Products · Cleaning & laundry · Charlie’s Soap
Charlie’s Soap Laundry Liquid, Fragrance Free, 160 loads (1 gallon)
Reader ratings
A four-ingredient, fragrance-free laundry liquid: Safer Choice in EPA’s table and graded A by EWG for this exact product. Two of its three active ingredients are ethoxylated surfactants, and there is no independent cleaning test.
Best for Someone who wants a plain liquid for HE or standard washers with the shortest list of any detergent we cover, and accepts that nobody independent has tested how well it cleans.
- Our rating
- Good (3.5 of 5)
- Price range
- Mid-range
- Verified marks
- Listed by EPA as Safer Choice and fragrance-free (Charlie’s Soap Laundry Liquid, Sutherland Products; the 1-gallon UPC 757072214018 is in EPA’s record), Graded A in EWG’s Guide to Healthy Cleaning (Laundry Liquid, Fragrance Free & Hypoallergenic; data updated 2026-06-05)
- Size
- 1 gallon (128 fl oz, 160 loads); the maker also sells 32 oz (50 loads, $15.99), 75 oz (100 loads, $22.99) and 5 gallons ($139.99)
approx. $33 for 160 loads
See it on Charlie’s Soap’s site → (opens in a new tab)We are not affiliated with Charlie’s Soap. This link goes to the maker’s own page, with no tracking code. How we're funded.
Also sold at Amazon ($33), Walmart ($33), Grove Collaborative ($33) .
Reader ratings & reviews
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Your review
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
- Ingredients 35% of the rating 4 of 5
Four named ingredients with no fragrance, dye, brightener, enzyme or preservative, but two of the three active ones are ethoxylated surfactants that can carry 1,4-dioxane and that EWG scores C.
- Cleans well 20% of the rating 2 of 5
We found no independent cleaning test of it, Consumer Reports rated a different natural enzyme liquid, Dirty Labs, the worst liquid in 2026, and CR’s full ratings are behind a paywall.
- Independent testing 15% of the rating 3 of 5
EPA lists it as Safer Choice, a certification the maker applies for, and EWG grades this exact product A, but both screen ingredients and we found no lab test of the finished liquid.
- Trust 10% of the rating 4 of 5
It prints every ingredient with its CAS number and we found no recall, Prop 65 notice or lawsuit, though its claim to clean your washer as it cleans your clothes has no source.
- Value 20% of the rating 4 of 5
About 21 cents a load ($32.99 for 160 loads), close to Seventh Generation’s 18 to 23 cents and above Meliora’s 13 to 16 cents.
The rating, 3.5 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
- Amazon (opens in a new tab) approx. $33. 1 gallon, 160 loads, $32.99 on 2026-11-03. Ships from Amazon and is sold by Charlie’s Soap (Sutherland), the maker; 4.7 stars from about 2,000 ratings.
- Walmart (opens in a new tab) approx. $33. 128 fl oz, 160 loads, $32.99 on 2026-11-03, sold by Sutherland Products Inc. DBA Charlie’s Soap, the maker, and delivered by Walmart.
- Grove Collaborative (opens in a new tab) approx. $33. 1 gallon, $32.99 on 2026-11-03 and in stock. The listing carries the 1-gallon UPC (757072214018) and the same four ingredients as the maker's page.
Prices as we saw them on November 3, 2026. They change often. These links carry no tracking code and earn us nothing.
What’s in it Every ingredient, in label order
- Water
- C12-16 pareth-9 (surfactant)
- C10-14 alcohol ethoxylate (surfactant)
- Sodium carbonate (washing soda)
Who tested it What each test found, and who paid for it
- Paid certification EPA Safer Choice (certification; the maker applies) November 2026
EPA’s Safer Choice products table lists Charlie’s Soap Laundry Liquid from Sutherland Products (partner since 2019) with the fragrance-free flag. Safer Choice reviews each ingredient against EPA criteria; it does not test how well the product cleans. Open ↗ (opens in a new tab)
- Independent EWG Guide to Healthy Cleaning (nonprofit; no lab test) June 2026
Grades Charlie’s Soap Laundry Liquid Fragrance Free & Hypoallergenic A: water A, sodium carbonate A, each alcohol ethoxylate C, ingredient disclosure good (data updated 2026-06-05). A hazard screen of the ingredients, not a test of the liquid. We read the entry in a browser on 2026-11-03. Open ↗ (opens in a new tab)
- Maker’s own test Charlie’s Soap (maker)
Says the liquid is free of parabens, sulfates, dyes, preservatives and phosphates, rinses clean and works on delicate laundry and tough stains. It publishes no test report for these claims. 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
- Do the ethoxylated surfactants carry 1,4-dioxane?
