actually prevent that from happening! This is also why it’s important to not overload your washing machine – when you cram too many items into the washing machine, they’re not able to move around and rub against one another, resulting in a less effective clean.
Using an HE certified laundry detergent is good for your machine - using one that's free of skin irritants and fillers is good for you, too.
Want to know more about why powder is better than liquid detergent? Click here!

Unless you live in a nudist colony, wearing and washing your clothes is a part of regular life. Of course, some of us hang our clothes on a line to dry, but it’s safe to say that the majority of us choose the convenience of the dryer. As a result, one of the most toxic things we do on a regular basis is use fabric softener or dryer sheets. These products are full of toxic chemicals! Exposure to such toxins have been linked to skin irritations, neurological disease, cancer, hormonal imbalance, and ultimately your overall health can be impacted. Yikes!

Chemicals infiltrate the clothing we wear, which in turn gets on to our skin and is absorbed by our bodies. Some reports show that the occurrence of brain disease is growing, as well as the levels of industrial chemicals being found in human bodies. Some suggest the two are linked! Since manufactures are not legally required to include a list of ingredients on their dryer sheet packages, we have no way of knowing what kind of chemicals are being used.

Get Soft Laundry Without Toxins

Don’t worry  - you can still have super-soft and scented laundry, without subjecting your body to horrible toxic chemicals thanks to Nellie's Lamby Wool Dryerballs. Our dryerballs are made with 100% pure New Zealand wool, so no nasties! They reduce drying time by helping dry your clothes faster, so you’re saving energy and money. They also reduce static and wrinkles, all while softening your clothes, but the best part is that they’re chemical free and will last about 2 years.

If you prefer your laundry to have a fragrance, the Scented Wool Dryerballs are infused with pure essential oils and available in Citrus, Lavender, and Simply Fresh. The scent will last about 50 loads, so you can enjoy the chemical-free natural scent. We recommend tossing one scented wool ball with your four unscented wool balls to enhance your drying experience.

Nellie’s All-Natural products work wonders on your laundry, but did you know they’re ideal for using on tough stains from beauty products? Whether it’s lipstick, foundation, or mascara you can use Nellie's products to get your clothes, linens, and household surfaces looking like new!

Maybe it’s foundation on your white collar, lipstick on your sleeve, or self-tanner on your bed sheets, we've all been there - trying to deal with a very noticeable tough stain that’s difficult to get out! Thankfully, you don’t have to use chemical-based detergents. The power of nature is strong enough to get even the toughest stains out.

Oxygen Brightener

Your sheets can fall victim to a lot of tough stains like blood or self-tanner. A warm, healthy glow on the skin is a classic summer look, but it can be difficult to get an even tan when you’re chasing the kiddos around the yard. Self-tanning products solve that issue, but then there are stains on your sheets and clothes! The Oxygen Brightener works like magic on these tough to remove stains like blood, grass, and self-tanning products. Separate your whites from your colours and add 3 tablespoons of Oxygen Brightener to your load. Wash with the Laundry Soda and watch your linens come out of the washing machine as good as new!

You can also pre-soak your stained linens before the wash by using one tablespoon along with Nellie’s All-Natural Laundry Soda in 10 litres or 2.6 gallons of warm or hot water. Soak for 30 minutes, rinse thoroughly, and wash with the Laundry Soda.

WOW Stick

The WOW Stick is oil-based, so it’s idea for oil-based makeup products like lipsticks, mascara, concealer, eye shadows, and many liquid and stick foundations. Simply wet the stain, rub the WOW Stick onto the stained area, and then agitate the stain under water. Then launder using Nellie’s All-Natural Laundry Soda. Can’t wash the stained item? No problem! Use the WOW Stick as a spot-treatment for things like your mattress or shoes.

There's More!

Did you get stains on another home surface? Use the Oxygen Brightener on upholstery, fabric, kitchen floors, counters, trash cans, and many more washable surfaces with a solution of 1 tablespoon of Oxygen Brightener per 16oz or 500ml of water.

Carpet stains? Don't worry. You don't have to rent a carpet cleaner or use nasty chemicals! For a naturally-effective spot remover, create a solution using 1 tablespoon per 16oz or 500ml of water. Soak up excess liquid before applying the solution to the stain. Use only enough to cover the stained area, wait 1-5 minutes, and soak up with a white towel. Repeat if necessary. Rinse thoroughly and blot dry. Vacuum when dry.