Tips & Tricks for a Non Toxic Laundry Routine
Stop using big box store laundry detergents! These detergents, fabric softeners and dryer sheets are filled with carcinogenic chemicals, skin irritants and other harmful ingredients. A University of Washington study found that "Five of the six products emitted one or more carcinogenic 'hazardous air pollutants', which are considered by the Environmental Protection Agency to have no safe exposure level", said the study's author Anne Steinemann.
Some of the dangerous chemicals found in laundry include; phosphates, dioxane, fragrance and nonylphenol Ethoxylates (NPE). Phosphates are the chemical that "cleans" by breaking down dirt. Although that sounds beneficial to have in laundry products, once emitted into the environment, phosphates kill plants and animals by turning water bodies toxic. Dioxane is what manufacturers use to soften fabric but unfortunately has been shown to be a carcinogenic. Fragrance is used to enhance the smell of your laundry. Fragrance can include hundreds of chemicals all used to create one specific scent. Because of this, whenever fragrance is listed as an ingredient, you can never be sure exactly what is in the product. Many different components of fragrance can cause health issues such as allergies and even breathing problems. It's best to stay away from the ingredient fragrance and turn to all natural essential oils instead. Nonylphenol Ethoxylates or NPE's are banned in other countries because it can cause hormonal damage and is a known carcinogenic. These are only a few of the many different toxic chemicals found in big box store laundry products.
Our family makes old fashioned laundry soap powder! It's our 100% coconut oil soap that we grind up and mix with borax and washing soda to create our non toxic, paraben free, phthalate free option. This is great for ALL types of machines from High Efficiency to Top Loaders (the only thing that will change is the amount to use). To use our laundry soap in a high efficiency washer, start with 1/2 TBS and in a top loading washer start with 1 TBS. You can go up from there on the amount. Just double it if you have a heavy load or soiled clothes. Did you know you can use white vinegar as a fabric softener? We use approximately 1/4 cup in our fabric softener spot on our machine. It also helps with rinsing any extra soap from your clothing. And NO! You can not smell it after. I promise. So besides the White Vinegar, we have switched out our dryer sheets with a natural healthy option like wool dryer balls or sheets. We add essential oils to the wool and throw them right into the dryer to add a little natural scent to the clothing.
You can find these products online on our website!!! (We even have an all natural stain remover!)
Laundry Soap: https://thehippiefarmer.com/collections/laundry-soap
Dryer Balls: https://thehippiefarmer.com/collections/dryer-balls
Stain Remover: https://thehippiefarmer.com/collections/stain-remover
References
https://www.cleancult.com/blog/is-laundry-detergent-actually-toxic?fbclid=IwAR0QnHpmhx27wpH9tylyBmhl-zeGCYVefkAuooyzuwuh6PS1Uh-Ks0Qs5Uo
https://www.drlamcoaching.com/blog/understanding-the-health-effects-of-carcinogens-in-laundry-detergent/?fbclid=IwAR0G_u7XdRiP0KbYSMDx3Jv1nMmjSVakjGMHZcVI2OahgNtoHDMI9nTO5-w
https://www.washington.edu/news/2011/08/24/scented-laundry-products-emit-hazardous-chemicals-through-dryer-vents/