(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 opaque bottle (not the clear bottle labeled organic, which is hot garbage). Fairly dilute so dosing needs to be a little higher than indicated so it performs ok. Good sensory profile, low cost, easy to get. I use this in some of my soaking protocols and when something is lightly soiled and just needs a quick refresh. |
| Tide Free and Gentle | This is a well formulated inexpensive detergent. It leaves behind a small amount of residual smell if it’s under-rinsed, so make sure to rinse properly. I use this on my kid’s school clothes and any laundry that’s a bit more “needy” than my usual. I tend to avoid it on bedding. Note that the “Odor Refresh” version is a little more chemical smelling and I didn’t tolerate it as well. Also, the “Advanced Care” version at CostCo is the same as the regular free and gentle minus one synthetic soil release polymer so should be basically comparable and is a screaming deal. |
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. Do not use this if you have hard water. Probably don’t use it on towels even in soft water because eventually you’ll wind up with texture problems. |
| Puracy Unscented Liquid | Cleans well, neutral sensory profile, somewhat expensive. It can be a bit sensitive to dosing as it’s a bit sudsy. This contains a small amount of CPB which is harder to rinse clean and some find to be a skin irritant. |
| Dirty Labs Bio Enzyme Liquid | This has a strong smell during use that I don’t love, but it blows off enough in the dryer that the end result is tolerable. It performs well when dosed properly (you need more than suggested on the label), but it’s quite expensive so I don’t really use it. |
Detergents I Don’t Like#
| Product | Notes |
|---|---|
| Seventh Generation Ultra Concentrated EasyDose | Performs well and is really cheap. Leaves behind a chemical off smell I don’t like. |
| BioKleen Free and Clear Liquid | I really wanted to love this based on the formulation, but it has overpowering yeasty notes that persist even out of the dryer. I couldn’t handle it. |