Natural Elements Purex Ultra Concentrate: Review

I decided to try a new brand of laundry detergent, Natural Elements Purex Ultra Concentrate. I choose this brand because, frankly, I was buying detergent in the grocery store, which is usually overpriced. Purex was the nicest detergent among the cheaper ones. I paid under $4 for a 50 fl. oz. bottle, which is supposed to wash 32 loads.

I wanted a free and clear formula like I usually buy, but I could not find one on the shelf. I have tried to access Purex's website to see if they offer this, but I got an error message when I clicked on the Natural Elements section.

I chose the apple and melon fragrance since an unfragranced version was not available. When using this detergent, I did notice a nice fruity smell during the washing cycle, but I have not noticed the smell on my clothes. I am fine with not having scented clothes, but others may not like that.

Ultra Concentrate means that you can use less detergent. It's supposed to be twice as powerful. However, I found the fill lines on the cap to be difficult to read. They tend to blend in with the nice green bottle.

The big plus of this detergent is supposed to be its natural cleaning power. The fragrance extracts are natural as well. According to the bottle label, the ingredients include "naturally derived cleaning agents (coconut and/or palm based surfactants), naturally softened water and fragrance with naturally derived fragrance extracts." The detergent contains no phosphate. Natural Elements Purex is hypoallergenic and free of dyes.

The bottle label also boasts that the formula is biodegradable and the packaging is recyclable. It points out that there is less waste since the formula is concentrated. There's also a little graphic of a planet with a heart around it. The packaging itself is made from 25 percent or more post-consumer recycled plastic.

Natural Elements Purex seems to be an effective cleaner, yet I find the ingredients list to be a little on the vague side. Do they use coconut or palm oil? Do they switch it around?

Natural Elements Purex Ultra Concentrate gets the job done.

Credit: J Banks

Copyright: J Banks