Summer means light-coloured clothing, and light-coloured clothing often means stains! You don’t have to resort to harsh, toxic stain removers to lift the stains out, whether they're grass stains, spilled wine, or coffee. We’ve got the guide to easily removing tough spots on all fabrics, from your favourite jeans to light summer dresses.

Pre-Treat

Made with natural ingredients and free from dyes and synthetic fragrances, the WOW Stick uses the power of nature to lift stains out of all fabrics. The WOW Stick contains lemongrass and sweet orange essential oils, which work in combination with the cleansing ingredients to combat any odours caused by the offending stain.
To use, just wet the stained area of fabric, and then rub the WOW Stick onto the stained area. Agitate the stain under water, and repeat until the stain has begun to fade.

Launder

Nellie’s Oxygen Brightener uses the oxygen to penetrate stains, stripping away dirt, odour, and grime – perfect for getting out these pesky stains! The Oxygen Brightener’s chlorine-free formula is colour-safe, septic safe, hypoallergenic, environmentally-friendly and biodegradable, so you can forget about toxic ingredients! Use the Oxygen Brightener along with the Laundry Soda for the ultimate stain-fighting clean. All you need is a tablespoon for a small-sized load, or 3 tablespoons for a large load. Use 3 tablespoons for super-stained clothing.

Dry

Dry your clothes as you normally do – hang dry on the clothes line, or toss into the dryer with your favourite Lamby Wool Dryerballs! We love to use the Scented Wool Dryerball in Simply Fresh to give a subtle, beautiful scent.
No more stains, without using harsh chemicals. Your skin, your clothes, and the Earth will thank you!

All month long, we’ve talked about why powder is better than liquid. From being more eco-friendly to being hypoallergenic, it’s clear that powder is best! We’ve rounded up all the reasons we love powder detergent below!

Eco-Friendly

For us, using powder is a no-brainer. The plant-based formula of our Laundry Soda is biodegradable, so it’s gentle on the earth while tackling tough stains. The Laundry Soda is created with renewable energy, thanks to its plant-based surfactant, because plants grow back! Traditional liquid detergents consist of mostly water – at Nellie’s, we don’t think moving water around the planet does anyone any good. Our Laundry Soda can be packaged more efficiently, minimizing impact on the environment.

Effective

Simply put, there is more cleaning power packed into powder! Nellie’s Laundry Soda is more concentrated than traditional detergents, so one tablespoon is all you need for every regular-sized load. It saves the planet and saves your dollars! Many conventional powder detergents use suds-producing fillers, like SLS and SLES, which give the impression of a ‘better clean’ because of their bubbles. However, they can hurt your HE machine! Nellie’s Laundry Soda is a low-sudsing detergent, making it better for you, the planet, and your HE washing machine.

Hypoallergenic

Our Laundry Soda has no fillers and contains only four ingredients. The formula rinses clear every time, leaving no traces behind to irritate your skin – no perfumes, no phosphates, no optical brighteners, and no solid synthetics. You get a cleaner clean every time, with no unnecessary extras.
Want to learn more about why powder is better? Click here!

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 misconception 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 Key!

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, which 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!