Is it responsible to use plant-based liquid laundry detergent like coconut oil?

[hunter]

10. Borax is like magic for dog bedding and smelly socks...

... but depending upon where your sewage ends up, it's not so good for the environment.

If you are using wastewater from your washing machine to irrigate landscaping, you definitely don't want to use borax. Small amounts of boron (measured in parts per million) are essential for normal plant growth, but too much is toxic to plants.

There are technologies for removing boron from domestic wastewater, at sewage treatment plants for example, but they are expensive and not widely implemented.

Ordinary washing soda (sodium carbonate) is an alternative, and often a large component of powdered laundry detergents, but it's not as good as borax for washing smelly laundry.

I'm intolerant of scented laundry detergents and any kind of fabric softener.