Three Easy Steps to Detox Your Laundry

Did you know that your laundry products could be causing you harm? Yes they can so I am going to give you three easy ways to detox your laundry and help to make you and your family healthier.

(This post contains an affiliate link which means that, at no extra cost to you, I earn a commission on  your purchase through the link. I only recommend products & businesses that I use, truly love, and excited to share!)

Don’t feel like you need to do all of these steps at once. Moving to a toxic-free lifestyle takes time and does not need to be done all at once. It’s easy to get overwhelmed once you start reading about the ingredients and the alternatives.

There are three easy steps you can take to make your laundry room and clothes less toxic:

1. Change to a non-toxic laundry detergent (I make my own, here is the link to my recipe)
2. Throw away your dryer sheets (Read this to find what to use instead)
3. Switch the type of stain remover you use

Don’t rely on the company of the product to tell you what ingredients they use. They will tell you anything to sell their product. You need to become your own advocate and do your own research. It takes a while at first but it’s totally worth it. Your health and your family’s health is worth the effort and the time.

Step 1: Switch to a Non-Toxic Detergent

Why you want a non toxic laundry detergent

Before I learned and did some research I never thought about the type of detergent I used. I was more focused on how it smelled and of course if it cleaned well.

What I learned scared me. When you wash your clothes with these chemicals they actually stay on your clothes. I never would have thought this since they go through a rinse cycle. Right?

Well I was wrong. These chemicals stay on your clothes which can cause skin irritations, allergies, asthma, respiratory issues, cancer. Pretty scary?! 

The skin is your largest organ so you need to be choosy as to what products you put on it. It absorbs everything that is put on it. Our skin plays a role in detoxing our bodies, along with our liver, kidneys, and lungs. So it’s important that we pay attention to the products we use.

Here is a video from My Green Fills that explains this visually.

 

I was using a detergent that I thought was better than some of the others, one that wasn’t dyed blue and the label said “Free & Clear”. When I learned about EWG.org (Environmental Working Group) I wanted to see how the products I used scored. This particular laundry detergent scored an F. I was shocked and felt mislead!

I have been making my own detergent ever since I educated myself and I absolutely love it. It’s easy to make and it works. Get the recipe here. It gets my clothes clean and I don’t have to worry about the clothes touching the skin of my family and them having a bad reaction to it and causing them harm.

Step 2: Get Rid of the Dryer Sheets. 

What are dryer sheets anyway?

It is usually a polyester sheet that’s been covered in a fabric softener and fragrance (made of chemicals). The amount of fragrance used in dryer sheets can be up to 10 percent of the contents of the product. The chemicals rub off the dryer sheet and coat your clothing which makes them feel nice and soft. (1)

Dryer sheets can contain some harmful chemicalls, including hidden fragrance chemicals that lots of people are sensitive to. They not only rub off on to the clothes and then onto our skin but we also breathe them in from the fumes coming out of the vent.

I know when my neighbors are doing their laundry because I can smell it when I’m outside. I am being exposed to all those chemicals that I don’t use. Do you smell it too?

Dryer sheets can contain volatile organic compounds like acetaldehyde and butane, which can cause respiratory irritation. (1)

Quats, a fabric softener chemical, is often part of a family of chemicals called quaternary ammonium compounds, many of which are linked to asthma. (1)

Acetone, used in dryer sheets, can cause nervous system effects like headaches or dizziness. (1)

Anne Steinemann, a professor of civil and environmental engineering and of public affairs at the University of Washington did a study on chemicals that emitted through laundry vents.

Case Study

Pre-rinsed new, organic cotton towels were used. Two different homes were used in this study and the towels were washed three separate times: 

A regular laundry cycle was run and the vent fumes were analyzed for the three cases

A canister was placed inside the dryer vent opening to capture the exhaust for 15 minutes. The analysis of the captured gases found more than 25 volatile organic compounds, including seven hazardous air pollutants, coming out of the vents! Of those, two chemicals – acetaldehyde and benzene – are classified by the Environmental Protection Agency as carcinogens, for which the agency has established no safe exposure level. (2)

Findings in the journal Air Quality, Atmosphere and Health, show that air vented from machines using the top-selling scented liquid laundry detergent and scented dryer sheet contains hazardous chemicals, including two that are classified as carcinogens.

“This is an interesting source of pollution because emissions from dryer vents are essentially unregulated and unmonitored. If they’re coming out of a smokestack or tail pipe, they’re regulated, but if they’re coming out of a dryer vent, they’re not,” said Anne Steinemann. (3)

A study led by the University of Washington discovered that 25 commonly used scented products emit an average of 17 chemicals each. Of the 133 different chemicals detected, nearly a quarter are classified as toxic or hazardous under at least one federal law. Only one emitted compound was listed on a product label, and only two were publicly disclosed anywhere. (3)

“Manufacturers are not required to disclose any ingredients in cleaning supplies, air fresheners or laundry products, all of which are regulated by the Consumer Product Safety Commission. Neither these nor personal care products, which are regulated by the Food and Drug Administration, are required to list ingredients used in fragrances, even though a single “fragrance” in a product can be a mixture of up to several hundred ingredients,” Steinemann said. (3)

If you get rid of dryer sheets what will you use? I use just vinegar in my rinse cycle, read my blog post here (it works amazing!!) or you can use wool dryer balls.

Step 3: Change Stain Removers

How safe is your stain remover? My stain remover scores an F on EWG.org. Below is a screen shot of one of the chemicals that makes it score an F. It’s some pretty scary stuff. 

Development and Reproductive Toxicity are a high concern. So this chemical may damage fertility and even an unborn child!, along with skin irritation & respiratory issues. YIKES! Not worth using this product.

In place of my spray stain remover I have chosen to use Nellie’s All-Natural Wow Stick Stain Remover. It takes a little extra effort than just spraying the stain but it’s really not an issue. This stain remover is a little bit pricey but it lasts forever and I have complete peace of mind that I will not be harmed by using it. I also use hydrogen peroxide and the sun as stain removers. 

I never would have thunk that doing laundry could be so hazardous to my health. Sure hope this list has helped you to make your laundry room less toxic.

What are your thoughts on this information? What non toxic products do you use in your laundry?

 

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