The way most people do laundry today is bad for the environment and for your health. This is especially true of those with chemical sensitivities, which is estimated to be 16% to 33% of the population. These people suffer from skin irritations, headaches, trouble breathing, and much more when exposed to chemicals, and it can be debilitating.
If that doesn't include you today, what do you think constant chemical exposure is doing anyway? Do you think it might add up and one day become a problem for you? Or your spouse, children, or roommate? With so many people now affected, this seems to be a growing problem as we keep using more chemicals. Maybe it's time to stop?
(And while "healthy" detergents can be better choices, even the best still cause problems in some people. And they still cost a lot of money every year.)
In fact, just having so many chemicals around the house leads to many accidental poisonings every year too, and laundry detergent is part of this problem. Especially since laundry pods (small packets of detergent) started selling. Now thousands of accidental poisonings among children are reported every year because of just those!
But laundry has a bigger impact than just this. Besides the amount of water we use in laundry, and the gas or electricity used in drying, we're dumping detergent chemicals into our water supply with every load of laundry.
Now this article won't explain all the chemicals in laundry detergent and what they cause, etc. You can easily find that information with a Google search. We're going to focus here on some solutions we use and love.
If that doesn't include you today, what do you think constant chemical exposure is doing anyway? Do you think it might add up and one day become a problem for you? Or your spouse, children, or roommate? With so many people now affected, this seems to be a growing problem as we keep using more chemicals. Maybe it's time to stop?
(And while "healthy" detergents can be better choices, even the best still cause problems in some people. And they still cost a lot of money every year.)
In fact, just having so many chemicals around the house leads to many accidental poisonings every year too, and laundry detergent is part of this problem. Especially since laundry pods (small packets of detergent) started selling. Now thousands of accidental poisonings among children are reported every year because of just those!
But laundry has a bigger impact than just this. Besides the amount of water we use in laundry, and the gas or electricity used in drying, we're dumping detergent chemicals into our water supply with every load of laundry.
Now this article won't explain all the chemicals in laundry detergent and what they cause, etc. You can easily find that information with a Google search. We're going to focus here on some solutions we use and love.
Magnets in Laundry
Yes, go ahead and laugh. I doubted them when I first got them. My husband and I have been interested in natural laundry options for several years and he got these so we could try them. He was completely skeptical when researching them, but he couldn't ignore all the positive reviews. They weren't that expensive, especially for how much money they could save us. So we gave them a try.
All you do is stick them -- magnetically -- to the insides of your washing machine where the clothes and water go. Then wash as normal, but without laundry detergent. This is better for you in terms of health, and it should save you anywhere from $20 to $100/year, depending on the detergent you normally use.
Now it's true that you can get laundry pretty clean looking with just water anyway, but water alone doesn't remove the stink from our experience. So what stood out for me with these magnets is that, the first time we used them, we had one piece of smelly laundry that came out smelling completely clean. Yes, just water and the magnets. We've used this option ever since and are overall happy with the results we're getting.
I still recommend pre-treating stains, and magnets won't bleach your whites. But they do seem to clean ... just like all the reviews say. Check them out on Amazon (and see the reviews!)
All you do is stick them -- magnetically -- to the insides of your washing machine where the clothes and water go. Then wash as normal, but without laundry detergent. This is better for you in terms of health, and it should save you anywhere from $20 to $100/year, depending on the detergent you normally use.
Now it's true that you can get laundry pretty clean looking with just water anyway, but water alone doesn't remove the stink from our experience. So what stood out for me with these magnets is that, the first time we used them, we had one piece of smelly laundry that came out smelling completely clean. Yes, just water and the magnets. We've used this option ever since and are overall happy with the results we're getting.
I still recommend pre-treating stains, and magnets won't bleach your whites. But they do seem to clean ... just like all the reviews say. Check them out on Amazon (and see the reviews!)
Ozone Laundry
As an alternate to magnets, you could consider a larger upfront investment in an ozone laundry system. Ozone not only removes dirt from laundry, but is known to kill viruses and bacteria as well. (It's used in the food industry to sanitize food.) It will also help to bleach whites; so be careful about using bleach and ozone together. Test how the ozone water does on its own and then slowly add bleach if needed.
The thing about ozone is that, the colder the water, the better it works. So using an ozone laundry system not only eliminates the need for detergent but also eliminates the need for heating your water -- saving you more money and helping the environment with less energy demand.
There are several brands, but they're all using basically the same technology. While there may be some "bells and whistles" differences, the main thing to compare is the ozone output if you can find it, and maybe the length of warranty.
We used one for several years and had great results until we started getting some faded spots in certain pieces of laundry. After talking with the manufacturer, we think this may have been due to a change in our water quality or in the dyes being used in certain clothes. They said they only have a few reports of this after selling thousands of units.
Just the way you're supposed to "spot test" a new carpet spray on an area of carpet that people won't normally see, I suggest testing these machines with a couple pieces of laundry (towels?) you're not worried about, just to make sure something in your water isn't reacting to the ozone. Again, it sounds like this is rare.
Since this isn't a problem with white laundry, and the ozone helps with keeping whites bright, we continue using this with our whites, and we stick with the magnets in our colored laundry.
The thing about ozone is that, the colder the water, the better it works. So using an ozone laundry system not only eliminates the need for detergent but also eliminates the need for heating your water -- saving you more money and helping the environment with less energy demand.
There are several brands, but they're all using basically the same technology. While there may be some "bells and whistles" differences, the main thing to compare is the ozone output if you can find it, and maybe the length of warranty.
We used one for several years and had great results until we started getting some faded spots in certain pieces of laundry. After talking with the manufacturer, we think this may have been due to a change in our water quality or in the dyes being used in certain clothes. They said they only have a few reports of this after selling thousands of units.
Just the way you're supposed to "spot test" a new carpet spray on an area of carpet that people won't normally see, I suggest testing these machines with a couple pieces of laundry (towels?) you're not worried about, just to make sure something in your water isn't reacting to the ozone. Again, it sounds like this is rare.
Since this isn't a problem with white laundry, and the ozone helps with keeping whites bright, we continue using this with our whites, and we stick with the magnets in our colored laundry.
Wool Dryer Balls
Just as we avoid the toxins of laundry detergent, we also avoid the toxins in fabric softener and dryer sheets -- yes, even the "essential oils" types of dryer sheets. But we still want soft laundry, and we've found that wool dryer balls do a great job.
They get in the way more than a dryer sheet does when you're removing clothes from the dryer, but you'll probably never find one stuck to clothes you're wearing the next day. You can also add some essential oils drops to the balls before each load if you want. This will leave a very subtle scent on the laundry. That extra step is option.
From my experience, these don't reduce static, but they do soften your laundry.
I hope these pointers help you to reduce the toxins in your life while promoting a healthier world and wallet!
They get in the way more than a dryer sheet does when you're removing clothes from the dryer, but you'll probably never find one stuck to clothes you're wearing the next day. You can also add some essential oils drops to the balls before each load if you want. This will leave a very subtle scent on the laundry. That extra step is option.
From my experience, these don't reduce static, but they do soften your laundry.
I hope these pointers help you to reduce the toxins in your life while promoting a healthier world and wallet!