Laundry the Organic Way

Naturally we're concerned about the health and safety of our family members. Doing laundry is no different. Did you know your laundry could be causing harm to your health? Not just in the washer or dryer, either. 

According to studies, 1/3 of all laundry detergents contain at least 1 chemical flagged by the EPA as potentially causing cancer. On average, toxic laundry detergents emit 17 toxins that go unlisted on the label, and which can cause problems ranging from skin irritations to neurological damage. For these reasons, you might want to stay away from conventional laundry detergents, dryer sheets and liquid fabric softeners altogether. 

Like you, we LOVE to have clothes that feel soft, smell fresh and are free of static cling. In my home we do everything organic: shampoo, conditioners, body soap, dish soap, carpet cleaners, doggie shampoo, deodorant, foods, etc.. ALL ORGANIC and CHEMICAL-FREE. But for whatever reason our laundry routine was the last to make the ultimate switch. I was fixed on cleaning my sports gear and work out clothes with a detergent to get the stink out, and fixed on using the giant box of dryer sheets I got at Costco. I thought it was working, but finally realized the yucky smell was getting locked in the fabric with those detergents.. and the dryer sheets were just covering up the stink. 

Since fabric softeners are designed to stay in your clothes for extended periods of time, those yucky chemicals gradually seep out, and can be inhaled or absorbed directly through your skin. Liquid fabric softeners are slightly preferable to dryer sheets, as the chemicals in dryer sheets get released into the air when they are heated up in the dryer and can pose a respiratory health risk to those both inside and outside the home. This isn't what I want!!

I had enough! And had to make a change. After a google search I found so many options! And when I finally made the switch to using all natural cleaners and wool dryer balls with essential oils, I was completely amazed at how fresh my laundry smelled and how well my clothes are maintained. It's so easy and also makes the house smell great!

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Harmful Ingredients in Dryer Sheets and Liquid Fabric Softener:

• benzyl acetate (linked to pancreatic cancer)
• benzyl alcohol (an upper respiratory tract irritant)
• ethanol (linked to central nervous system disorders) 
• limonene (a known carcinogen) 
• chloroform (a neurotoxin and carcinogen)
• And a bunch of other yucky chemicals with long, hard-to-pronounce names that cause harm.​

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