By Zach Pozniak, VP of Operations at Jeeves of Belgravia New York and fourth-generation dry cleaner · @jeeves_ny
Last reviewed October 2026 · based on my lab test of Truly Free, reviewed in July 2026 · As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
Tide Odor Refresh liquid is out of stock on Amazon, so its links go to the pods version; the score is for the liquid I tested. Dropps 4-in-1 links go to the 63-count box while the 76-count is out of stock.
Quick answer: I do not recommend Truly Free. When I ran it through my lab test it scored 26.0, which puts it in the bottom quarter of the board, against Tide Hygienic Pods ↗ at 100 and water alone at 1. It costs 40 cents a load, double the 20 cent average, and the jug arrives empty: you add water and a 4 ounce packet of powder yourself.
The ingredients are plant based and quite safe, and the brand is trying to cut single use plastic. Still, other products are just as safe, clean better, cost less and don't need mixing. My non-toxic picks are where I would start.
| Product tested | Truly Free liquid laundry detergent, sold as an empty jug plus a 4 ounce packet of powder |
|---|---|
| Performance score | 26.0, in the bottom quarter of the board |
| Measured against | Tide Hygienic Pods ↗ at 100, washing with water alone at 1 |
| Price | 40 cents a load, double the 20 cent average. That is $20 for 4 ounces of actual product. |
| What you pour | 92% water, 8% active ingredients, once mixed |
| Dissolving | Still not fully dissolved weeks after I mixed it. The brand told me they plan to fix this in their next formulation. |
| Ingredients | Plant based, quite safe, not tested on animals. The fragrance blend uses 17 essential oils. |
| Verdict | Not recommended |
I test detergents with the industry standard method, the AISE laundry detergent testing guidelines. White cotton swatches get 18 different stains across five categories, they are washed in cold, warm and hot water, and a spectrometer reads the colour before and after to measure how much of each stain actually came out. I don't judge results by eye, because eyes are unreliable. Truly Free went through the same test as everything else on the board.
The score covers stain removal and nothing else. With Truly Free, though, the score is only one of the problems.
This is an odd product. Truly Free sells you an empty jug, tells you to fill it with water up to a line, and then has you add their 4 ounce packet of powder. That means what you end up pouring is 92% water and 8% active ingredients.
It costs 40 cents a load, which is double the 20 cent average, and selling 4 ounces of product for $20 feels really suspect to me. Frankly, I felt like I got ripped off a little bit.
I think Truly Free is overcomplicating this. They have a pretty solid powdered formula, so why not just sell that? It would also let them get rid of the plastic jugs and ship in cardboard boxes or bags instead. If plastic is what you are trying to avoid, look for powdered detergents in cardboard. The Tide evo tile ↗ also comes in cardboard packaging.
A couple of weeks after I mixed and tested it, the powder in my jug still had not fully dissolved. That doesn't seem right. I mentioned it in an Instagram story, and Truly Free reached out to tell me they are aware of the issue and plan to address it in their next formulation. This review covers the formulation I tested, not the one they are planning.
It uses plant based ingredients, although I am not sure how much of the formula is plant based. It is quite safe, it doesn't test on animals, and the company is making a real effort to reduce single use plastic.
What gives me pause is the fragrance. Truly Free uses 17 different essential oils in its perfume blend. Natural fragrances are much harder to test and regulate than synthetic ones, which are widely researched and understood. If that sounds backwards to you, the natural versus synthetic fragrance debate is quite a rabbit hole, and I have offered to do a deep dive on it. If fragrance is something you react to, a free and clear detergent, which by definition has no perfume or dye, avoids the question. My free and clear picks cover that.
You want a detergent that removes stains, costs a normal amount per load, and works straight out of the bottle. At 26.0 and 40 cents a load, Truly Free misses on all three.
There are safer, better performing, cheaper and easier options out there. Here are my top non-toxic picks, judged on ingredient safety, environmental impact and cleaning power:
On a tighter budget, the Kirkland liquid I tested was the free and clear version and scored 80.0 at 15 cents a load, if you have a Costco membership. Everything I have scored sits in my tested laundry detergent rankings.
Not in my testing. It scored 26.0, which puts it in the bottom quarter of the board, measured against Tide Hygienic Pods ↗ at 100 and washing with water alone at 1. It also costs 40 cents a load, double the 20 cent average, and you have to mix it yourself. The ingredients are plant based and quite safe, but there are products that are just as safe, clean better, cost less and are easier to use, so I don't recommend it.
Truly Free sells you an empty jug. You fill it with water up to a line and add their 4 ounce packet of powder, so the detergent you end up pouring is 92% water and 8% active ingredients. My suggestion to the brand is to skip the jug and sell the powder on its own, which would also let them drop the plastic.
About 40 cents a load, which is double the 20 cent average. Put another way, you pay $20 for 4 ounces of actual product, and that feels like a stretch to me.
It is quite safe. It uses plant based ingredients, though I am not sure how much of it is plant based, and it is not tested on animals. What gives me pause is that its fragrance uses 17 different essential oils, and natural fragrances are much harder to test and regulate than synthetic ones, which are widely researched and understood.
Mine didn't either. Weeks after I mixed and tested it, the powder still had not fully dissolved. Truly Free contacted me after I mentioned it in an Instagram story and said they are aware of the issue and plan to address it in their next formulation. I have not tested a new formulation.
Truly Free scored 26.0, costs double the average per load, and asks you to mix a powder into an empty jug, and mine had still not fully dissolved weeks later. The plant based, cruelty free, less plastic intentions are good ones. My honest take for the brand is to skip the jug gimmick, sell the powder on its own and ditch the plastic entirely. So no, I don't recommend it.
Or ask about any laundry or garment care question
Zach Pozniak is VP of Operations and co-owner of Jeeves of Belgravia New York, the Madison Avenue dry cleaner serving New York since 1979, and the fourth generation of his family in the trade. Zach posts garment care techniques as @jeeves_ny on TikTok to over 900,000 followers, and his book The Laundry Book, co-written with his father Jerry Pozniak, was featured on Good Morning America in October 2024. Jeeves NY's clients include the Metropolitan Opera, the Met Museum, and FIT, and the business has been featured in The Wall Street Journal and New York Magazine.