5 Best Laundry Detergent Sheets, Tested by Cleaning Experts

Worth noting:

The Best Laundry Detergent Sheets Are Eco-Friendly and Can Take Down Most Stains

Reading up on Domino’s shopping guides is like having your own personal product concierge. We do the tedious part—deep-dive research, hands-on testing, and tapping experts for advice—so all you have to do is hit “add to cart.” That’s why we call them Simply the Best.

Say goodbye to unnaturally hued liquids, overpowering scents, and clunky bottles: Laundry detergent sheets are here, with clean design and plant-based ingredients. Swapping from liquid to sheet means no more haphazard measuring, sticky handles, or heavy jugs. Detergent sheets also weigh less than their liquid counterparts and come in plastic-free packaging, so switching reduces carbon emissions and waste.

We put a bunch of brands to the test, tackling challenging stains, mildewy towels, and workout clothes with ease. The only thing they couldn’t do is keep track of the sock that always seems to go missing in the wash. But we’ll forgive ’em for that. Here are the best laundry detergent sheets—they range from scented to scent-free, leave out harmful ingredients, and can counteract spills and stains.

Our Favorites

• Best for whites: LastObject Laundry Detergent Sheets
• Best scents: Good Juju Laundry Detergent Eco-Strips
• Best on tough stains: Grove Co. Laundry Detergent Sheets
• Best for sensitive skin: Lazy Coconuts Gentle Laundry Detergent Strips
• Best for brights: Ease New York Multi-Purpose Laundry Detergent Sheets

Best for Whites: LastObject Laundry Detergent Sheets

Scent options: Unscented | Plastic-free packaging: Yes | Laundry loads per pack: 30 | Price per load: 40 cents, but the price decreases with a subscription

What we like:

• Vegan, sulfate- and -bleach-free
• Easily removes stains from whites without pre-washing
• Effective at softening clothes

Worth noting:

• Sheets struggled to handle larger loads
• Unscented only

Why we chose it: Makes whites glisten in the wash.

After testing LastObject’s Laundry Detergent Sheets on everything from her sweaty towels to wine-stained cotton tees to bamboo bed linens, staff writer Kenya Foy was most impressed by the sheets’ ability to clean her favorite white jeans. After a single wash and rinse cycle in hot water, one detergent sheet successfully lifted a mysterious black smudge from the fabric, restoring the denim to its original bright and soft texture. The sheets also effortlessly took care of wine stains and odors from workout clothes and cotton fabric, but seemed to struggle with freshening up larger loads even when using more than one sheet. One reviewer echoed these sentiments, noting that the sheets are “good for a basic wash” that’s not heavily stained. On the other hand, the sheets are compatible with all types of machines, including the high-efficiency Kenmore 3.9 cu. ft. stackable washer and dryer Foy used for testing.

According to the LastObject Clean Up promise, each order removes one pound of oceanbound plastic, but the brand’s commitment to sustainability also shows up in the recyclable cardboard box and its nonbiodegradable plastic, dye-free formula.

Best Scents: Good Juju Laundry Detergent Eco-Strips

Scent options: Summer Rain, Lavender Bloom, and unscented | Plastic-free packaging: Yes | Laundry loads per pack: 36 | Price per load: 41 cents (but the price decreases with a subscription)

What we like:

• Women-founded, BIPOC brand
• Carbon negative and uses zero-waste shipping
• Free of parabens, added dyes, chlorine bleach, 1,4 dioxane, and formaldehyde

Worth noting:

Why we chose it: Two great scents (plus a fragrance-free option), solid stain fighting, and a brand we’re eager to support is a winning combo.

Because it’s the prettiest laundry detergent we’ve encountered, we initially worried Good Juju might just be a pretty face, er, package. We were totally wrong. In testing, Good Juju did great with food and drink stains and handled sweat stains with ease. While there is an unscented version, we particularly love Lavender Bloom; Summer Rain is a slightly more powerful scent and also appealing. The sheets smell strong before use, but clothes came out subtly scented in a way that felt closer to the complexity of a nice candle than the often flat smell of detergent. Plus we like that they ship free to the U.S.

