(Last updated: August 14, 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 Molly’s Sudds 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 |
|---|---|
| Tide Free and Gentle | This is a well formulated and inexpensive detergent. It leaves behind a small residual yeasty smell that took me a while to get used to but now I tolerate ok most of the time. I use this on my kid’s school clothes and any laundry that’s a bit more “needy” than 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 formula minus one synthetic soil release polymer and is probably the best deal going in laundry detergents. |
| Molly Sudds Baby Liquid | Pretty basic formula, cleans well for uncomplicated laundry, and has a VERY neutral sensory profile. For folks with significant sensory issues this detergent sits most squarely at the intersection of good and invisible without breaking the bank. (Note that while this baby liquid product is good, the Molly Sudds laundry powder is an abomination and should not be used.) |
| Whole Foods 365 Concentrated Liquid | This detergent has a very mild but distinct sensory profile - it leaves slight caramel/sugar notes and none of the yeasty notes you get with some plant based alkyl poly glucosides. It’s basic and cheap. The main pitfall is that it’s quite watered down so the dosing needs to be higher than other detergents and actually even higher than indicated on the packaging. I suspect that most folks who struggle with this detergent just aren’t using enough. I use this primarily for bedding where I want a little of the residual scent as a pleasant masking fragrance. (Note: this is the liquid detergent in the white opaque bottle, not the one in the clear bottle labeled “organic”. The organic liquid is truly hot garbage and should not be used.) |
Detergents I Like with Reservations#
| Product | Notes |
|---|---|
| AspenClean Liquid | I quite like the sensory profile of this one. Unfortunately it has soapy ingredients which can be problematic over time so don’t use it if you have hard water, and don’t use it regularly even in soft water (especially on towels where it could lead to texture problems over time). I keep it in rotation because it’s wool safe and I use it for wool socks and wool blankets. Rinse this aggressively if you use it. 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. |
Detergents I Don’t Like#
| Product | Notes |
|---|---|
| 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. |
| Seventh Generation Ultra Concentrated EasyDose | Performs well and is really cheap. Leaves behind a noticeable off smell that 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. |
| Puracy Unscented Liquid | This detergent and their stain spray used to be very good but recently they’ve been going through lots of formulation and ingredient sourcing changes and the products have become entirely unusable. The detergent has a strong off smell that persists across washes. The stain treatment spray (both the regular and the baby version) are marketed as free and clear but both contain fragrance that persists across a wash cycle. The company has sadly become completely untrustworthy… I recommend not buying anything from them. |