NON-TOXIC LAUNDRY
I love Thieves laundry detergent! I've used it for years and it's all I use for Payson's clothes as well.
How do you choose non-toxic laundry detergent that works??
1️⃣Be patient. Be willing to try a couple of products & product combinations before you give up on non-toxic laundry detergents. They have come a long way and work really well now a days!
2️⃣Laundry detergents marketed towards babies & kids are not necessarily safer: Once you find a truly nontoxic laundry detergent to use: you can use it for the whole family👨👩👧👦👨👩👦👨👩👧👨👧👨👩👧👧👨👨👦👦. It will be safe for EVERYONE from baby to grandma….🤩
3️⃣Beware of greenwashing. These are labels with claims like “all natural’, 'free and clear' or for ‘sensitive skin’ which dont really mean much
4️⃣Remember: unscented does not equal fragrance free. Unscented might still contain fragrance chemicals used to ‘hide’ certain scents! Choose fragrance free
5️⃣Look for full ingredient transparency & read ingredient labels: Generally, the shorter and more recognizable the ingredient list the better. Among the ingredients you want to avoid are: Harmful Fragrances, Dyes, Cancer-Causing Contaminants like Formaldehyde & 1,4-Dioxane, Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs), Optical Brighteners, Synthetic Nonylphenol Ethoxylates, Petrochemicals, Phosphates, Chlorine, Sodium Laureth Sulfate (SLES), Phthalates, Parabens, Methylisothiazolinone, Cocamide DEA, PEGs, Ethoxylated ingredients
🌿Added bonus: look for plastic free containers. We go through a lot of laundry detergent in our lives & those plastic containers add up and will not biodegrade. Some of the safest companies also happen to make plastic free packaging!
Surprised to see some of the brands I don’t recommend?? Head over the the full blog post ( #linkinbio ) for details on why they made my “avoid’ list!
I added price per load to show that in some cases- non-toxic ( & even plastic free) doesnt always cost more 💰
Check out my stories for discount codes and links to my FAVORITE laundry detergents: @melioracleaningproducts@humblesuds( use code “nontoxicmunchkin10” for 10% off!) @branchbasics ( use code “nontoxicmunchkin” for 15% off starter kits) @mollys_suds
Your sister/friend drops off a bag of hand me downs. You are thankful, who wouldn’t be? …. but there is one possible downside to hand me downs: they sometimes come with a VERY . STRONG. SMELL. So strong that washing 1x, 2x, even 3x still wont take that lingering fragrance away. The cause? The prior owner prob used conventional detergent & fabric softener & the chemicals used in these products are designed to linger
🤩There is hope: laundry stripping
🤔Laundry stripping is a method of soaking that gets rid of leftover detergent, fabric softener, minerals from hard water, body oils that have collected on textiles over a period of time.
Getting rid of strong laundry detergent & softener smells in hand me down clothes is a common reason to strip. Other items that could benefit from stripping include: deep-cleaning dog blankets, couch-cushion covers and whitening white sheets that have turned yellow.
HOW TO STRIP LAUNDRY: 3 options
1️⃣tub stripping
Fill a tub (or sink)with hot water & add borax, baking soda & powdered laundry detergent in a 1:1:2 ratio. For a bathtub 1/4 cup borax, 1/4 cup baking soda & 1/2 cup laundry detergent. Pour ingredients & mix with a stick or with gloved hands until dissolved.
Add towels, sheets or clothing & allow to sit in the tub until the water has cooled completely, about 4-5 hrs.
Stir occasionally to release buildup
When water is cool, drain water & wring out excess liquid. Give a final rinse in the washing machine using a water-only cycle.
🚨NOTES:
Water's heat can cause dyes to run;dont mix whites with colors
Only use on clothing that is tolerant to hot water
2️⃣gentle stripping with @branchbasics
A slightly gentler alternative is use Branch Basics (you can use code “nontoxicmunchkin’ for a discount)
1 capful of BB Laundry solution
2 scoops BB oxygen boost
1 cup baking soda
Mix well & place clothing in tub for 4-5 hrs. For baby clothes I would start with this method first.
3️⃣SUN
The sun can help remove smells from prior detergent use. just hang clothes in the sun. This process takes a lot longer… sometimes up to a week of consistent sun, but can work.
This is a LIGHT version. For a FULL VERSION with MANY MORE laundry detergents read my BLOG post at: https://ireadlabelsforyou.com/safest-laundry-detergents-guide/
OR you can find the link in the today’s stories. If you read this post later, take a look at the Laundry highlight for the link.
I looked at the ingredients of about 100 MOST POPULAR laundry detergents that my Instagram and Facebook followers named.
IN MY OPINION
WORST
❌optical brighteners (e.g., disodium distyrylbiphenyl disulfonate and fluorescent brightener 71).
• INSTEAD OF CLEANING the laundry, they make the clothes APPEAR brighter or whiter by adhering to the fabric and absorbing and reflecting the light.
• HARMFUL TO AQUATIC LIFE with long lasting effects
BAD
✅No Optical Brighteners
Still a combination of the ingredients of high to medium concern:
❌Ethoxylated Ingredients
❌Fragrance Ingredients
❌Undisclosed Ingredients
❌Harmful Preservatives: Benzisothiazolinone, Methylchloroisothiazolinone, Methylisothiazolinone, Octylisothiazolinone
❌Dyes
❌Triethanolamine
And a combination of ingredients of low concern:
⚠️Enzymes
⚠️Essential Oils
⚠️Sodium Borate
⚠️I see no preservatives.
BETTER
❌may contain only one ingredient of high to medium concern and
⚠️ some ingredients of low concern.
BEST
⚠️may contain some ingredients of low concern.
YOUNG LIVING THIEVES LAUNDRY SOAP contains many essential oils.
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