Best on Tough Stains: Grove Co. Laundry Detergent Sheets

Scent options: Free and Clear, Lavender Blossom, plus limited-edition seasonal options | Plastic-free packaging: Yes | Laundry loads per pack: 32 | Price per load: 40 cents

What we like:

• Grove Co. is a certified B Corp
• 100% natural fragrances derived from essential oils and plant extracts
• Certified cruelty-free

Worth noting:

• Some customer reviews noted that the sheet didn’t fully dissolve

Why we chose it: A strong stain fighter that doesn’t sacrifice eco bona fides.

Red salsa seemed to be kryptonite for most detergents, and while Grove Co. couldn’t entirely get a salsa stain out, the eco-friendly laundry strip did a good job with pomegranate juice, dirt, vanilla extract, and tea stains. That’s pretty impressive, especially since we didn’t pretreat the stains with a stain remover. But Grove Co. has a number of options in that department, too, so those with kids, pets, or messy eating habits aren’t out of luck.

Best for Sensitive Skin: Lazy Coconuts Gentle Laundry Detergent Strips

Scent options: Both options are fragrance-free and unscented | Plastic-free packaging: Yes | Laundry loads per pack: 48 | Price per load: 33 cents

What we like:

• A full and detailed ingredient list is on its site
• Works in all machines and can be used for handwashing, too (great for travel)
• Biodegradable and carbon negative

Worth noting:

Why we chose it: A supersafe option for anyone sensitive to detergent fragrance.

Here’s what you won’t find on Lazy Coconuts strips’ ingredient list: fragrance, dye, bleach, parabens, and sulfate. Here’s what they do have: an A rating from the Environmental Working Group, which rates household products based on their impact on humans and the larger environment. Of more than 1,000 laundry products it has reviewed, less than 200 scored an A rating, and Lazy Coconuts strips were in there. Because fragrances can irritate, the detergent strips are fragrance-free and also hypoallergenic. In testing, Lazy Coconuts struggled to get out spills, so while maybe not ideal for every household, pretreating said stains and letting them soak certainly made a difference.

Best for Brights: Ease New York Multi-Purpose Laundry Detergent Sheets

Multi-Purpose Laundry Detergent Sheets, Ease New York ($16)

Scent options: The only option is scented as bergamot, melon, lime, sea salt, and green floral. | Plastic-free packaging: Yes | Laundry loads per pack: 30 | Price per load: 53 cents, but the price decreases with a subscription

What we like:

• Dye-free and bleach-free
• The sheets are made from recycled regenerative plant fiber
• Will work well in cold water, not just warm- or hot-water cycles

Worth noting:

• Once the box is opened, it should be used within 6 months
• Strict return policy

Why we chose it: Your colorful clothes will thank you.

Unlike the other options, these detergent sheets don’t dissolve in the washer (for good measure, too). Instead, the plant fiber–based sheets work as a color catcher, trapping dyes and preventing color bleeding. We appreciated this feature when doing a load of multicolored towels. After a wash, the sheet can also go in the dryer to prevent static. Ease says that the sheets also prevent “harmful dyes and chemicals from reaching our water source” by trapping them in the sheet, but while the company suggests the sheet is recyclable, we weren’t sure how to recycle it properly. The little piece of fabric didn’t seem like it should go with mixed paper/cardboard or metal/glass/plastic, so it ended up in the trash.

How We Chose These Products

To find the best laundry detergent sheets, we sought out brands making detergent with plastic-free packaging and without harmful ingredients, and then put them to the test, running laundry cycles with a smorgasbord of tough stains—tea, mustard, salsa, vanilla extract, dirt, and chocolate milk. We eliminated brands that just couldn’t handle stains, and used a conventional liquid detergent as a comparative to see how environmentally friendly brands stacked up.

Our Shopping Checklist

Ingredients

With cleaning products, what’s left out is just as important as what’s included. “Parabens, phthalates, and sulfates can be harmful to both consumers and the environment,” explains Alexandra Wojenski, a sustainable cleaning expert at Grove Co. “Parabens and phthalates are preservatives often found in fragrances and personal-care products known to be endocrine disruptors and irritants. Sulfates can also cause skin irritation and be harmful to ecosystems by contributing to acid rain and fog.” Testing can reveal the presence of 1,4-dioxane, which isn’t an ingredient but a contaminant. For example, Well Earth Goods’s strips are free of 1,4-dioxane “as certified by independent laboratory tests.” But not all labels claiming to be free of a concerning ingredient carry the same weight. “The common ‘phosphate-free’ marketing claim is almost meaningless, because few detergents still contain these ingredients,” Environmental Working Group (EWG) explains of the once popular detergent ingredient that triggered algae blooms.

