Dropps: Eco-friendly detergent, now encapsulated

Can a laundry detergent bring more fun and energy into your life? Dropps, a new eco-friendly detergent, claims it does just that -- because the detergent comes in squishy little "toss-and-go" capsules the size of very large gummy bears.

Basically, instead of carrying a plastic jug or cardboard box of detergent to measure out for your wash, Dropps lets you just tote one of these concentrated detergent capsules to throw in the wash. The biodegradable squishy wrapping then dissolves, releasing the detergent, which itself is biodegradable as well as free of 1,4-Dioxane, phosphates, and NPE.

Dropps seems to be as green -- but not particularly greener than -- other eco-friendly concentrated detergents on the market. While Dropps claims it uses less packaging, the capsules come in a plasticky bag that's likely more difficult and costly to recycle than the plastic jugs that other liquid detergents come in.

Dropps' main difference is its convenience -- though I have to say that the press release's overblown claim that "Using Convenient, Time-Saving and Energy Efficient Dropps Leaves Room for Other Activities" makes me crack up a bit. How much more extra energy and "room for other activities" does one really get just from not carrying a bottle of laundry detergent? I guess I've never actually found the act of carrying a bottle of detergent on laundry day particularly onerous. Have you?

Still, the novelty of Dropps perhaps will encourage the curious to give eco-friendly detergents a try. I tried a Dropp, and the stuff worked well -- just like the other eco-friendly laundry detergents I generally use. My life did not suddenly get more fun and full of energy -- though it did get a tad cleaner --

Curious? Dropps is available at some Target, Wal-Mart, and Whole Foods stores or online. If you try it, let me know if it brings more energy and fun into your life --

Earlier: Green clean week

 

Comments

[Ashleigh]

I have been using dropps for quite some time and absolutely love it! I used to hate lugging a jug from the market to my apartment and find the lightweight packaging so much easier. And, I am really happy with how it cleans.

The two things that you don't mention are the water savings and energy savings of the product. Even as all of the jug detergents are becoming more concentrated, they still contain a lot of water that is needlessly shipped around the country. In my mind, what makes dropps more eco-friendly is the fact that the detergent has a small footprint on the environment. No water is wasted, less energy is needed to ship it around and the packaging, although it is a plastic bag, uses far less plastic than a jug. Not sure you are aware of this, but the cap of a detergent jug is 100% landfill material and the plastic of a jug is 75% new plastic.

These days I am trying to use products that use less and waste less. dropps fills both of those requirements for me and so I am happy to keep on using the product.

[Beth aka Fake Plastic Fish]

But why do we need any water in our laundry soap at all? We've been using Ecover laundry powder, which comes in a recycled cardboard box with a cardboard scooper, and it works fine for us. Zero plastic.

I'd try the dropps if it weren't for the plastic packaging.