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Products · Cleaning & laundry · Meliora

Meliora Laundry Powder Detergent, Unscented

Reader ratings
Meliora Laundry Powder Detergent, Unscented

Three components (baking soda, washing soda, coconut soap), no enzymes, preservatives or fragrance, packed without plastic. MADE SAFE lists it. About 13 to 16 cents an HE load. We found no independent cleaning test.

Best for People who want the shortest possible ingredient list, no preservatives and no fragrance, and who will accept a soap-and-soda detergent that no outside lab has tested for cleaning.

Our rating
Good (4.0 of 5)
Price range
Mid-range
Verified marks
MADE SAFE certified (directory lists Meliora Laundry Powder)
Size
35 oz (992 g) canister with a steel scoop: 128 HE or 64 standard loads. A refill box of the same size is $16.99.

approx. $21 for 35 oz (128 HE loads)

See it on Meliora’s site → (opens in a new tab)

We are not affiliated with Meliora. This link goes to the maker’s own page, with no tracking code. How we're funded.

Also sold at Grove Collaborative ($20.99), Thrive Market ($19.49 (compare-at $20.99)), Plastic Free Pursuit ($20.99) , and 1 more.

Reader ratings & reviews

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    Reviews are personal experiences, not research, and they never change our quality ratings. Every review is read by our team before it appears.

    How we evaluated it

    How it scores Our rating, metric by metric Good, 4.0 of 5
    1. Ingredients 35% of the rating 5 of 5

      Three components and nothing else (baking soda, washing soda and a coconut-oil soap), with no fragrance, enzyme, brightener, preservative or ethoxylated surfactant.

    2. Cleans well 20% of the rating 2 of 5

      We found no independent cleaning test, Meliora itself sells a separate stain stick and oxygen brightener, and Consumer Reports rated one plain powder, Molly’s Suds Original Unscented, the worst powder it tested in 2026.

    3. Independent testing 15% of the rating 3 of 5

      MADE SAFE lists the powder, which screens ingredients against a banned list and is paid for by Meliora, and we found no lab test of the finished powder by anyone else.

    4. Trust 10% of the rating 4 of 5

      It prints every ingredient, a fragrance-allergen chart and where each ingredient comes from, has no recall, warning letter or lawsuit that we found, and states openly that it pays affiliates a 10% commission.

    5. Value 20% of the rating 5 of 5

      About 16 cents an HE load for the canister and 13 cents for the $16.99 refill, the lowest per load of the laundry products here.

    The rating, 4.0 of 5, is the weighted average of these scores. See how we rank cleaning & laundry and our standard.

    Where to buy Stores and the prices we saw 4 stores

    Prices as we saw them on October 23, 2026. They change often. These links carry no tracking code and earn us nothing.

    What’s in it Every ingredient, in label order 3 ingredients
    1. Sodium bicarbonate (baking soda)
    2. Sodium carbonate (washing soda)
    3. Vegetable soap (sodium cocoate, glycerin, organic coconut oil, water)
    Who tested it What each test found, and who paid for it 1 test
    • Paid certification MADE SAFE (MADEWORKS Intelligence)

      Lists Meliora’s Laundry Powder among its certified products; Meliora says it has held the certification since 2016. MADE SAFE screens each ingredient against its banned and restricted substances list. It does not test the finished powder. MADE SAFE also takes policy positions: it co-signed a petition led by Blueland asking EPA to require PVA testing, which EPA denied in 2023. Open ↗ (opens in a new tab)

    Who paid, and why it matters
    • Independent The tester took no money from the maker for it: a consumer group, a journalist, a university or a regulator.
    • Paid certification An outside lab or certifier tested or listed it, and the maker paid for that.
    • Maker’s own test A lab report or certificate of analysis the maker commissioned and published.

    A certification is a floor, not a verdict: it checks what its program checks and nothing else. We weigh tests by someone with no stake in the result most.

    What people ask Worries raised online and elsewhere, and what we found 4 questions
    Does a plain soap-and-soda powder clean as well as a mainstream detergent?
    We could not find an independent test of Meliora’s powder. Consumer Reports’ 2026 laundry ratings (opens in a new tab) name Molly’s Suds Original Unscented, another plain powder, as the worst powder it tested, so a short label is no proof of cleaning power. Meliora sells a stain stick and an oxygen brightener for hard stains.
    Do the people recommending it get paid?
    Meliora runs an affiliate program (opens in a new tab) that pays creators with 1,000 or more followers a 10% commission and a coupon code. Mamavation lists the powder among its best picks and offers readers a 10% code; its laundry post (opens in a new tab) says it contains affiliate links, mostly to Amazon. We do not know whether that code pays Mamavation.
    Is the MADE SAFE mark proof it is safe?
    It is a paid ingredient screen. MADE SAFE’s directory (opens in a new tab) lists the powder, and the program checks ingredients against a banned list of more than 15,000 substances. It does not run lab tests on the product, so it says nothing about how well the powder cleans.
    Will it work in a front-loader, in cold water or in hard water?
    Meliora’s FAQ (opens in a new tab) says it works in HE machines and in most cold cycles, but needs water of at least 60°F, so a “tap cold” setting or a cold winter can leave powder undissolved, and some washers are liquid-only, so check your manual. It says the washing soda softens hard water, and that you should put the powder in the drum, not the dispenser drawer. It gives no test for any of this.
    Why we chose it What put it on our list 4 points
    • MADE SAFE’s directory lists Meliora’s Laundry Powder among eight Meliora products shown as certified.
    • The unscented powder lists three components: sodium bicarbonate, sodium carbonate and a vegetable soap (sodium cocoate, glycerin, organic coconut oil, water). Meliora’s ingredients page gives the full list for every scent.
    • It is a concentrate: 35 oz makes 128 HE loads, about 16 cents a load for the canister and 13 cents for the $16.99 refill.
    • Meliora says the powder is preservative-free, and its scented versions use named essential oils. It publishes a chart of the fragrance allergens they contain.
    Trade-offs What to weigh before you buy 4 points
    • The only independent mark we could confirm is MADE SAFE. EPA’s Safer Choice table has no Meliora rows, and EWG Verified lists none of its cleaners.
    • It is a plain soap and soda formula with no enzymes or brighteners. For stains Meliora sells a separate Soap Stick ($4.99) and Oxygen Brightener.
    • We found no independent cleaning test. Meliora says its washing soda softens hard water but shows no test, and the powder needs water of at least 60°F to dissolve, so “tap cold” settings can be a problem.
    • Fragrance-free means the Unscented option. The scented versions use essential oils, which the maker’s own chart lists as fragrance allergens.
    What to know Details worth knowing first

