Why Some People Are Swearing Off Costco Laundry Detergent

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It's always fun to snag a great deal on a Costco-sized container of a household essential like laundry detergent. The company sells tons of cleaning products like dishwasher and laundry detergents under its home goods Kirkland label, and they can be a budget-friendly way to keep your dishes and clothes looking spotless. But some customers are rethinking their use of one Costco product after taking a closer look at the ingredients label. As more consumers try to make clean choices and rid their homes of potentially harmful chemicals, they're turning to tools like the Environmental Working Group's Guide to Healthy Cleaning.

The website allows you to enter the name of popular household cleaners, and then gives them a grade from A (the best) to F (the worst). Products with the A label have a low hazard score — that means they're free of any known or suspected hazards linked to the ingredients within the product. The worse the grade, the more potential hazards the product poses. For example, Kirkland Signature Ultra Clean Premium Laundry Detergent, in both liquid and pod form, have F scores, causing some consumers to ditch the products and search for cleaner alternatives.

The Kirkland Signature Ultra Clean Premium Laundry detergent gets its F thanks to a few different low-scoring ingredients. One F-rated component is called 2-BROMO-2-NITROPROPANE-1,3-DIOL, and it has been associated with several concerns including cancer, skin irritations, and endocrine and reproductive effects. Galaxolide is another F-rated ingredient in the detergent, and it's been also been linked to skin irritation and developmental effects. The EWG score doesn't account for individual susceptibility — meaning that some people might have underlying conditions that would make them more prone to feeling these effects.

The EWG also notes that their last check on this detergent was in 2020, so it's possible that the formula has changed since then. However, some customers have taken to social media or the product reviews to report that in recent months, the product has irritated their skin, giving them awful itchiness or a rash — and more than a couple complained about a recent new scent, calling it fishy and mildewy. All in all, though customers often enjoy saving money on household essentials at stores like Costco, some are indicating they're looking for a new cleaning product that is friendly on both the wallet and their health. A couple options? 9 Elements Natural Laundry Detergent Liquid Soap, Seventh Generation Laundry Detergent Packs, and ATTITUDE Liquid Laundry Detergent, which can be found at retailers like Amazon and Target, all get A scores from the EWG.