- They can. 1,4-Dioxane is a contaminant of ethoxylation, as Mamavation explains (opens in a new tab) and our laundry guide notes. EWG scores each alcohol ethoxylate C and the product A overall. EPA lists the liquid as Safer Choice, but we found no test of it for 1,4-dioxane.
- Does a natural liquid clean well?
- Unknown for this one. Consumer Reports’ 2026 test (opens in a new tab) put Tide products at the top and called Dirty Labs Bio Free & Clear, a fragrance-free natural liquid, the least effective liquid it tested. We found no result for Charlie’s. Amazon shows 4.7 stars from about 2,000 ratings, which is owner opinion and not a test.
- Is it really fragrance-free, and is “sulfate-free” true?
- EPA’s Safer Choice table flags it fragrance-free and the ingredient list names no fragrance or essential oil. The list also has no sulfate. The surfactants are alcohol ethoxylates, which are not sulfates but are ethoxylated.
- Does it clean your washer, as the page says?
- The maker’s page says the liquid cleans your washer while it cleans your clothes. We found no study behind the claim and did not count it.
- Any recall, Prop 65 notice or lawsuit?
- None found. The California AG’s notice search (opens in a new tab) returned no notice naming Sutherland Products or Charlie’s Soap on 2026-11-03, CPSC’s recall search has no record, and a web search for lawsuits found none.
- Does it contain PFAS?
- No fluorinated ingredient is on the label. We found no independent PFAS test of this liquid or any Charlie’s Soap product.
Why we chose it What put it on our list
- Four ingredients, printed with CAS numbers on the maker’s page: water, two alcohol-based surfactants and sodium carbonate. No fragrance, dye, brightener, enzyme, bleach or preservative.
- EPA’s Safer Choice products table lists Charlie’s Soap Laundry Liquid (Sutherland Products, partner since 2019) with the fragrance-free flag, and its UPC list includes the 1-gallon bottle.
- EWG’s cleaning guide grades this product A: water A, sodium carbonate A, and each alcohol ethoxylate C. It is a hazard screen of the ingredients, but it is for this product and not a sister formula.
- A 128 fl oz jug makes 160 loads, under an ounce a load, and the maker says it suits front-load, top-load and HE washers. At $32.99 it is about 21 cents a load.
- We found no recall, Prop 65 notice, lawsuit or warning letter naming Charlie’s Soap or Sutherland Products.
Trade-offs What to weigh before you buy
- Two of the three active ingredients, C12-16 pareth-9 and a C10-14 alcohol ethoxylate, are ethoxylated surfactants. Ethoxylation can leave traces of 1,4-dioxane and EWG scores each ingredient C. Mamavation puts the brand’s detergents in its “better” tier rather than its “best”.
- We found no independent cleaning test. Consumer Reports’ 2026 test rated a natural enzyme liquid, Dirty Labs Bio Free & Clear, the least effective liquid it tested; Charlie’s is a different formula, and CR’s full ratings of more than 90 products are members-only.
- Some claims have no study behind them, such as that the formula cleans your washer as it cleans your clothes. The page also calls the product “natural” although two of its three actives are ethoxylated alcohols.
- It comes in a 1-gallon plastic jug with no refill pouch.
What to know Details worth knowing first
Our guide to laundry products says to choose a fragrance-free detergent without optical brighteners and to use less of it. Charlie’s Soap Laundry Liquid does that with four ingredients: water, washing soda and two alcohol-based surfactants. EPA’s Safer Choice table lists it as fragrance-free, and EWG grades this exact product A.
The weak spot is the surfactants. Both are ethoxylated, the process behind the 1,4-dioxane that our laundry guide describes as a contaminant of some detergents. EWG scores each C, and Mamavation ranks the brand in its “better” tier. Nobody has published a test of the liquid for 1,4-dioxane that we could find.
The other gap is performance. We found no independent cleaning test, and Consumer Reports’ 2026 test showed that a plain natural liquid can clean far worse than a mainstream one. At about 21 cents a load, buy the 50-load jug ($15.99) before the gallon if you are unsure.
