What is the Best Laundry Detergent for Delicate Laundry?

Some laundry detergents are designed to provide extra care for a specific fabric. It’s in the detergent chemistry! Here is how you find the best laundry detergent for delicate laundry.

What Best Laundry Detergent for Delicate Laundry?

At The Folde, we fold a ton of laundry. And, we’re really good at it! Here is our top 5 list of the best laundry detergent for delicate laundry:

  1. Dropps Laundry Detergent
  2. The Laundress – Le Labo Rose Detergent
  3. Better Life Natural Laundry Detergent
  4. Puracy Natural Laundry Detergent
  5. Charlie’s Hypoallergenic Laundry Liquid

Delicate Laundry Detergents We Recommend

Choosing the right delicate laundry detergent is a simple way to prevent unnecessarily damaging your delicate laundry.

Dropps Laundry Pods

Delicate Laundry Detergent

Made for sensitive skin. Comes in recyclable and compostable cardboard packaging helps reduce single-use plastic.

The Laundress – Le Labo

Delicate Laundry Detergent

The Laundress laundry detergent blends the finest modern perfume into the brand’s best-performing detergent formula.

Charlie’s Laundry Liquid

Delicate Laundry Detergent

Each bottle contains just four ingredients. No suds, just a deep clean that leaves your Airbnb linens fresh and soft.

Detergent Tips from The Folde Laundry Service

What Best Laundry Detergent for Delicate Laundry?

When washing your delicates, pay attention to the details of the detergent you’re using. Pretty packaging or convenient placement on the grocery store aisles doesn’t mean the ingredients of your laundry detergent are safe for delicate laundry. Most generic laundry detergents may be too harsh for certain delicate laundry fabrics, causing them to tear, fade, or shrink.

The best detergent for delicate laundry typically includes gentle ingredients and a pH that is close to neutral, in order to clean without damaging your delicate laundry.

Detergents that are designed for delicate laundry are also good all-purpose detergents designed to be extra-gentle. You’ll want to find a detergent that does not include any harsh synthetic chemicals like sulfates, bleaches, and brighteners.

You’ll also want to choose whether to hand-wash or use the delicate cycle on your washing machine for your delicates. Whatever you choose, we’ve compiled some of the types of laundry detergents to use on your delicates!

Best Laundry Detergent for Delicate Laundry

1. Detergents that are PH balanced.

A good rule of thumb when washing delicate laundry is to find a detergent that’s PH-balanced. Dropps Laundry Detergent laundry detergent is a good option if you are looking for something strictly PH-based.

This detergent’s PH formula is hypoallergenic and dermatologist-tested, made from plant-based products and essential oils. If you use this detergent or one with a similar PH formula, you’ll be doing wonders for the longevity of your clothes!

Dropps Laundry Detergent Pods | Best Laundry Detergent for Delicate Laundry | The Folde Laundry Service

Best Laundry Detergent for Delicate Laundry

2. No-rinse detergents

If you’re washing your delicates by hand, no-rinse detergents may be a good idea. A nice and effective no-rinse detergent that we love is Soak. This is a great option because it requires very little effort, since you simply soak, squeeze, and dry flat.

The detergent can be used to hand-wash almost anything, as well as in your washing machine, whether it is standard or high-efficiency. While most detergents are quite difficult to use when hand washing your delicate laundry, Soak is the opposite!

Best Laundry Detergent for Delicate Laundry

3. All-natural detergents.

All-natural detergents are great for delicate clothing, since they’re free of the harsh chemicals that could potentially damage the fabric.

A good all-natural option is Puracy Natural Laundry Detergent which you can buy in bulk. It is one of the purest detergents you could choose since it is made with a plant enzyme-based formula that is 99.9% natural.

This detergent or a similar option is a great and effective way to clean and maintain the integrity of delicate clothes. It’s one of the best laundry detergents for delicate laundry!

Best Laundry Detergent for Delicate Laundry

4. Delicate detergents meant for specific types of fabric.

If there is a specific type of delicate fabric that you are trying to wash, finding a detergent meant specifically for that fabric could be beneficial.

For example, The Laundress makes a detergent meant specifically for wool and cashmere. It protects the delicate fibers while also cleansing and conditioning in a concentrated formula. They also have a delicate laundry detergent made specifically for delicate denim garments.

Washing a specific fabric type together is a great laundry habit – especially for delicate laundry. You can take that a step further by using specific delicate laundry detergents for different material garments.

Best Laundry Detergent for Delicate Laundry

What are the Harmful Chemicals Often Found in Laundry Detergents?

Now you know what to look for as a sign of a good delicate laundry detergent. But, what are the signs you should look to avoid?

Some of the most commonly used chemicals to avoid when shopping for laundry detergent include sodium lauryl sulfate (SLS), optical brighteners, formaldehyde, polyethylene glycol (PEG), synthetic fragrances, petroleum-based cleaning agents, phthalates and chlorine-based bleaches.

That is a lot, right? It shows how nasty mainstream detergents can be. We recommend avoiding the mainstream options at the grocery store when shopping for delicate laundry detergent because, well, most grocery store detergents contain chemicals like these…

These chemicals that are commonly found in most mainstream laundry detergents can have negative effects on your health, your garments, your laundry machines, and your environment. Always read laundry detergent labels carefully.

If there are a bunch of long, scary-sounding words that you do not understand, it’s safe to say that it is not a good laundry detergent…

Best Laundry Detergent for Delicate Laundry

That is a lot of chemicals! What are the regulations in place to ensure safe laundry detergents are sold?

Laundry detergents are regulated. However, it is a lot for the regulators to keep up with.

In the United States, laundry detergents fall under the Consumer Product Safety Commission’s scope. This is because some mainstream, grocery store laundry detergents are known to have hazardous chemicals like chlorine and phosphates.

Determining ingredient safety and regulating proper packaging and disclosure requirements is handled by the Environmental Protection Agency.

These regulations keep everyone safe! But, even with all the rules around laundry detergents, some bad actors can always take shortcuts. The best way to make sure your detergents are A+ delicate laundry detergents is to check the ingredient list yourself.

The Folde now offers a Delicate Laundry Bag!

You can now choose which items get which treatment! We will no longer charge a hang dry fee. Instead, this Delicates Bag is a $25 flat-rate bag that you can stuff full of your delicate laundry.

The Delicates Bag is for your wash & fold garments that need gentle wash and low-temperature or air dry. For some people, it’s a few pairs of their favorite jeans. For others, it’s workout gear and leggings. However you decide to use this delicates bag, rest assured that the garments in this bag are getting specialized and separated treatment from the rest of your order.

Best Laundry Detergent for Delicate Laundry | The Folde | Laundry Service

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