Scents and Dyes

Some people find scents and dyes irritating or simply unnecessary. We were impressed that even the scent-free options we tested could get a campfire smell out of clothes, so it’s not as if going scent-free will mean your laundry comes out smelly. But some people live with teenagers who play sports or really want their laundry to be nicely scented. Fair. Thankfully both options exist, often from the same brand, so it’s possible to use scent-free on some loads and switch to a scented option for the more pungent laundry.

Subscriptions

A lot of brands offer discounts to subscribers, which is a great way to save a bit of cash. But the savings only matter if the product is actually getting used. To avoid being overloaded with detergent strips, figure out how often you do laundry, how many loads that usually entails, and how long a single pack—which often contains 30 or so strips—would last.

Plant-Based Power

Surfactants are the powerhouse of laundry detergent, removing things like dirt and oily substances. Detergent strips often advertise themselves as having “plant-based surfactants” or offering a “plant-powered clean.” That means that instead of surfactants made from petroleum, they’ve been derived from coconut or palm oil.

Green Bona Fides

Third-party validations are a great way to check the accuracy of claims around ingredients. You can use the Environmental Protection Agency’s Safer Choice database to look up the cleaning brands, but bear in mind that detergent strips are a newer product and small brands might not be included. Grove Co., for example, is included, but its detergent strips aren’t. That said, the presence of a brand is a testament to the company’s ethos and can be considered a sign of good practices. EWG also has a product-search feature with letter ratings, though some critics believe the company overstates the harm of certain chemicals. It’s not always clear how certain things will impact people or the larger environment, and you’ll have to do your own risk assessment and decide how much uncertainty is acceptable. That said, the presence of a brand is a testament to the company’s ethos and can be considered a sign of good practices.

Ask Domino

Q: How do you use the best laundry detergent sheets?

Don’t put the sheet in the pull-out drawer where the liquid detergent goes. Instead put it in the washer with your clothing. While they look similar to dryer sheets, most are not meant to go in the dryer and will totally dissolve during the wash cycle. Ease’s sheets are an exception and can go in the dryer post-wash to act as a static reducer.

Q: How do you store the best laundry detergent sheets?

It’s great that laundry sheets come in plastic-free packaging. They’re lighter and take up way less space than a traditional detergent jug. They can stay in the packaging and be stored in a dry space like a cabinet or on a shelf as long as they’re out of reach of small children and pets.

Q: Can the best laundry detergent sheets be used in high-efficiency washers?

For the most part, yes, just double-check on the product’s site where this info will be listed. Many can also be used for handwashing, which is great for travel.

Q: Are there other ways to make my laundry more eco-friendly?

Yes! One easy way to reduce energy use is to only do full loads rather than running the washer when half full. While the washers have gotten rather energy-efficient, dryers haven’t kept up. Consider air-drying clothing using a rack to save energy and lengthen the life span of clothing. IKEA has a streamlined and affordable option that folds up when not in use; Food52 offers one with a hanging rack included. When the dryer is necessary, wool dryer balls reduce drying time somewhere between 10% and 25% while also reducing static and wrinkles.

The Last Word

Detergent strips are an excellent and environmentally friendly alternative to liquid laundry detergent. While they’re super-lightweight, they pack a serious cleaning punch and reduce plastic usage. It’s a win-win for the home and the larger environment.

5 Best Laundry Detergent Sheets, Tested by Cleaning Experts

Since the introduction of laundry detergent pacs, there hasn’t been much innovation in the detergent space — until now. Laundry detergent sheets are the newest cleaning innovation taking over the laundry room. These convenient pre-measured sheets are packed with concentrated detergent and either dissolve in the wash cycle or transform into dryer sheets without the hassle of pouring detergent into a cup, plus there are no plastic jugs to throw away when you finish using them.

