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I love geraniums because they will thrive in the heat and sun of our southern summers. The blooms can be a light and delicate apple blossom pink or white or a bold orange red. While their flowers are fabulous, it is the geranium leaf that produces the fabulous scent. It is a complicated one with a hint of lemon, pepper and a bit of rose. Pair that with some great vanilla and you have Seventh Generation's latest scent in 4X detergent.

Seventh Generation Natural 4X Laundry Detergent

The first thing you notice about Seventh Generation Natural 4X Laundry Detergent is the package. It looks like a cardboard bottle. You can't help but wonder, "how do they get liquid laundry detergent to stay in cardboard?" Well, of course, after a moment of speculation, clearer thoughts prevail and you discover that there is an inner plastic pouch that holds the liquid inside an easily recycled fiber shell.

Every product has a full listing of ingredients on the label as well as an explanation of what each ingredient does. You can also find the ingredient information and Material Data Safety Sheets on their website.

Product Ingredients are:

• Water
• sodium lauryl sulfate (plant-derived cleaning agent)
• laureth-6 (plant-based cleaning agent)
• sodium citrate (plant-derived water softener)
• glycerin (plant-derived enzyme stabilizer)
• oleic acid (plant-derived anti-foaming agent)
• sodium hydroxide (mineral-derived pH adjuster)
• boric acid (mineral-derived enzyme stabilizer)

• calcium chloride (mineral enzyme stabilizer)
• protease, amylase and mannanase (plant-derived enzyme soil removers)
• essential oils and botanical extracts: (prunus amygdalus dulcis (sweet almond) oil, citrus aurantium dulcis (orange) peel oil, citrus limon (lemon) peel oil, pogostemon cablin (patchouli) oil, cedrol, litsea cubeba fruit oil, cananga odorata flower (ylang ylang) oil, citrus aurantium bergamia (bergamot) fruit oil, citronellol, vanillin, coriandrum sativum (coriander) fruit oil, beta-caryophyllene, eugenia caryophyllus (clove) leaf oil, pelargonium graveolens flower (geranium) oil)
• methylisothiazolinone and benzisothiazolinone (synthetic preservatives)
  Seventh Generation Natural 4X Concentrated Laundry Detergent is available in a 50 ounce container that will clean 66 laundry loads. The detergent is formulated to work in standard or high-efficiency washers. It is available in the Geranium Blossoms & Vanilla scent as well as Free & Clear. All Seventh Generation products are non-toxic and biodegradable, free of phosphates and optical brighteners, safe for septic and greywater systems, Kosher-certified; not tested on animals nor contain animal ingredients.
  
  The Seventh Generation Company
  
  Seventh Generation Company was co-founded by Jeffrey Hollender in 1988 and has become the United States' leading brand of environmentally responsible household and personal care products. The Burlington, Vermont based company is an independent, privately-held company.
  
  It's name comes from the Great Law of the Iroquois Confederacy, "In our every deliberation, we must consider the impact of our decisions on the next seven generations." Based on core values of sustainability for our planet, the company is always working to make their products better for our planet. In 2012, the Seventh Generation Foundation was formed to coordinate the company's program of giving to others.
  
  Product lines include kitchen and bathroom cleaners and paper products, laundry products, personal care items and baby diapers and personal products. Laundry products include:
  
• Seventh Generation Baby Detergent
• Seventh Generation Scented Liquid Laundry Detergent
• Seventh Generation Free & Clear Liquid Laundry Detergent
• Seventh Generation Free & Clear Powdered Laundry Detergent
• Seventh Generation Free & Clear Fabric Softener
• Seventh Generation Scented Fabric Softener
• Seventh Generation Scented Dryer Sheets
• Seventh Generation Chlorine Free Liquid Bleach
• Seventh Generation Laundry Packs
• Seventh Generation Stain Remover
• Seventh Generation Oxy Stain Remover
• Seventh Generation Baby 4X Laundry Detergent
   
  
  About Laundry Recommendations
  
  I gave Seventh Generation 4X Detergent a try on our regular family laundry as well as some prestained squares of muslin (ketchup, oil, grass and mud). The fiber "bottle" is easy to use and I love the clear cap. It is easy to read and adapt to the size of your laundry load.
  
  Our clothes came out smelling fresh, feeling soft and clean. Even the test squares came out like new. I did use a bit of the detergent as a pretreater, working it into the stains and allowing it to work for ten minutes or so before washing.
  
  When the product container was empty, it was quite easy to take apart for recycling. The fiber container went into the paper recycling. (By removing the label, it could also be composted.) Unfortunately, my local recycling program does not accept the inner plastic liner. But still, the bottle uses 66 percent less plastic than a typical 100 oz. laundry bottle.
  
  Disclosure: Review samples were provided by the manufacturer. For more information, please see our Ethics Policy.