Commercial laundry detergent contains toxic chemicals such as:
- fragance
- cleaning agents
- stabilizers
- bleach
- 1,4-dioxane
- brighteners
- phosphates & EDTA
They can cause serious health problems like:
- cancer
- lung, liver and kidney damage
- eye, lung and skin irritation
- dermatitis
- respiratory issues
Phosphates cause environmental damage, especially in our streams and waterways. They also cause algae blooms that damages ecosystems. Some manufacturers use EDTA instead of phosphates which doesn’t biodegrade easily and has been found toxic in animal studies.
My green laundry routine:
- Soap nuts instead of laundry detergent
- 10-15 drops lavender essential oil to give the laundry a nice smell
- white vinegar: fabric softener and removes smells from the washing machine
If you need a stain remover or brightener:
- stain remover: bicarbonate of soda/baking soda + water (apply before you put your clothes in the washing machine)
- brightener: add bicarbonate of soda/baking soda to your washing cycle
