Since most of us wear clothes every day, I thought that the subject of doing laundry would be a good topic to cover.
Most of us know how to sort laundry
- Separate the lights from the darks
- Pre-treat the stains
- Check the pockets – especially if you have children
Have you ever stopped to think about the products that you are washing your clothes with? Or that your favorite scent of fabric softener may be harmful to your health?
What if I told you that washing your clothes could be hazardous to your health?
Let’s look at some of the ingredients in common laundry detergents and fabric softeners.
Laundry Detergent Chemicals
Alkylbenzene sulfonate – easily absorbed through the skin, known to cause liver damage
EDTA – binds with heavy metals in waterways creating an overload of toxic metals
Fluosilicate – used as a pesticide
Optical Brighteners – cause strong allergic reactions when exposed to sunlight and facilitate mutation of certain bacteria, can cause eye irritations and skin reactions
Phthalates – used to prolong the fragrance, may disrupt hormones and cause birth defects
Tetrapotassium pyrophosphate – highly toxic, corrosive and irritating
Fabric Softener Chemicals
Alpha-Terpineol – highly irritating to mucous membranes, aspiration into lungs can produce pneumonitis or even fatal edema, can also cause loss of muscular coordination
Benzyl Acetate – linked to pancreatic cancer
Benzyl Alcohol – irritating to the upper respiratory tract, can cause headache,
nausea, vomiting, dizziness, drop in blood pressure, depression, and death in
severe cases due to respiratory failure
Camphor – readily absorbed through the body tissues, irritation of eyes, skin, nose and throat, dizziness, confusion, nausea, twitching muscles and convulsions, avoid inhalation of vapors
Chloroform – neurotoxic, anesthetic and carcinogenic
Ethyl Acetate – Narcotic, may cause headache and narcosis, may cause anemia with leukocytosis and damage to liver and kidneys
Limonene – (fragrance) Carcinogenic, prevent its’ contact with skin or eyes because it is an irritant and sensitizer
Linalool – Narcotic, respiratory disturbances, in animal tests: ataxic gait, reduced spontaneous motor activity and depression, depressed heart activity,
development of respiratory disturbances leading to death
Pentane – danger—Harmful if inhaled…Avoid breathing vapor, inhalation of vapors may cause headache, nausea, vomiting, dizziness, drowsiness, irritation of respiratory tract and loss of consciousness, prolonged exposure can cause dermatitis
Americans in general are experiencing more and more health issues – I believe this is coming from the toxic world we live in.
It is time to start making changes to protect your health. I have provided some alternatives to traditional laundry products so that you have an option that could improve your health.
Laundry Detergent Alternatives
Norwex Ultra Plus Laundry Detergent
Washing Powder – 1 cup washing soda, 1 cup baking soda, 1 cup soap flakes. Blend all ingredients. Use ½ cup for average size laundry load.
Soap Nuts – berries from the Sapindus species of bushes and small trees. Available online
1 cup vinegar or ½ cup lemon juice added to the rinse cycle will help keep colors bright (avoid using bleach and vinegar together – this combination produces hazardous fumes)
Fabric Softener Alternatives
Norwex Dryer Balls
Fabric Softener 1 – add ½ to ¾ cup of baking soda to the wash
Fabric Softener 2 – add ½ to 1 cup vinegar to the rinse cycle
The solution – the Norwex Mop System. This system consists of a mop handle, base and Wet Mop Pad. With your choice of the Dry Superior Mop Pad or the Dry Mop Pad.
Superior Mop Pad is designed to pick up the smallest particles of dirt. Both Dry Pads are great for dusting floors, ceilings, walls, ceilings fans and high windows.
To use this system just dry mop the area first. Then replace the dry mop pad with a damp wet pad to clean the area. Rinse the wet pad as needed. This removes the dirt and dust from your home versus just moving it around.
The Norwex System is guaranteed for 2 years.
