Your washer drains. The detergent goes... somewhere. Let's follow it.

Quick answer: it heads to a treatment plant or a septic system, where microbes break down what they can. Ingredients that break down easily are handled well; ones that resist can pass through.

Stop 1: the treatment plant

Most US homes are on municipal sewer.^† At the plant:

1. Screening and settling remove solids.
2. Microbes break down dissolved material, including many detergent ingredients.
3. Further treatment and disinfection happen before water goes to rivers, lakes or the sea.

Billions of tiny workers on the cleanup crew. No days off.

Stop 2: septic systems

About one in five US households uses septic.^† Septic tanks rely on bacteria too, so too much or harsh detergent can upset the balance. Dosing right matters even more.

Why phosphates got phased out

Phosphates used to soften water in detergent. In lakes and rivers they fed algae blooms that starved water of oxygen. Many states restricted them, and big brands moved away.^†

What works in the washer isn't the whole story.

The open question about films

Most sheets and pods use PVA, and how completely it breaks down in treatment is debated (read it).

Choose with the drain in mind

• Short, known ingredient list. Easier to know what you're sending.
• No phosphates. Most modern US detergents are already free of them.
• Right dose. Less excess, less load on treatment.
• Check the film. A pullulan film avoids the PVA question.

Where Just 7 stands

Glucoside cleaners, sodium citrate and washing soda as softeners, a pullulan film made from fermented starch and no phosphates.^†

FAQ

Is laundry detergent bad for the environment? It depends on ingredients and dose. Phosphates and hard-to-break-down ingredients are the main concerns.

Is Just 7 septic safe? It's designed with septic in mind: no phosphates. We'll test before claiming septic-safe.^†

Do detergents end up in rivers? Treated water is released to waterways. Ingredients that break down in treatment are largely removed first.

Are phosphates still in detergent? Most US household laundry detergents no longer contain them.^†