VANCOUVER -- A Port Moody company is cleaning up with a new laundry product called Eco Strips. Sales have sharply increased and Canadian Business Magazine named it the fastest growing start-up in the country.

The paper strips contain an eco-friendly detergent that replaces all those big plastic laundry detergent jugs that many people buy. You can toss the strips into a top-loading machine or use them in a high-efficiency front loader - just tear them into smaller pieces to help them dissolve in the dispenser.

“We’re at a point in time where people are a lot more cognizant of plastic waste and global warming,” said Ryan McKenzie, co-founder of Tru Earth.

In just 18 months, the Port Moody company has grown from seven employees to more than 100.

The laundry strips are mailed out in medium-sized envelopes or boxed up for a larger supply. Enough strips for 32 loads sell for about $20. They have fresh linen scent, fragrance free and Platinum for heavy-duty cleaning.

We asked Vancouver resident Nora Dunphy to put them to the test.

“I do my laundry every day,” she said. “I will try them all.”

McLaughlin on Your Side delivered the product to her home and left them with her for two weeks while we conducted our own tests.

We stained three old white T-shirts with ketchup, mustard and coffee. On one shirt, we used Miele Ultra White powdered detergent, on another, we used Tru Earth’s fresh linen and on the third, Tru Earth’s Ultra-Platinum for heavy-duty cleaning.

The Tru Earth fresh linen got rid of the coffee stain but left some ketchup and mustard stains behind. The Ultra-Platinum did a better job, leaving behind just the ketchup stain, but the Miele detergent beat it, out eliminating the coffee and mustard while leaving a lighter ketchup stain than the Platinum.

However, Dunphy had better results. She tried all the Tru Earth products and was very satisfied after comparing them with the HE Tide that she usually uses.

“(It's) a good type of detergent I would like to keep,” she said. Dunphy liked that the Tru Earth strips did not create many suds in her HE washer and was able to handle the cleaning. In addition, she had better luck with stains.

“I soak it overnight,” Dunphy explained.

She dissolved a Tru Earth Strip in a container of water and soaked a towel stained with blueberries and chocolate mashed with avocado. In the morning, the stains were gone.

That doesn't surprise McKenzie. 

“We stand behind our product," he said. "We offer a 30-day money back guarantee.”

While the laundry eco strips may cost more than some regular detergents per load, the more you buy, the less you pay. Monthly subscribers get a bigger discount but for some, paying more to reduce plastic use may be worth it.

“(If) we can help shape the future of this world for our kids and our kids’ kids, then that’s what I want to do,” McKenzie added.