The brilliant little secret to spending just $18 on laundry per year

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Get a load of this: The Ecoegg completely replaces detergent and lasts for up to 720 washes. (Photo: The Grommet)
Get a load of this: The Ecoegg completely replaces detergent and lasts for up to 720 washes. (Photo: The Grommet)

Imagine life without laundry detergent. No muss, no fuss, no late-night runs to the grocery store when you run out. Well, this product — which takes the place of detergent — offers such an idyllic existence. It’s a nontoxic, phosphate-free hypoallergenic detergent alternative, and I’m convinced it’s the wave of the future.

As a mom, I have a very close relationship with my washing machine (in fact, I see more of it than I do my family). And I couldn’t wait to introduce it to the Mineral Laundry Egg by Ecoegg — the aforementioned miracle product that cleans clothes without soap. Anything that makes laundry easier— and cheaper — is a win in my book. Hence I’m crazy about this egg. No more sudsy overkill, no more soapy clothes that need an extra rinse cycle, no more weird chemical smell that pretends to be lavender or eucalyptus or the unspecified scent of a meadow.

Get a load of this: The Ecoegg completely replaces detergent and lasts for up to 720 washes. (Photo: The Grommet)
Get a load of this: The Ecoegg completely replaces detergent and lasts for up to 720 washes. (Photo: The Grommet)

Instead, it’s just me and my egg. But how, pray tell, does this egg work?

Well, you fill the egg with white mineral pellets (which dissolve over time) and dark ceramic pellets (which never need replacing). Then it’s set for months. You throw it in the washing machine on top of clothes, towels or linens, and the pellets work to gently lift away dirt over the course of the cycle. Over and over, load after load, your laundry emerges gorgeously clean. When you’ve noticed that the white pellets are about half their original size (this will happen after about 72 washes), it’s time to re-up — just add one new pack of white pellets, included with your original purchase.

The egg comes in a set with all the pellets you need. You can opt for the set that lasts for 210 loads ($18), or the set that takes you through 720 washes ($35). Egg maintenance is effortless. After each load, you just leave the egg out to air-dry. Speaking of “dry” — there’s even an egg that works in the dryer to eliminate static.

Just how economical is this genius Mineral Laundry Egg?

Let’s do some math. If one egg costing $35 lasts for about 720 washes, and your typical laundry pattern is four or five loads a week, that means you’ll spend only $35 to do your family’s laundry for (drumroll please…) three years! And if you want to prepare for the year 2024, when you’ll need additional pellets? You can buy a set of refills now (it will only run you $10).

The bottom line: This is what you call a good egg.

Shop it: Ecoegg Mineral Laundry Egg, $18-$35, thegrommet.com

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