What we checked Each claim, and how sure we are of it
| What we checked | What we found |
|---|---|
| Full ingredient disclosure Verified | Four ingredients on the product page, each with its CAS number: water, C12-16 pareth-9, C10-14 alcohol ethoxylate and sodium carbonate. EWG’s listing has the same four. |
| Independent mark: EPA Safer Choice Verified | EPA’s Safer Choice products table lists “Charlie’s Soap Laundry Liquid” (Sutherland Products, Inc., since 2019, fragrance-free: yes) with UPCs that include 757072211017, 757072213011, 757072214018 and 757072217019 (queried 2026-11-03). |
| Independent mark: EWG Verified | EWG’s Guide to Healthy Cleaning grades “Charlie’s Soap Laundry Liquid Fragrance Free & Hypoallergenic” A, data updated 2026-06-05. It is not EWG Verified. |
| Fragrance-free Verified | EPA’s table flags it fragrance-free and the label names no fragrance. |
| Concentrates and refills Maker’s claim | A 128 fl oz jug makes 160 loads, under an ounce a load. No refill pouch. |
| Honest germ claims Maker’s claim | No germ-killing claim; it is sold as a detergent. |
| Independent cleaning test Not verified | None found. |
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
- Charlie’s Soap Natural Laundry Liquid Detergent product page. Maker’s page. Ingredients, sizes and prices as seen 2026-11-03: 50 loads $15.99, 100 loads $22.99, 160 loads $32.99, 800 loads $139.99. Open ↗ (opens in a new tab)
- EPA Safer Choice products table. Certifier or regulator listing. A searchable table; the data loads with the page. Charlie’s Soap rows: Laundry Powder, Laundry Liquid, Laundry Pre-Spray and Kitchen & Bath Household Cleaner, all fragrance-free. Open ↗ (opens in a new tab)
- EWG Guide to Healthy Cleaning: Charlie’s Soap Laundry Liquid Fragrance Free & Hypoallergenic. Certifier or regulator listing. Grade A, data updated 2026-06-05. Read in a browser on 2026-11-03. Open ↗ (opens in a new tab)
- Consumer Reports: Best and worst laundry detergents of 2026. Test report. Ranks Tide products best and Dirty Labs Bio Free & Clear the worst liquid; does not name Charlie’s Soap. The ratings of more than 90 products are members-only. Open ↗ (opens in a new tab)
- Mamavation: safest green laundry detergents for sensitive skin. Test report. An ingredient review dated 2024-09-25, not a lab test, that places Charlie’s Soap’s liquid and powder in its “Better” tier. The site earns affiliate income. Open ↗ (opens in a new tab)
- Charlie’s Soap Fragrance Free Laundry Liquid, 1 gallon, on Amazon. Independent source. $32.99 on 2026-11-03, ships from Amazon, sold by Charlie’s Soap (Sutherland); 4.7 stars from about 2,000 ratings. Open ↗ (opens in a new tab)
- Charlie’s Soap Liquid Laundry Detergent, 1 gal, on Grove Collaborative. Independent source. $32.99 on 2026-11-03, in stock, UPC 757072214018. Open ↗ (opens in a new tab)
- Charlie’s Soap Laundry Liquid, 160 loads, on Walmart. Independent source. $32.99 on 2026-11-03, sold by Sutherland Products Inc. DBA Charlie’s Soap, delivered by Walmart. Open ↗ (opens in a new tab)
- California AG Prop 65 notice search: Sutherland. Certifier or regulator listing. No notice naming Sutherland Products or Charlie’s Soap on 2026-11-03. Open ↗ (opens in a new tab)
- CPSC recall search: Sutherland. Certifier or regulator listing. No records on 2026-11-03. Open ↗ (opens in a new tab)
Alternatives Other options to compare
- Charlie’s Soap Laundry Powder, Fragrance Free Five ingredients, adding sodium metasilicate, and a box instead of a jug. Safer Choice, but EWG has not graded it.
- Seventh Generation EasyDose Free & Clear A liquid listed by EPA as Safer Choice, with eleven ingredients including enzymes, and one ethoxylated surfactant, about 18 to 23 cents a load.
- Meliora Laundry Powder Three components with no ethoxylated surfactant, MADE SAFE listed, about 13 to 16 cents a load.