Our top picks:

Best Overall Laundry Detergent Sheets

EC30 Laundry Detergent Swatches

Best Value Laundry Detergent Sheets

CLEARALIF Laundry Detergent Sheets

Best Laundry Detergent Sheets for Sensitive Skin

Beyond Laundry Detergent Sheets

Best Scented Laundry Detergent Sheets

Grove Co. Laundry Detergent Sheets

Best Laundry Detergent Sheets for Travel

Norwex Laundry Detergent Strips

Like many consumers, our experts in the Good Housekeeping Institute’s Home Care and Cleaning Lab wondered if these sheets worked as well as traditional laundry detergent liquids and pacs. Our experts have tested hundreds of the best laundry detergents, stain removers and other laundry-day tools on the market, but this is our first full category test of this kind of laundry detergent. We tested 24 detergent sheets, strips and swatches from 20 different brands. We washed 336 pounds of laundry, applied 480 stains and spent over 48 hours running our Lab’s washing machines.

For more laundry detergent content, check out our easy-to-follow guides on how to do laundry, how to hand wash clothes and the best products to treat stubborn stains in our guide to the best stain removers.

EC30 Laundry Detergent Swatches

EC30 Laundry Detergent Swatches

Pros

• Highest overall score in our tests
• Only detergent sheet that earned a good rating on spaghetti sauce stains
• Easy to measure

Cons

• Slow to dissolve
• More expensive than others

These EC30 laundry detergent swatches wowed us with their stellar performance in our Cleaning Lab tests. The top overall scorer by a long shot, this was the only product to earn a ‘good’ rating when it came to removing set-in spaghetti sauce stains. When we compared EC30’s reflectance improvement score (how well the detergent restored the whiteness to a gray-stained fabric) to that of a leading detergent pac, we found that it was almost identical with just a .02% difference. No other detergent sheet we tested came that close.

Figuring out how much to use per load was a lot easier than other brands that had perforated lines on the sheets or confusing instructions on the label. EC30 simply calls for one swatch for small loads and two for bigger ones. Note that this is the most expensive brand we tested, clocking in at almost a dollar per medium load, though setting up a subscription on their site can save you up to 10 cents per load. Safety precautions are prominently featured on the packaging, as is a full list of ingredients.

On the downside, these swatches are incredibly slow to dissolve in both hot and cold water. We noted large chunks floating in a pitcher of water more than 6 minutes after agitation. In comparison, other brands’ sheets dissolved anywhere from 19 seconds to just under 2 minutes. While we didn’t find any chunks of the detergent swatch in the washing machine after the cleaning cycle ended, this may be something to watch out for in your own laundry loads at home.

CLEARALIF Laundry Detergent Sheets

CLEARALIF Laundry Detergent Sheets

Pros

• Dissolved in less than 20 seconds
• Performed well on chocolate, ketchup and cola stains
• Highest performing in reflectance improvement

Cons

• Earned the lowest score for crayon stain removal
• Ingredient list is vague

Clearalif’s laundry detergent sheets earned the third-highest overall spot in our evaluations. While they struggled in the stain removal test, especially with crayon and lipstick stains, they made up for it with the second-best reflectance improvement score and for having the fastest dissolving time (at less than 20 seconds) of the 24 brands tested. The stains that Clearalif performed best on were foods like chocolate, ketchup and cola.

Though the packaging says each box includes 160 loads worth of product, the brand defines them as very small loads of up to just 2 pounds of clothing. We calculated the cost per load using 80 loads per box to better reflect real-world use. Even so, this detergent sheet is a great value at only 21 cents per medium load. We would have preferred a more specific ingredient list — it only lists a general description of the ingredient (like surfactant) and not what the ingredient actually is — but the packaging has clear instructions for how much to use for different-sized loads of laundry.

Beyond Laundry Detergent Sheets

Beyond Laundry Detergent Sheets

Pros

• USDA Certified Biobased Product
• Dissolves in less than 1 minute
• Comes in scented and unscented options

Cons

• Earned the lowest score for spaghetti sauce stain removal

An unscented option that doesn’t lack in performance? Check! Beyond’s Free and Clear Laundry Detergent Sheets earned the sixth-highest overall score in our Lab tests. They are a USDA Certified Biobased Product, come in an easy-to-store envelope and are available in both scented and unscented formulas. The unscented formula is a great choice for those with sensitive skin and others that prefer to avoid fragrance in their home products. Dissolving in less than a minute, the sheets worked especially well at removing gravy, coffee and egg from our test fabric, but had little to no luck on spaghetti sauce and lipstick stains. Pre-stained fabric swatches showed a 6.8% improvement in reflectance after being washed with this detergent — better than 15 of our tested laundry sheets.

