Dropps
Our Story: Meet Dropps
The original laundry detergent pod.
We like to think of ourselves as textile engineers-turned-detergent scientists.
They were the best of times. They were the worst of times.
The time was the early 80s. New Wave was on the radio. MTV came to cable TV. And those big chunky sweaters were all the rage. We should know, we made the chunky yarn at our very own cotton mill just outside Philadelphia. Yep, those were good times. Except, of course, if you were the sweaters. Because every time we washed them, the harsh detergents and rough laundry routine made our sweet yarn all yellowed and stretchy.
A little look into our family photo album.
We care a lot about what we do. And we really cared about those sweaters. That’s where our founder, Jonathan Propper and his mother, Lenore Propper Schwartz, come in. When Lenore started the Conshohocken Cotton Co., she made apparel using a patented cotton yarn. But there weren’t any commercial detergents gentle enough for her fabrics. So they had a breakthrough. Who better to come up with a laundry detergent that’s gentle on fabrics than the people who make the fabric? Jonathan and Lenore took matters into their own hands and created a biodegradable, low-sudsing, detergent that would treat their natural fibers right, and keep fabrics looking better, longer. So they removed the enzymes to keep the fabrics vibrant and soft. The result? An innovative formula with a split personality: tough on dirt, but gentle on your favorite clothing. They named it Cot’n Wash, and Consumer Reports named it #1 in overall cleaning quality among hand-laundry detergents.
Leaders in innovation.
With all the stuff we took out of this new detergent, we knew we had a small wonder on our hands. Which got us thinking: “What else can we make smaller?” Then we thought the last thing anyone needed was another huge drippy, sticky jug of detergent to deal with. So we put all the cleaning power in small, convenient, dissolvable pacs. Each is pre-measured to make laundry down-right fool-proof. You just drop ‘em in the laundry. Voila! Dropps was born. That's right - Dropps is the original laundry detergent pod! An idea that proved to be so smart, the leading consumer publications (did someone say Oprah?) and laundry do-ers worldwide couldn’t stop raving about us. And who doesn’t love flattery?
Convenience with a conscience.
We’re all in this together. We believe in making sustainability and powerful cleaning accessible to all. Take a look at our laundry list of responsible and sustainable practices: plant-based ingredients, no animal testing, and recyclable and compostable cardboard packaging to eliminate single use plastic. We set high standards to bring you peace of mind and to do our part for mother earth.
Compostable & Recyclable Packaging
Dropps ships to your door in a 100% recyclable, repulpable, and compostable cardboard box.
Be Part of the Solution
Our innovative recyclable, compostable, and repulpable product packaging doubles as the shipping container. Way less space and waste. Join us in the fight to eliminate single use plastic!
Our pod membrane is a biodegradable, water soluble film made of polyvinyl alcohol. When the film dissolves in your washer and enters the water stream in microparticles, micro-organisms that commonly exist in nature break down the PVA (polyvinyl alcohol) to water and carbon dioxide.
As many as 55 species of micro-organisms (including bacteria, yeasts and fungi) that are naturally present in water and soils are capable of breaking down PVA. Research has shown that in river water, PVAs take no more than 1 month to break down into their component parts.
The Global Plastic Pollution Crisis
Traditional liquid laundry detergents are usually packaged in high density polyethylene. 68% of these bottles are not recycled and contribute to the approximately 275 million metric tons of plastic waste that goes into our oceans and waterways annually.