Product Review Monday: Seventh Generation

It has been a few weeks since my last product review, (I have not yet received the Well Beginnings Diapers) so I decided to promote another brand that I love. I have mentioned them in my posts before, but today I am specifically writing about one product in particular. Seventh Generation Natural Laundry Detergent, Blue Eucalyptus Lavender. MY FAVORITE. Now lets back up just a bit, before SG I was buying Tide. Why? It is what I grew up using and it is what my now husband also used before we ever got together. Eventually after a while I noticed my hubs coming out of the shower stuffy, sneezing and red eyed. I suggested he stop using regular soap brands and find a natural alternative. Free of synthetic perfumes etc.Once he got rid of those soaps, he got rid of the allergies. We did the same with our laundry detergents. We nixed the Tide. I went right to the Seventh Generation products because I was already buying the dish detergent and various surface cleaners. It gets a little overwhelming with all of the "Organic/Natural" brands on the market now, and you really have to do your research to see which ones really are what they claim to be, and which ones just want to make a buck. I have tried many different brands, but ultimately I wanted to pick a brand and stick with it. So here is my number one laundry choice and I will not purchase any other brand. Seventh Generations Natural Detergent cleans our clothing just as well as Tide ever did, but it does not contain chemically made perfumes/fragrances or dyes. I was buying the Free and Clear but I will admit...I do love the smell of cleaned laundry, especially after being on the line all day in the fresh air. There is obviously no smell with the Free and Clear so I began buying this one, the Lavender/Eucalyptus. The wonderful thing about this, is that the smells are from natural ingredients like essential oils. If you make your own body care products, or know someone who does, then you know essential oils are a must! You can sniff and breathe deep on an article of clothing and take relief in knowing you are not huffing something toxic into your body...just natural lavender and pine oils.  There is another scented detergent, "Fresh Citrus Breeze" for those that enjoy a more fruitful smell, or if you prefer NO smell at all...then Free and Clear is your baby. For me, it will always be the Lavender. 

One thing this company is passionate about is reducing and eliminating toxic chemicals from products we use everyday. If you recall my post a while back from the Healthy Baby Party. One of the things we did was watch a short video about toxins and then sign a petition. It was a great thing to be a part of and I am so proud of this company for all they do regarding the topic. Read Seventh Generations Mission here.

Back to the detergent. Not only does this kind SMELL amazing. It has worked wonderfully on our clothing. I am not nor have I ever been a bleach user. That is not to say I look down on anyone who does use it, I know that it does work! (and please remember that my blog posts are merely my own opinions) I just have never been able to tolerate the smell. I have noticed that if I have a white piece of clothing with a stain on it, and I can catch it quick enough, (even after a few days of it sitting there) if I pre treat with the SG detergent then proceed to wash it, the stain will disappear. If you go to the SG website it tells you exactly how to pre treat fabric. I have never had an issue washing clothes with this detergent. I wash our entire families clothing and that includes my one year old son. My husband has not had any type of reaction to it, nor the baby.

Another thing I love is that you can go right onto the website and click to see the ingredients and every single one is listed there! They even tell you what each ingredient is for. Example, "sodium citrate (plant-derived water softener".  CLICK HERE  for the complete list. I went on over to Tides website just to see how they showed their ingredients, it is not as in depth, and there is barely an explanation. Example, "sodium alkyl sulfate, use = (surfactant) Talk about vague.  CLICK HERE  for the Tide Free and Gentle list. Something else wonderful about SG detergent is that it does not contain any "brighteners". Most detergent brands add these to their ingredients and all they do is make your laundry more pleasing to the eye. It does not mean that your clothing is cleaner. UGH! One more chemical we do not need. I noticed that one of the ingredients listed on Tides Free and Gentle is " disodium diaminostilbene disulfonate". All it says next to it is "BRIGHTENER" That is a large word for brightener! Now I am not writing this post to single out Tide. They just happen to be the only other detergent brand I ever bought. I am sure I could Google other brands like ALL or CHEER and find similarities. I just really love Seventh Generation products. This is a blog where I focus on all things natural or organic because that is what I am passionate about. I understand it is not for everyone, and not everyone may have the same experiences that I do. I will just consider myself lucky.

I usually purchase the 100 fluid ounce container, like the photo above. It states that it washes up to about 66 loads of laundry. I believe it does just that! If I were to run normal amounts of laundry in our machine, using the appropriately measured detergent, I honestly believe that we could reach that amount, or at least close to. I will be honest and say I probably wash bigger loads then I should at one time. However, it does not mean that I use more detergent either. I typically fill to the second line. Clothing comes out clean every time. The 100 fl oz. lasts a very long time in my house, even when washing large loads. You just do not need a lot. Now mind you, it IS only myself, my husband and my son. If you have a large family you will obviously go through more detergent a year than we do. I do feel that if you were to compare it to other types, you would still find you use less actual detergent over time. That's a money saver in my book.

Speaking of money, for as wonderful a product and NATURAL a product, it is not over priced. Right now on the Seventh Generation website, if you were to order 100oz of this detergent, it will cost you 13.99. If you go to Soap.com (as it does not show a way to order off TIDES website) 100oz of Tide Free and Gentle will run you about 19.99. That is a pretty decent difference in price. Sometimes in store it is even cheaper. If you search around online, you may even be able to find coupons. If you go to the Seventh Generation website and enter your email, they will send you coupons every so often. If you have questions about anything they are pretty good via Facebook as well. I wrote to them a few days ago and within a day I had a response. 

They have a blog for those that want a little more information about who they are. They also post recipes, tips and other useful information. I'm telling you, this is such a wonderful company and I have no problem supporting them both in writing and out of my wallet.

So, if you are looking to lessen the amount of chemicals in your life, put a halt to lingering allergies, or take a step into living a more naturally conscience life, then please...take a few minutes and research the company. Go to the website, read reviews, check the blog and Facebook. Ask me any questions. Purchase a small container of detergent and do your own test run.You may be surprised at how much you end up loving them right away.


That is all for now!  Have a positively peaceful night!

xo