We never know how much laundry detergent to apply and pour till it seems right in our hearts, and most of us are guilty of overusing it, whether we confess it or not. But while we all enjoy the aroma of freshly laundered fabrics, do you know where the majority of "lavender field" scents originate? Synthetic chemicals such as trisodium nitrilotriacetate, monoethanolamine, and phthalates are only a few examples of the chemicals used for that beautiful aroma.
Commercial laundry products are a chemical cocktail of harm to people, pets, and the environment, and avoiding dangerous chemicals in laundry detergent is a must as you look for ways to improve the health of your family and home.
Making the switch to a green laundry detergent is a simple approach to help the earth and your health. These detergents are usually free of chemicals that irritate the skin, harm fabric over time, and pollute the environment, or at least contain less of them.
But before you know what is good for you, here's a list of the chemical offenders often found in detergents that aren't healthy for you and the beautiful earth that we love so much.
Ingredients to avoid in laundry detergent:
- Phosphates: When they enter streams, they create eutrophication, a type of mineral poisoning that results in many marine species dying.
- Formaldehydes: According to the EPA, Formaldehyde is a class B1 probable carcinogen that produces acute toxicity when it comes into contact with the skin.
- Dyes: These offer no cleansing power and are frequently the source of allergies and rashes — several have been proven carcinogenic, and virtually all are endocrine disruptors.
- Chlorine bleach: A lung and skin irritant that can induce blindness, eye burning, respiratory failure, and pulmonary fluid accumulation.
- Optical brighteners/ ultraviolet brighteners: These are irritants to the eyes, skin, and lungs that are poisonous to aquatic life, can spontaneously combust, and can't be used in the presence of static electricity (such as that from the clothes dryer).
- Artificial perfumes: The fragrances in laundry detergents are a mixture of about 4,000 chemicals, many of which are petroleum derivatives. Harsh synthetic fragrances can trigger allergic responses, chemical sensitivities, and even rashes.
- Ammonium sulphate: This laundry addition is so dangerous that it's illegal to let it or its empty containers go down the drain or into rivers, although it's a category three oral, respiratory, and skin toxin. Causing coughing and wheezing, along with headaches, dizziness and even vomiting.
- Benzyl acetate: When breathed or spilt on the skin, it is toxic and damages the neurological and renal systems.
- Ammonium quaternary sanitizers: This corrosive 'cleaning ingredient' has been linked to harming the eye, lung, and skin.
You don't have to love doing your laundry, but you do have to do it (welcome to being an adult), so you might be interested in making the process a little, let's say, cleaner by turning to natural detergents. Here is a roundup of the best Canadian and US green detergent brands out there to start cleaning like a green champ.
Tru Earth
This Canadian business was one of the first to commercialize laundry strip technology. Each strip is hypoallergenic and has a high concentration of active ingredients. They work in all sorts of washing machines and hot and cold water. There are no harsh chemicals, and instead, they're made with soothing soy veggie glycerin and a coconut oil-based foam enhancer, which "dislodges dirt molecules and stains." Phosphates, dyes, chlorine bleach, 1,4-dioxane, SLS/SLES parabens, and palm oil are absent. Using eco-friendly laundry strips will significantly reduce your carbon impact. Because there is no plastic in any of the packings and it is considerably lighter, fuel usage and carbon emissions are minimized. According to Tru Earth, switching to laundry strips will result in massive yearly environmental savings: "Remove one billion plastic bottles from landfills, saving 700 million. It's the equivalent of taking 27 million cars off the road for a day or planting nine million trees to save truck fuel and CO2."
The Unscented Co.
Their laundry detergent is created in Canada and is vegan and plastic-free. These Laundry Tabs help you save money by providing the exact amount of laundry you need with each wash. You're also removing a single-use plastic bottle from the equation every time you buy these laundry tabs—another step toward reducing single-use plastics. Isn't that cool?The earth-friendly Laundry Tabs from The Unscented Company will keep your favorite linens and everything else in your wardrobe clean and fresh. Their laundry detergent is biodegradable and may be used in high-efficiency and regular washers. It's hypoallergenic and devoid of color, smell, and phosphates, and it's made with plant-based components. Furthermore, The Unscented Co's refill alternatives save thousands of plastic bottles from landfills, and when it comes to packaging, they always consider the environment while creating products. All of their products are vegan and cruelty-free. Some of their products (soap bars) contain RSPO certified palm oil, which validates the whole supply chain for ethics.
The Soap Works
Soap Works is a Canadian brand that produces a wide range of cleaning products, including a low-cost zero-waste laundry detergent. You can get up to 60 washes out of one bag, and no anti-static treatments or fabric softeners are required. In addition, it comes in a compostable paper bag. It's manufactured from all-natural materials with no added scent or other toxins, and it's not tested on animals. It works best with warm water, so you'll have to pre-dissolve it if you use cold. You'll only need approximately a quarter cup each load.If you have a Borax allergy, you should avoid this zero-waste powder. Borax is a contentious topic and is prohibited in various European nations. Health Canada is now examining it. It's all up to you—if you've used it before, you know how effective it is at washing and cleaning. RSPO-certified sustainable palm oil is used in several of their soaps.
