I always try, with everything I buy, to get the most “green”, most eco-friendly version there is. In my first year of being vegan, I have been trying even harder to be green, just because I am so much more aware of the need for it now. Laundry detergent has always made me feel bad when I pick it up in the grocery store – I just feel guilty that it’s going into the water, but it’s one of those products which has become something we really rely on, and the idea of an “alternative” just brings back images of the stone age. Detergent is convenient, relatively cheap and pretty essential.

So when I was offered the chance to try Planet Pure’s new certified organic laundry liquid – I jumped at the chance. For a while now I have been looking for a reliable, non-toxic replacement for my every day laundry liquid – but having grown so accustomed to liquids that wash clothes so well, I was worried I would have to settle for something a little “second rate”. How wrong I was! (and what a relief!).

Planet Pure who have been around since 1999 believe that humans may live in harmony with nature and the environment without exploiting and destroying it. Perfect, me too!! The company use only sustainable components in their products with ingredients such as tea saponin, soapwort, and soapnut which are extracted through a careful process with pure mountain water from the Pfänder region in western Austria. Even better for us eco geeks, their products are easily broken down 100% by nature; the detergents even break down as much as 98% within some hours!

Planet Pure kindly sent me a 510ml bottle of their Fresh Lavender, certified organic, laundry liquid, along with a 50ml bottle of Fresh Orange stain remover (you can buy them both here). The laundry liquid bottle is partially transparent and on first glance, the liquid is a sort of brownish orangey colour. It would be easy to be put off by this but it goes to show you should never judge a book by it’s cover. As soon as I opened the lid, the smell was amazing! I love lavender anyway, but this was like putting your head in a lavender bush! Absolutely wonderful! In my opinion, we have grown too used to things being artificially coloured and thinking that is the “norm”. There is nothing at all wrong with something in it’s natural form and I for one massively prefer it. No chemicals – phew!

I was not disappointed by the liquid’s performance either. As you can see from the picture above, I have been using it regularly since it arrived and it has been brilliant. In fact, the stain remover managed to lift a particularly tricky stain caused by a spoonful of baked beans escaping me! One thing which was a noticeable difference between this product and my usual supermarket brand was that it did not froth up as much. Planet Pure have explained to me that they made a conscious choice to leave out the chemical foam enhancers that most supermarket brands use, as they do not have a cleaning effect per se, and just give the illusion that the product is effective (those sneaky big name brands! Who knew!). Using a lot less foam, in turn helps to save water during the rinsing process. Eco geniuses!

The way I see it, if there is a product which does a great job and doesn’t damage the environment, what could be better? This is something we should all aspire to in all aspects of our lives. I have not got a bad word to say about Planet Pure Laundry Liquid, and I am very much looking forward to making it part of my regular shop!

This sample was sent to me free of charge through the blogger review service of the VEGAN lifestyle ASSOCIATION. I have not been paid for this review and it is my genuine and unbiased review of the product.