The label is comprehensive and because there are clearly drawn pictures of the sheets on the package, there was little guesswork when deciding the dosage for a large load. Just half of the brands we tested included markers like a lot number, manufacturing date or expiration date on the label. Beyond is one of those that has a lot number clearly printed on the back in the event you need to reference it.

Grove Co. Laundry Detergent Sheets

Grove Co. Laundry Detergent Sheets

Pros

• One of only four sheets that earned a very good score for tea stain removal
• Dissolved completely in less than 1 minute
• Unique and pleasing scent

Cons

• Earned one of the lowest scores for grass stain removal

From our testing, we learned that there were some stains in particular that most of these sheets struggled with. The average tea stain removal score for all detergent sheets was just 2.6 out of a possible 5. But Grove Co.’s sheets were one of only four that earned a ‘very good’ score for tea stain removal. Other stains the product performed well on were ketchup and crayon, though it was no match for grass stains where it earned one of the lowest scores in our tests. One Grove Co. sheet dissolved completely in less than 1 minute and improved the reflectance of a fabric swatch almost as well as other brands twice the cost. Subscription through their site earns shoppers a 20% saving — more than others that offer subscription discounts.

The product label is comprehensive and has easy-to-follow dosage instructions. We found the unique scent of lavender and thyme a lot more enjoyable than the heavy powder scents of other brands. There are three other scents to choose from, including an unscented option.

Norwex Laundry Detergent Strips

Norwex Laundry Detergent Strips

Pros

• Second best overall and performance score
• Only sheets tested with multiple languages on the label
• Comes in portable paper envelopes

Cons

• Pricier than others
• Doesn’t work as well on stubborn stains

A new offering from a 2022 Good Housekeeping Best Cleaning and Organizing Award-winning brand, Norwex’s laundry detergent strips earned the second-best overall score in our Lab tests. They showed an almost 8% reflectance improvement on pre-stained gray swatches of fabric and dissolved in just under 1 minute in cold water. The fresh blossom scent is light and pleasant, though it does not last for long on washed clothing. The sheets performed well on many of the less stubborn stains like ketchup, wine, mud, chocolate syrup and grape juice. Norwex showed little improvement on tea and lipstick stains, though we found that to be the case with most laundry detergent sheets we tested.

The product is USDA Certified Biobased and comes in a paper envelope that is easy to tuck into luggage for traveling. The label on these strips is the most thorough of the brands we tested with instructions in English, Spanish and French. There are clear dosage instructions for small, medium and heavily soiled loads. Note that this was the second-most expensive detergent sheet we tested.

How we test laundry detergent sheets

In the Good Housekeeping Institute’s Home Care and Cleaning Lab, we’ve tested more than 156 laundry detergents, 43 laundry pretreat stain removers and 18 instant and red wine stain removers. In our recent test of 24 laundry detergent sheets, we tested them exactly the same way we’ve tested liquid, powder and pac detergents in the past. We stain fabric swatches with 20 of the most common stains seen at home, including coffee, spaghetti sauce, grass, red wine and blood.

Philip Friedman

Each fabric swatch is carefully stained with a standard amount of dirt, food or liquid by our cleaning experts and allowed to set overnight. All of the laundry detergent sheets are then washed in a standard 8-pound load of laundry on the same top-loading washing machine set for a normal, heavy soil cycle. We follow each detergent sheet’s instructions for a heavy load of clothing — for some brands that means using two or even three sheets in one load. Once the fabric swatches are dry, they are analyzed in a dark room and rated according to the AATCC Stain Release Scale.

Jillian Sollazzo

Because there is more to laundry detergents than how well they remove common stains, we also test each sheet’s ability to restore the whiteness to a standard gray-stained fabric. We call this reflectance improvement. The reflectance of a fabric is the measure of the amount of light that is reflected off that fabric — the whiter the fabric, the better the reflectance. For each laundry detergent sheet, four pre-stained swatches are washed in a 6-pound load. Using a DigiEye color imaging system that measures the lightness, red, green and blue qualities of an object, we calculate the average reflectance improvement achieved with each detergent sheet.

