This entry was posted on Friday, January 22nd, 2010 at 2:23 pm and is filed under Home Products, Natural Cleaning Products. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.
While many laundry detergents promise “safe” and “gentle” cleaning and a “fresh” scent, experts have raised the red flag on many of the ingredients contained in conventional laundry detergents, suspecting them of causing short term health risks and of causing long-term harm. Conventional laundry products contain a range of chemical compounds that can irritate your skin and eyes, trigger allergic reactions or asthma, and damage the environment. While there are a lack of long-term studies on these cleaning compounds, scientists suspect that some of these chemicals cause cancer, while others disrupt the endocrine system and can interfere with human and wildlife reproductive health. Some of the chemical compounds you should avoid in laundry detergents include:
Chlorine – found primarily in laundry bleach, but is also found in some detergents, chlorine vapours are known to irritate the lungs, eyes, and mucous membranes and can trigger respiratory disorders and damage the environment.
Optical brighteners - used to brighten or whiten fabrics, many optical brighteners come from benzene, a highly toxic compound and carcinogen that can cause allergic reactions when it comes into contact with the skin. It is also harmful to wildlife and the environment.
Surfactants – these compounds create the bubbles and suds in laundry detergents. The most commonly used surfactants, alkyl phenol ethoxylates (APEs) are classified as endocrine disruptors.
Fragrances - the chemicals that give conventional laundry detergents their fresh scent can irritate skin, cause allergic reactions and trigger asthma. Some ingredients are known carcinogens and many fragrances contain Phthalates, and should be avoided.
There are healthier alternatives to these chemical compounds. Instead of chlorine, look for a natural laundry detergent containing Hydrogen Peroxide, which breaks down into water and oxygen, or that uses Sodium Percarbonate, made by combining hydrogen peroxide with sodium carbonate (a nontoxic mineral). These healthier alternatives brighten your whites as effectively as chlorine, without the negative health or environmental implications. Instead of optical brightening chemicals, choose a product using natural enzyme cultures to remove stains safely. Also, a detergent using surfactants derived from corn, coconut, and soy to create gentle sudsing action will have much less impact on the environment and human health. Look for an unscented natural cleaning products or if you prefer a naturally scented laundry detergent look for a product containing natural essential oils or citrus oils to add a fresh, light scent to your laundry. While some natural laundry products cost a bit more than conventional brands, they are well worth it. High quality, natural laundry detergents will provide a healthy cleaning, leaving your clothes both fresh and clean.
January 30th, 2010 at 2:22 am
nice post. thanks.