The Bare Home
The Bare Home is a Canadian brand that offers a plant-powered laundry stick that's brutal on stains. This stick may be used to wash by machine or by hand. It's simple to use: wet the stick, massage it into the soiled area, and then wash as usual. To clean the entire fabric, first lather it in water, then soap it. The stain stick from Bare Home has a faint lemon flavor that leaves your linens feeling wonderful. It effectively removes stains and has no excessive fillers. All products are made with the highest quality, sustainably sourced essential oils and plant-based ingredients. The packaging is in glass bottles that can be easily reused and recycled.
Eco Living Club
Another Canadian company that sells eco-friendly laundry detergent in easy-to-use strips. These are top-notch when it comes to ingredients. Because these laundry strips don't include any water, they're a highly concentrated and effective alternative. Because most laundry detergents include 60-90 per cent water, using strips reduces laundry's global carbon impact significantly. The strips may be used in either hot or cold water and in either HE or standard machines. These are vegan and cruelty-free and come in scented and unscented variants. Their objective from the beginning was to provide you with a green, plastic-free laundry detergent sheet that was affordable and free of dangerous chemicals like 1.4 dioxane, phosphates, optical brighteners, dichlorobenzene, dyes, formaldehyde, chlorine bleach, nonylphenol ethoxylates, benzyl acetate, ammonium sulphate and all other nasties that don't belong. They come in cardboard packaging that can be readily recycled.
Earth Love
With these all-natural, waste-free washing tablets, you can show your appreciation for the planet. Earth Love's formulas have undergone extensive testing to provide clients with both practical and waste-free goods—a difficult task! The tables are compact, simple to use, and highly effective. They're created with all-natural stain-fighting chemicals, including Citric Acid, Sodium Carbonate, Sodium Borate, and Sodium Percarbonate. Based in Oakville, Ontario, this small firm is a member of the Plastic Waste Coalition, a global partnership of over 1,200 businesses and organizations dedicated to decreasing plastic pollution. At all stages of production, Earth Love considers sustainability. They are also one of the most economical green detergents out there.
Puracy
Their high-efficiency formula, which uses plant-based enzymes and natural cleansers, needs just 14 ounces each load, reducing waste by more than 80%.Puracy is a reliable provider for all-natural, plant-based, kid and pet-friendly, hypoallergenic, and effective home needs. Picked the biodegradable constituents with care and refined them into a premium cleaner. Developed by doctors for sensitive skin, head-to-head tests have proven that the brand's proprietary blend of plant-based enzymes and natural minerals can clean just as well as synthetic brands. Their detergents are free of SLS, phosphates, petrochemicals, bleach and toxic chemicals. They are cruelty-free and manufactured in the US.
Seventh Generation
Eco-friendly sounds excellent and all, but it still has to get clothes clean, right? Fortunately, Seventh Generation products deliver superior cleaning power. The brand's Free & Clear formula uses enzymes found in plant ingredients to break down particles that make clothes dirty; they'll target everything from grass stains to spaghetti sauce. Seventh Generation's Free & Clear detergent can be used in front-loading, top-loading, or high-efficiency washing machines The company's Free & Clear laundry detergent is made of 97 per cent plant-based ingredients, and it is certified by the United States Department of Agriculture's (USDA) Bio Preferred Program, which means that it is composed, in whole or in significant part, of biological products. It's also certified by The Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) Safer Choice program, which helps consumers find products that contain ingredients that are safer for human health and the environment. Their detergent is concentrated so that a 40-ounce bottle can last 53 loads. It is also cruelty-free.
Molly's Suds
Molly's Suds is a small women-owned business that is cruelty-free and minimalist. Designed for chemically sensitive people or those with sensitive skin, this powder can pretreat stains before washing, and it gives you a natural and effective clean as laundry detergent. What's unique about this Laundry powder is that it is made with only five earth-derived ingredients. Sodium carbonate is sustainably sourced from the Green River Basin in Wyoming, and the powder is available in scented and unscented versions. In the scented version, those with susceptible skin may want to check that they don't react with sodium carbonate and peppermint oil. As long as you have no reason to be concerned about these two ingredients, we think you should give this product a try. The brand is also certified vegan and cruelty-free.
Indigo Wild – Zum Clean
Do you want your clothing to smell nice? This natural laundry detergent is produced with pure essential oils and provides both clean laundry and aromatherapy. Sweet smells like frankincense and myrrh, sea salt, and sweet citrus are available in the detergent. If you have stinky clothes, this laundry soap is excellent for removing odors and restoring freshness. This product has no parabens, phosphates, petrochemicals, or sulphates. Coconut oil, baking soda, vegetable glycerin, and borax are the natural components used. Indigo Wild, the company behind Zum, is based out of the US and works to make its production process as environmentally friendly as possible. The company is cruelty-free, and every detergent bottle is filled and labelled by hand—not machine. Although the product is priced higher than many clean brands in the market, it is worth the price if you like the earthy fragrances and simple, pure ingredients.
Switching to natural laundry products is a terrific way to reduce your ecological impact without sacrificing your health or the environment.
All of these ideas and tactics will help to conserve our rivers while also cleaning up your laundry room in no time, and buying soap in bulk will save you a lot of money.Long live your laundry