    Our guide to laundry products points to fragrance and to the extra ingredients that stay on clothes. Meliora’s powder goes the other way: baking soda, washing soda and a coconut-oil soap, and nothing else in the unscented version.

    It is listed because of the ingredients and one outside mark. MADE SAFE’s directory shows this powder as certified, which means its ingredients were screened. It does not mean the powder was lab tested. We found no EPA Safer Choice or EWG Verified listing, and no independent cleaning test, so how well it cleans rests on user reviews and Meliora’s word.

    It is also the cheapest detergent here per load once you own the canister, because the refill box is $16.99 for 128 HE loads. If you want enzymes for stains, or a liquid, see the alternatives below.

    What we checked Each claim, and how sure we are of it 10 checks
    How Meliora Laundry Powder Detergent, Unscented measures up against our cleaning & laundry criteria
    What we checked What we found
    Full ingredient disclosure Maker’s claim Meliora’s ingredients page lists the unscented powder as sodium bicarbonate, sodium carbonate and vegetable soap (sodium cocoate, glycerin, organic coconut oil, water). It also gives each scent’s oils and a fragrance allergen chart.
    Independent mark: MADE SAFE Verified MADE SAFE’s directory page for Meliora shows “Laundry Powder” as certified, one of eight Meliora products. The product’s own MADE SAFE page covers all current sizes and six scents, Unscented included.
    Independent mark: EPA Safer Choice Not verified No Meliora rows in EPA’s Safer Choice products table (queried 2026-10-23).
    Independent mark: EWG Verified Not verified EWG’s Verified cleaning list shows no products from Meliora.
    Fragrance-free Maker’s claim The Unscented powder lists no fragrance.
    Independent cleaning test Not verified None found. Consumer Reports’ 2026 laundry ratings page does not mention Meliora.
    Preservatives Maker’s claim None. It is a dry powder, which Meliora says needs no preservative.
    Concentrates and refills Maker’s claim Concentrated powder in a reusable paper-and-steel canister, with a refill box and a stainless steel scoop. The loads per canister come from the maker.
    PFAS Maker’s claim No fluorinated ingredient on the label. We found no independent PFAS test of this product.
    Honest germ claims Maker’s claim No germ-killing claim on the page.
    What the labels mean
    • Verified We opened an independent record that confirms it: a certifier’s listing, a regulator’s list or a lab report. It is linked under Sources.
    • Maker’s claim The maker says so on its own page or label. We read it but found no independent record.
    • Not verified We looked and could not confirm it, or the maker does not say. Treat it as unknown.
    Sources Where our facts come from 8 sources
    1. Meliora Laundry Powder Detergent product page. Maker’s page. Prices, doses and sizes as seen 2026-10-23: $20.99 canister, $16.99 refill, 1/2 tablespoon per HE load. Open ↗ (opens in a new tab)
    2. Meliora ingredients page. Maker’s page. Complete ingredient lists by product and scent. Open ↗ (opens in a new tab)
    3. Meliora FAQ. Maker’s page. Honest notes on dissolving, cold water (60°F minimum), hard water, HE machines and the six-month limit for mixed products. Open ↗ (opens in a new tab)
    4. Meliora affiliate program. Maker’s page. 10% commission and a coupon code for creators with 1,000 or more followers. Open ↗ (opens in a new tab)
    5. MADE SAFE directory: Meliora products. Certifier or regulator listing. Lists All-Purpose Home Cleaner, Gentle Home Cleaning Scrub, Laundry Powder, Oxygen Brightener, Soap Stick, Dish Soap Bar, Foaming Hand Soap Refill Tablets and Bath and Body Soap as certified. Open ↗ (opens in a new tab)
    6. Consumer Reports: Best and Worst Laundry Detergents of 2026. Test report. Updated March 31, 2026. Does not name Meliora; names Molly’s Suds Original Unscented as the worst powder tested. Open ↗ (opens in a new tab)
    7. Mamavation: Safest Green Laundry Detergents for Sensitive Skin 2024. Independent source. An ingredient-based ranking, not a lab test. Lists Meliora Laundry Powder as a best pick with a 10% code and says the post has affiliate links. Open ↗ (opens in a new tab)
    8. EPA, Federal Register: Polyvinyl Alcohol (PVA); TSCA Section 21 Petition for Rulemaking; Denial of Requested Rulemaking. Certifier or regulator listing. April 27, 2023. Names MADE SAFE among the petitioners that asked EPA to require PVA testing. Open ↗ (opens in a new tab)
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