Do You Know What’s In Your Laundry Detergent?
It has recently come to my attention that most people are still washing their laundry with toxic sludge.
But the earth, and our bodies, and the natural colors and fibers we evolved with for thousands of years, are not meant to be exposed to artificial fragrance and synthetic chemicals. It is ironic that the very thing that is supposed to be cleaning your clothes, can be one of the most toxic items in your house. Many detergents are full of hormone disruptors, lung and skin irritants and chemicals that are toxic to aquatic life.
And it’s not just the wash cycle, but what happens in the dryer too. I’ve never once used dryer sheets and don’t really get the hype. But I also don’t wear polyester, so I understand the anti-cling aspects may be part of the appeal. Dryer sheets are a polyester sheet covered in chemicals, when those chemicals (including cancer causing fragrance) heat up, they are disbursed in the air for you to breathe, and they adhere to your clothing. When you wear your clothing, those seep into your body via your skin.
So what can you do to avoid this toxic mess?
Aside from switching to a better detergent, use less of it too! Unless there’s a really icky situation, you could probably wash your clothes in water and they would be fine. As Americans we have been sold this insanity about needing to douse our clothing (and bodies), in chemicals in order for them to be clean. But look at your tee shirt, is it really that dirty?
Ditch the fragrance. Buy unscented detergents. See this article for more about what fragrance really means.
Ditch the dryer sheets. You can use dryer balls instead.
See below for better alternatives and how to tell if the detergent you’re using now is toxic and what to buy that’s better.
See this page at Flower Dye for how to care for your naturally dyed textiles.
The most gentle way to wash would be soap nuts. You can purchase a small kit at Flower Dye or buy and learn more here. Some companies have popped up in the last couple of years that are making much more eco friendly products, including low waste packaging. I researched into the ingredients each of them use via the Environmental Working Group, and these seemed the best to me:
Now, if you want to look and see if the detergent you’re currently using is in the EWG database, below I’ve summed up many of the brands which fell into each category. A being best ingredients, F being most toxic. Not every brand is in this database, and some brands fall into multiple grades because of different fragrances or formulations in a different product. I was surprised to learn that the laundry detergent I’ve been using, Ecos Lemongrass Laundry Detergent, even though by a “good” brand, scored a C. You really can never be too careful. Once it runs out, I will be buying something from the A category.
A: Aspen Clean, Attitude, Biokleen, Common Good, Grab Green, Lion Bear Naked, Martha Stewart Clean, Seventh Generation.
B: Biokleen, Dr. Bronners, Dropps, Ecover, Grab Green,
C: Arm & Hammer, Ecos, J.R. Watkins Natural Liquid Laundry Detergent, Methos, Mrs. Meyers, Purex, Seventh Generation, The Good Home Co, The Honest Co.
D: Cleaner seeming (aka branded) brands like Mrs Meyers, Seventh Generation, Caldrea, The Good Home Co, Whole Foods brand, and Ecos all scored a D on the EWG website. This was especially dismaying as I’ve used Caldrea in the past, visited the Seventh Generation headquarters during a Sustainable Business summer couse I took at UVM and have recommended them over the years.
F: Those that scored an F were less surprising: Fab, Gain, Ivory, Tide, Purex, Extra, but still plenty of red herrings brands like Just the Basics (free and clear), Nellie’s All Natural, The Laundress which were unexpected in this category.
Click here to see the EWG laundry database and see how your detergent scores. If it doesn’t score well, just use it until it runs out, and then choose a better alternative from the list above. It’s these little choices that add up to creating a healthier home environment, better long term health for you and your family, and will help to heal our collective hurting ecosystems that have been decimated over decades of people unknowingly purchasing toxic products. The power, as always, is in your hands!
