Seventh Generation Laundry Challenge Review and Giveaway

I recently completed the 30-day Seventh Generation Laundry Challenge, and it was tough!

The challenge entailed using cold water and non-toxic, biodegradable detergent to wash clothes, as well as using a line to dry them.

To help me with this challenge, Seventh Generation sent me a Project Laundry Line Kit, which included Seventh Generation Natural 2x Concentrated Laundry Liquid, a portable laundry line, clothes pins, a laundry basket, and a Flip camera that I used to share my thoughts about this challenge.

I've used Seventh Generation Laundry Liquid ever since we bought our new high efficiency washer and dryer. I have tried other non-toxic, biodegradable laundry detergents since then, but for some reason I always end up buying more and more Seventh Generation--it's simply a brand that I've grown to trust.

The portable laundry line was so quick and easy to set up. When I'm done drying clothes, taking it down to store is such a cinch! It seems to only hold about a single load of laundry though, so if I'm doing more than one load, I use an additional line that we have in our garage. A few of the clothespins did come apart, but fortunately I had lots of extras from back when DH and I used to line dry clothes all the time (before kids).

The laundry basket is a little small, but it's perfect for our downstairs family room where we end up putting clothes that my boys mess up throughout the day.

All of these products came in very handy throughout the Laundry Challenge.

The toughest part of the challenge for me was doing without the dryer for 30 days, but I managed to successfully complete the challenge (with the help of a note on my dryer that said "DO NOT USE" and my wonderful husband who helped me hang the clothes).

The challenge did get easier, and although I do admit I did use the dryer once the challenge ended, I am making an effort to use it a lot less and the line a lot more.

Every bit helps...the line helps us use less energy, save money, and ultimately it helps the environment.

Below are some interesting facts when it comes to doing your laundry:

Seventh Generation products are manufactured in the most sustainable way possible, and we use only those ingredients that do not pose any chronic health risks and that are safe for the environment. We use only recycled paper in our paper products, primarily post-consumer materials, and we never use chlorine bleach. We disclose all ingredients for all of our cleaning products.

“We want to quantify the real impact of using Seventh Generation products for our consumers,” said Martin Wolf, Director of Product & Environmental Technology at Seventh Generation. “In doing so, we study the environmental impact of our products versus conventional products and create environmental saving statements to help people understand the difference that they can make when they reach for something on the supermarket shelf.”

Our savings statements quantify the positive impact on the environment of using a sustainable product and are based on average, daily sales for some of our products in North America.

• If every household in the U.S. replaced just one bottle of 100 oz. 2X concentrate petroleum-based laundry liquid with our 100 oz. 2X concentrate plant-derived product, we could save 466,000 barrels of oil, enough to heat and cool 26,800 U.S. homes for a year!
• If every household in the U.S. replaced just one box of polyester fabric softener sheets with our paper sheets, and recycled or composted after use, we could prevent 6,000 tons of solid waste front entering our landfills, equivalent to 640 garbage trucks.
• If every household in the U.S. replaced just one bottle of 50oz. petroleum-based baby laundry liquid with our 50oz. plant-derived product, we could save 169,000 barrels of oil, enough to heat and cool 9,700 U.S. homes for a year!
• If every household in the U.S. replaced just one bottle of 50oz. petroleum-based delicate care laundry liquid with our 50oz. plant-derived product, we could save 156,000 barrels of oil, enough to heat and cool 8,900 U.S. homes for a year!
• If every household in the U.S. replaced one bottle of 64oz. bleach containing chlorine with our 64oz. chlorine free bleach, we could prevent 11.6 million pounds of chlorine from entering our environment.

If you want to participate in the Seventh Generation Laundry Challenge, you're in luck!

Seventh Generation is inviting people to take a seven day laundry challenge where they will pledge to use Seventh Generation liquid laundry detergent, wash their clothes in cold water and line dry their clothing on a clothesline or drying rack for seven days. The challenge will kick off on July 1 and will run for the month of July. Consumers will be able to calculate their savings from the challenge (energy and money saved) on the site. People who make the pledge will be entered into weekly drawings that will randomly award Seventh Generation product and other prizes (up to seven people per week will be named winners).

Visit SeventhGeneration on July 1 for more information.

So make the pledge--you'll save some money and energy, and you could win some great prizes!

Shop: You can purchase Seventh Generation laundry liquid, cleaners, and more at various retailers online and nationwide, or you can click here to find a retailer near you.

Savvy Savings: Become a Seventh Generation Nation member and access great coupons and special offers on Seventh Generation Products!

Win: One lucky winner will receive a Seventh Generation Laundry Prize Pack which includes: Seventh Generation Natural 2x Concentrated Laundry Liquid, portable laundry line, clothes pins, and laundry basket (ARV $80).

***THIS GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED***

Congratulations to Kim!

• To enter, comment on what steps you take or would like to try when doing laundry to lessen your impact on the environment.
• You’ll get one extra entry each if you do any of the following (be sure to leave a comment for each “entry”):
• 1)Blog about this giveaway and link back to Sage and Savvy and Seventh Generation (leave the link in your comment)
• 2)Subscribe to my feed
• 3)Add my button to your sidebar
• 4)Follow me on Twitter (leave your Twitter name in your comment)
• 5)Tweet this giveaway (leave the link in your comment)
• 6)Follow Seventh Generation on Twitter (leave your Twitter name in your comment)
• The deadline for entries is July 6, 2010, 11:59pm HST.
• If you submitted an eligible entry and it is chosen by random.org as the winner, you will be notified via email on July 7, 2010 (make sure your email address is in your profile or comment and be sure to check your junk/spam, etc. folders) and will have 3 days to accept.
• Valid for US addresses only.
• By entering in this giveaway, you have read and agreed to Sage and Savvy’s policies regarding giveaways.

Good luck!

Thank you to Seventh Generation for providing the products for review and giveaway free of charge. All opinions are my own. I received no monetary compensation for this post.

2:00 AM Posted in: giveaways,reviews
Gem is a Hawaii Mom Blogger who posts reviews and giveaways, and blogs about life in Hawaii as a mom of 3 boys, including one with an Autism Spectrum Disorder. She loves to travel, bake, and eat anything with chocolate.