One final performance test is then done to record the time it takes each sheet to dissolve in 2 liters of agitated water. For our ease of use tests, each detergent sheet label is evaluated to make sure it has instructions for how to use the detergent, proper safety precautions, dosage information for different-sized loads and a comprehensive ingredients list.

What are laundry detergent sheets?

A laundry detergent sheet is a concentrated laundry detergent that has been bound together in an easier-to-store paper-thin form. These sheets have many of the same ingredients as traditional laundry detergents and go by different names like detergent sheets, detergent strips or detergent swatches. Because they have many of the same ingredients as liquid laundry detergents, they work the same way, trapping and lifting dirt and debris from fabrics that are then washed away during a laundry cycle.

Jillian Sollazzo

Most sheets are square, white and have a perforated line in the middle to separate them into two separate strips for small loads. A few we tested were made with a second layer of paper that does not dissolve and then acts as a dryer sheet after being used in the washing machine. These non-dissolving detergents also acted as color catchers when we tried them, absorbing the red food coloring from the stained fabric that we used to test their performance.

What to look for when shopping for the best laundry detergent sheets

When choosing a laundry detergent for your home, arguably the most important thing is how well it cleans your clothes. This isn’t something you can learn standing in the laundry aisle of your local grocery store, but there are other things you can be on the lookout for to make sure you are buying the best laundry detergent sheet.

✔️ Ingredients: Laundry detergents clean your clothing, thanks to the surfactants and stain-fighting enzyme ingredients in the formula. Some common chemical names to look for include linear alkylate sulfonate or any other variety with sulfate or sulfonate in their name and enzymes like amylase, lipase and protease. In the Home Care and Cleaning Lab, we especially appreciate a label that clearly lists all of a product’s ingredients.

✔️ Price: You might be tempted to just look at the price of a pack of laundry detergent sheets when you’re shopping, but it’s really the price per load that is most important when considering the cost of any laundry detergent. The laundry detergent sheets we tested ranged in price from 19 cents per regular load all the way to almost 1 dollar per load. Other forms of laundry detergents we’ve tested were significantly lower priced than the more expensive sheets. While in this category test the priciest detergent sheet earned the top spot, price is not always a reliable indicator of the performance of a detergent.

✔️ Packaging: Laundry detergent sheets are touted as better for the environment than plastic jugs of laundry detergent. This is likely true for sheets that are packaged in recyclable, paper envelopes and boxes. Be wary of eco-friendly claims from brands that package their sheets in plastic or don’t have information on their website about how they are working to minimize their company’s environmental footprint. Where detergent sheets are manufactured is also something to consider, as some countries have more lax environmental protection laws. Shipping products overseas can have a bigger environmental impact than picking up a locally produced option in your grocery store.

✔️ Sweeping environmental claims: A lot of consumer products make big claims about how eco-friendly, zero-plastic and free of “insert-common-cleaning-ingredient-here” they are. This is something to be cautious of as even the Federal Trade Commission has taken notice of these greenwashing claims. “Eco-friendly” is an especially tricky term as it could mean almost anything, and many brands just use this term on their products to appear greener than they really are. There are two simple ways to make sure that the brand you are thinking of buying is actually working to minimize its negative impact on the environment: perusing a brand’s website for more information on where and how their products are made and checking the label for any federally regulated certifications like the USDA Certified Biobased Product label.

How to use and store laundry detergent sheets

Most of the brands we tested have easy-to-follow instructions on the label and can be used in both front- and top-load machines. Generally, it is recommended to place the sheet or sheets inside the washing machine drum, then place your dirty laundry on top and run your usual cleaning cycle, however they can also be placed in the detergent dispenser. Always follow the directions on the package of the brand you are using for best results. Unfortunately, we found some brands’ instructions to be quite tricky when figuring out the dosage but didn’t run into any over-sudsing issues when we tested in the Lab.

None of the sheets should be handled with wet hands as they begin to dissolve and will become mushy messes if stored in a wet, humid area. Like any cleaning product, always be sure to keep these out of sight and reach of children and pets. Note that some brands print an expiration date on their labels, and using any detergents past this date will likely affect their efficacy.