(Last updated: May 17, 2026.)
This is a list of fragrance free detergents I have tried, ranked in order of how well I tolerate their sensory profile. My comments about how these detergents smell is AFTER washing and drying, on properly cleaned textiles. This ranking is NOT about detergent performance… only my sensory ranking. All of these detergents work fine for me in practice, but:
- My laundry is pretty easy - light soiling in general and very little particulate soil.
- I always pre-treat anything visible with Puracy Baby Stain Remover.
- I only wash at 40C or 60C. My shortest wash stage time is 50 minutes.
- I always pair my detergent with FEBU booster so I’m getting a full enzyme suite regardless of the detergent I’m using.
- I have very soft water and front loader washers, so I always use the maximum number of extra rinses available.
As always, your situation and detergent needs may be different from mine!
Detergents I Like#
| Product | Notes |
|---|---|
| Molly Sudds Baby Liquid | Cleans well and has a VERY neutral sensory profile. This is the detergent I use most. |
| Whole Foods 365 Concentrated Liquid | The white bottle, not the clear bottle labeled organic. Fairly diluted so dosing needs to be a little high so it performs well. Good sensory profile, low cost, easy to get. A boring workhouse. I also use this in some of my soaking protocols. |
| Puracy Unscented Liquid | Cleans well, neutral sensory profile, somewhat expensive. It can be a bit sensitive to dosing as it’s a bit sudsy. |
Detergents I Like with Reservations#
| Product | Notes |
|---|---|
| AspenClean Liquid | I personally love the sensory profile on this and prefer to wash my bedding in it. It’s one of the few smells that my nervous system finds calming. Unfortunately it has soapy ingredients which can be problematic over time so I only use it on my sheets every once in a rare while. It is wool safe and I use it for wool socks and wool blankets. The formula is almost identical to the Dirty Labs Delicates and Hand Wash formula but it’s slightly cheaper from AspenClean. I consider the two interchangeable. |
| Tide Free and Gentle Odor Refresh | This leaves behind a faint chemical after-smell that I can’t tolerate on bedding or shirts, but it’s cheap and performs really well so I use it on my kid’s school clothes. |
Detergents I Don’t Like#
| Product | Notes |
|---|---|
| Dirty Labs Bio Enzyme Liquid | Performs well when dosed properly, but expensive. Leaves behind a faint fermenty off smell I don’t like. |
| Seventh Generation Ultra Concentrated EasyDose | Performs well and is really cheap. Leaves behind a faint chemical off smell I don’t like. |