Replacing your liquid detergent with laundry pods may seem like a small change, but it’s a mighty convenient one as well. It eliminates the need to measure and pour detergent; clean up spills or drips; or leave the bottle tipped upside down when you’re trying to siphon just one more cup. While Tide Pods are perhaps the most well-known laundry pod, others exist—including eco-friendly ones like Grab Green 3-in-1 Laundry Detergent Pods. We picked up a bag of the all-natural cleaner to see if it was capable of handling our toddler’s dirty play clothes, heaps of towels, and the regular laundry that piles up around our house. Read on to see how the pods performed.
Cleaning Performance: Mighty impressive
Smelly gym clothes, grass-stained toddler clothes, baby shirts and bibs smeared with pureed veggies—you’ll find it all in our house. Fortunately, Grab Green’s 3-in-1 laundry pods were up for every challenge we threw their way. We tend to need more than the recommended amount of liquid detergent to deal with our family’s laundry (especially with all-natural options), but these tiny pods packed some major cleaning power. Grab Green recommends using one pod for small or medium loads and two pods for larger loads. We found that unless we were washing an extremely large load of laundry, such as a heavy comforter, one pod was more than enough. We decided to test out the brightening aspect of the detergent by using it on a load of white towels. Some were newer and still retained their crisp, bright white but others had seen better days and were in need of a refresh. After using the Grab Green 3-in-1 pods, we saw a noticeable difference in the brightness of the entire load. The towels were clean and smelled as good as they looked since we opted for the lavender and vanilla scent. In our experience, the laundry pods provided enough brightening power but if you want even more, Grab Green makes a bleach alternative pod that can also be thrown in with your load. Just as the pods did a stellar job brightening our towels, they were also highly effective in dealing with dirt and stains. The list of ingredients specifies three different enzyme blends which address protein-, oil-, and starch-based stains. The threefold combination was able to tackle our toughest stains—those found on our toddler’s play clothes—so it had no issue handling our regular loads, either. Warning callout: As parents, we always think twice about laundry pods. We tend to choose liquid detergent over pods due to how easy it is for children to grab them and put them in their mouth. Grab Green’s pods are a little less enticing as they’re not brightly colored, but they’re still the right size and shape for little hands. Even though the ingredients are natural, we still exercised a lot of caution when using them in our home.
Scent: Laundry fresh without the chemicals
Grab Green uses essential oils—such as lavender, patchouli, and eucalyptus—to fragrance their all-natural detergents. We’ve used detergents that were too subtle and others that were way too overpowering but we thought the brand’s lavender vanilla scent was perfectly balanced.
Ingredients: Transparency all around
One of the challenges with green cleaning products is understanding exactly what all of the ingredients do. Sure, the company may say that they’re all-natural, but unless you have an advanced degree in biochemistry, chances are you don’t know what role sodium metasilicate or hydrated silica plays in cleaning your clothes. Grab Green promises transparency with their products by not only providing a list of included ingredients, but also the function of each.
Commitment to Environment: Green company started by parent entrepreneurs
The Grab Green line was created by two entrepreneurs who each had their own busy (and messy) kids. They wanted to make sure their families and homes were clean while still using safe ingredients and environmentally-friendly practices. Everything from the recyclable packaging to the concentrated powder-based pod spell out less waste. The company is also cruelty-free and produces their pods in the USA, so there’s a lot to feel good about with a Grab Green purchase.
Price: Paying for convenience
The Grab Green 3-in-1 Laundry Detergent Pods are more expensive than most laundry detergents, but they’re also convenient and may eliminate the need for additional products like brighteners and stain removers. If you are using just one pod per load, the cost—$8 for a 24 pack—is comparable to most green laundry products, but if you find yourself needing to use two pods or additional pretreatment products, the cost may outweigh their convenience.
Competition: Lots of green detergents (but not pods) to choose from
Mrs. Meyer’s Clean Day Laundry Detergent: Our favorite green laundry detergent to use and smell is Mrs. Meyer’s Clean Day Laundry Detergent. It cleans well, smells fantastic, and is slightly less expensive than Grab Green’s 3-in-1 laundry detergent pods. But, it doesn’t have the convenience of the pod or the added brightener. If you prefer liquid detergent, go with Mrs. Meyer’s. Otherwise, Grab Green is the one for you. Tide Pods Laundry Detergent Liquid Pacs: For laundry pod enthusiasts, this bestselling detergent brand offers a laundry pod that’s affordable, cleans well, and has a fresh scent. If you’re second concern after cleaning power is eco-friendly ingredients, though, the chemicals used in Tide Pods formula may be a deal breaker. Want to take a look at some other options? See our guide to the best green laundry detergents. We liked almost everything about Grab Green’s 3-in-1 Laundry Detergent Pods from the scent to the cleaning performance to the natural ingredients. But with two small children in our home, laundry pods just aren’t the best choice for us. If you live in an adult-only household or your children are past the stage of putting everything in their mouth, definitely give them a go.
