LAUNDRY, as an activity and as a conversation topic, doesn’t exactly set me alight.

I have no opinion on preferred spin cycles; I buy whichever detergent happens to be on discount. Perhaps I should care more about what goes into cleaning my clothes, but frankly, I’ve always felt life is too short.

But then, I heard about the Ecoegg, and suddenly Laundry Day piqued my interest. The premise was so intriguing: a tiny egg-shaped device that promised to be a ‘complete replacement’ for both detergent and fabric conditioner, and great for the planet too. 

Adopt the Ecoegg and supposedly you can do away with bulky detergent bottles, drastically reducing your plastic waste. It’s no-mess, simple to use and doesn’t contain the chemical nasties that some detergents do, so it’s gentle on sensitive skin as well. 

And that’s not all. The Ecoegg, which costs under £10, is meant to be good for 70 washes. After that, it can be refilled again and again (it has a 10-year guarantee), using top-up packs costing about £3.50. Do the maths and, according to the brand, a single load of laundry can cost as little as 10p.

For reference, a bottle of Arial Original Detergent, which is good for 24 washes, goes at supermarkets for around £7, working out at around 29p per wash. So the Ecoegg is as cheap as it is (supposedly) effective.

It all sounds pretty amazing, and I couldn’t wait to try it. But is the Ecoegg all it’s cracked up to be? Read our full Ecoegg review below to find out…

• Ecoegg Laundry Egg, £11.99 £7.49 from Amazon – buy here

Pros:

• Reduces plastic waste drastically in the long-term
• No-mess and simple to use
• Gentle on skin, with no ‘nasties’
• Saves on storage space

Cons:

• More expensive initially than basic detergent
• Can’t be used in temperatures over 60°C 
• Fragrance is very mild
• Must be stored correctly after use

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What is the Ecoegg?

The Ecoegg is a laundry system designed to replace both traditional detergents and fabric softeners in a skin-sensitive, eco-friendly way.

The company was founded by Dawn White, who was looking for an alternative to harsh chemical detergents that irritated her eczema. She developed the mineral pellets that sit inside the device (more on those later) and then the egg-shaped vessel to hold them.

One of the main draws of the Ecoegg is that it helps you reduce your plastic consumption. The brand claims you could save around 40 plastic detergent bottles per year by switching over, which is a hefty amount.

Another benefit is that the Ecoegg is free from some of the ‘nasties’ you might find in other detergents. It’s only very lightly scented and doesn’t contain chlorine bleaches, phosphates, parabens or palm oil. It’s vegan-friendly, too.

There are two main types of Ecoegg. The ‘original’ is good for about 70 washes before it requires refilling, and is rated ‘excellent’ for sensitive skin by Dermatest. The ‘white + lights’ version does 50 washes and contains an additional oxi brightener and stain remover to really make your whites look their best.

Both types of egg can be used for machine and hand-wash laundry, between 15°C and 60°C. You can’t use it in hotter temperatures or in drying cycles if you have a washer-dryer combo.

• Ecoegg Laundry Egg, £11.99 £7.49 from Amazon – buy here

How does the Ecoegg work?

The magic of the Ecoegg lies with what’s inside: the mineral pellets. 

When you first get your egg, you fill it up with three sachets of pellets; one black and two white. As your laundry is washed, black tourmaline pellets make the water more alkaline, which allows dirt to lift off from fabrics more easily.

At the same time, the white detergent pellets work to break up that dirt and grease using surfactant molecules (it’s a bit complex, but the Ecoegg website explains this in detail).

It's super easy to use your egg; you just pop it in the drum of your washing machine and away you go. After the cycle is finished, give the Ecoegg a shake to unstick the pellets and leave it out somewhere to fully air-dry.

To ensure your Ecoegg is washing your clothes optimally, you’re also encouraged to use Ecoegg Detox Tablets in your machine once a month. These deep-clean your drum and pipes, removing accumulated gunk, fighting limescale and banishing odours. 

It’s important to ensure you don’t overfill your laundry machine when using the Ecoegg, as it needs room to circulate to work effectively. You also need to keep an eye on when it’s time to refill it.

• Ecoegg Laundry Egg, £11.99 £7.49 from Amazon – buy here

Ecoegg review: our experience

Despite my initial excitement, I was a bit sceptical about whether the Ecoegg would really work. How could just a few pellets really make my clothes — including dish towels with stuck-on food and sweaty gym wear — genuinely clean?

But (drumroll please), it seemed to work. After doing several loads of laundry with both the original and ‘white + lights’ eggs, every bit of clothing came out looking clean, as well as noticeably soft-feeling. I loved that the egg was less-messy than liquid detergents and with its tiny stature massively saved on precious storage space too.

However, I did have a bit of a hard time adjusting to the almost non-existent fragrance. My clothes, when dried, had an extremely mild linen aroma – but didn’t smell ‘clean’ in the way I was used to.

Ecoegg uses very mild fragrances in its pellets, and rightly points out that just because something smells clean doesn’t mean it is (often conventional detergents are just pumped full of chemical fragrance). 

If the lack of conventional ‘clean’ fragrance bothers you, Ecoegg does suggest popping a few drops of essential oil in with your wash. I’d probably consider doing this going forward, especially if I was washing something really smelly like a dirty cleaning cloth from the garden.

• Ecoegg Laundry Egg, £11.99 £7.49 from Amazon – buy here

When to refill the Ecoegg

Over time, as you use your Ecoegg, the pellets inside begin to wear away, reducing in size and becoming pitted. When they have reduced by a certain amount they need to be replaced.

But how do you keep track? The original Ecoegg is supposed to last up to 70 washes, while the ‘whites + lights’ version will do around 50 washes.

You could keep a tally on your phone or on a notepad by the laundry machine, but that’s extra admin. And it’s not an exact science; it will depend on the exact temperature you’ve been washing your laundry at.

Instead, there’s an easier way to know when it’s time to refill your Ecoegg. Turn the egg upside down so the larger, pointier end is facing towards the floor. If the pellets look like they have fallen below the halfway point of this end of the egg (roughly midway along the top row of vents), then it’s time to replace them.

Ecoegg review: the verdict

On the whole, I’d be happy to use the Ecoegg on a regular basis. Not only did it work well, it felt like a tangible way to cut back on plastic in my life without doing excessive damage to my bank account.

• Ecoegg Laundry Egg, £11.99 £7.49 from Amazon – buy here

Where to buy the Ecoegg

Ecoegg requires some initial outlay, but once you’re set up it’s much cheaper to use than many other detergents.

Currently, it's cheapest to buy it on Amazon. At the time of writing (July 28th 2023) it costs £7.49, down from £11.99.

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It is also available to buy through the Ecoegg shop, where it costs £9.99 for the original egg including starter pellets for 70 washes, or £6 (discounted from £8) for the ‘white + lights’ egg supporting 50 washes. 

A single pack of Refill Pellets currently costs £3.50 and the recommend Detox Tablets £3.99 for six. 

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