Doing Laundry Might be Hazardous to Your Health

What image comes to mind when you think of clean laundry?  Fluffy, soft towels that smell clean like a warm spring day.  The companies that market laundry products are

convincing in their advertising. They use words like "fresh scent" or "lavender" to describe how the products smell. You may be surprised when you find out what's really in the laundry soap and dryer sheets used to clean your clothes.

The most common chemicals found in laundry soap:

• Sodium lauryl sulfate (SLS)/sodium laureth sulfate (SLES)
• 1,4-dioxane
• NPE (nonylphenol ethosylate)
• Phosphates

There are over 16,000 studies in PubMed that discuss the toxicity of these chemicals.  Some of the health concerns related to the use of these chemicals include: skin & eye irritation, organ toxicity, developmental toxicity, nausea, endocrine disruption, and possible cancer.  

Non-Toxic Alternatives

• Be a label reader and look for phrases "Does not contain..."
• The Environmental Working Group lists alternatives that are safer.  I am a fan of the Seventh Generation products and they are priced competitively.
• Make your own using this recipe! 
• Try using soap nuts, which grow on the Sapindus mukorossi (Soap Berry) tree in the Himalayas.

There are more chemicals lurking in your dryer sheets including:

• Benzyl acetate
• Limonene
  
• Y-methyl ionone
• Linalool
• A-terpineol
• Methylene chloride

The chemicals found in dryer sheets pose a problem to more than your clothes.  Scientists have found more than 25 volatile organic compounds being released from dryer vents into the environment.

Non-Toxic Alternatives

• Add 1/4 cup of white vinegar to the washer to soften clothes.
• Check the Environmental Working Group database for safer alternatives.
• Use wool balls in place of dryer sheets.
• DIY option: fill an empty spray bottle with white vinegar and add 15-20 drops of essential oil (lavender or tea tree work well); spray wet clothes about 4 times before starting the dryer.
• Use a foil ball to cut down on static in the dryer. This can also be used with the vinegar spray.

Are you ready to ditch those dryer sheets?