http://www.care2.com/greenliving/green-girl-turns-the-tide-on-laundry.html
Green Girl Turns the Tide on Laundry
By Lily Berthold-Bond
Laundry. When living at home, this is not such a big deal. You can do your laundry every day, if you want to. You can leave it in the washing machine for an extra hour before transferring it to the dryer. You can take your own sweet time.
In a dorm, laundry is not like this. It is hell. First of all, it costs three dollars to wash and dry a load of laundry. So you do not wash your laundry every day. Secondly, there is little time and therefore keeping up with doing laundry once a week is difficult. So you end up with two or three huge loads every couple of weeks. Thirdly, you have to have a good two hours set out when you can watch your laundry like a hawk.
With only six washers and eight dryers for a dorm of approximately 300 people, laundry becomes a complex process in which you must watch to see exactly what time your laundry is done, remove it, and put it in the dryer immediately. Otherwise, your laundry will get thrown out of the machine so that the next person can start their load before someone else steals it.
It’s highly stressful.
Point being, laundry is not fun. But everyone must do it, and so we all head down to the basement with our laundry detergent, bleach, and dryer sheets to keep our clothes extra clean and static-free. And toxic.
Yes, that’s right. Laundry detergent is probably not as safe for your health as you might have assumed. First of all there’s the whole fragrance thing. That scent on your clothes is nothing but synthetic chemicals that might give you migraines, asthma attacks, skin or eye irritation, and allergic reactions. I, personally, get a headache as soon as I step into the laundry room, a place filled with various scented detergents and dryer sheets at all times.
But the scent isn’t the only problem. Think about what else laundry detergent does, other than make your clothes smell “good”: they brighten, and they clean. This means that detergent is full of chemicals and cleaning agents called surfactants. Some of the worst for your health include “optical brighteners” and colorants. What’s so bad about these chemicals? Well let’s go one by one. But first imagine all of these laundry products going into lakes and rivers.
Some surfactants degrade into a muck that lasts a long time in the environment (read: slow to biodegrade) and is not only highly toxic to aquatic organisms but may disrupt their metabolism, reproduction, and growth. (Does this come back to us in our drinking water?)
Laundry colorants aren’t so good either—we’re talking the possibility of cancer and changing our DNA. Yes, our genetic information. And some are coated with a heavy metal for more toxic affects including harming fetuses.
And optical brighteners? They are suspected of developmental and reproductive harm.
Now, don’t worry, there are toxin-free detergents! Optical brighteners, fragrance, and colorants are all missing from products with the label FREE and CLEAR, and endocrine-disrupting surfactants are missing from green detergents. For as long as I can remember, my family has been a fan of detergents labeled FREE AND CLEAR, from green brands such as Seventh Generation or Ecover. This has always done the trick. At different times we’ve also used Seventh Generation’s lavender detergent, made from plant-based essential oils instead of petroleum-based scents. These seem like a ridiculously good alternative to endocrine disruption (but that’s just me).
Note to self: No detergent bursting with chemicals = no chemicals seeping into your skin. Buy detergents labeled FREE and CLEAR.
Resources:
Dinged by Dryer Sheets
Fabric Softeners: Easy Greening
Lily Berthold-Bond grew up in a chemical-free zone and has struggled her whole life to understand and accept this non-commercial lifestyle. Now a freshman at Tufts University, she has embraced her green life and hopes to share its possibilities with the rest of her generation.
More from Lily Berthold-Bond (67 articles available)
related stories
-
(9 comments)
-
(20 comments)
-
(82 comments)
Robyn
Melissa
Deepak
Eric
Dave
Dr. Brent
Isha
Susan
Delia
Michelle
Wendy
Megan
Hilary
Ann
Judi
Ronnie
Kelly
Lily
Terri
Betsy
Cait
Andrew
Jana
Annie B.
Veronica
41 comments
add your comment »What you should know....
We offer you the most innovative Green products of the 21st Century. The most sought after, cost effective, filter - free Air Purifier/Sanitizer found in today's marketplace.
My Air Purifiers not only Purify the air, they Sanitize your entire home and kill dust mites without the use of expensive Hepa Filters or Toxic cleaning chemicals.Throw them all out!
Officially recognized by NASA Certified Space Technology and scientifically proven in laboratory studies conducted at Kansas State University, "ActivePure" with "SurfaceGuard" inactivated MRSA Staph 99.99% with about 97% of that kill in just two hours!
Use "LaundryPure" to remove MRSA from your clothing. Benzene is a highly toxic compound and carcinogen found in laundry detergent to brighten your families clothes. Exposure to these hazardous chemicals commonly known to cause cancer and allergic reactions when they come in contact with the skin, have a huge impact on the environment that endangers humans and wildlife. Never buy detergents, bleach, dryer sheets or fabrics softeners again. With no need to sort, your garments will come out whiter, brighter and fluffier.
The "American Lung Association" recommends "Fresh Air" to purify and sanitize the air in hospitals and nursing homes across the nation.
Please contact me anytime with questions.
Indoor Air Quality Specialist
Jacob Herrmann
Phone: (518) 427-6437
E-mail: cleanair4life@verizon.net
Website: www.cleanair4life.ecrater.com
send green star
why is this inappropriate?
Linda, I have a similar problem, since I live in an apartment building and must use the washers and dryers provided in the laundry room. I always have to wait 'til no one else is using smelly laundry products, so my exposure to other peoples' laundry products is greatly reduced. I read about using undiluted white vinegar to wipe out the dryer before using it. Both of the dryers are connected to a common vent, so I decided I was going to be sure that I would be drying two loads of laundry at once, because if I'm using one dryer and someone else is using the other dryer and using smelly dryer sheets the residue will get on my clothes. Well, if others can't use the dryers while my clothes are drying, that should reduce the chances of their fabric softeners getting onto my clothes. Also, there is no chance of hanging up my clothes to dry, because there is nowhere to hang them out to dry.
send green star
why is this inappropriate?
After not having much luck with soapnuts the first few tries, I read that they could be pulverized and used without the bags. So I put on a air mask, dropped a bunch into the coffee grinder, and eventually filled up an 8oz jar with the powdered berries (you really need the air filter mask, as the particles will make you choke).
Starting the machine on hot, bubbles actually formed with 3 teaspoons of powder! Then I switched the water to cold to fill the machine while adding clothes. And yes, it works (after 3 months of disappointing results with the whole berries in cloth bags).
I also added to my jar a few drops of lavender EO to each layer of the powder. It has a bit of a vinager smell otherwise, which does dissipate in the wash.
For white clothes, I'm alternating with Eco powder, but the soap nut powder is really working for me.
I haven't used fabric softener in years because it irritates my skin, and hang dry what I can, but I'm a convert to soapnuts now and will be pulverizing my remaining sacs of soapnuts as gifts for my relatives who have just had babies.
I'm not a seller, but am now really happy with soapnuts. I've read that it can be mixed with hot water the night before to make a liquid detergent, but that takes more preparation (I may try it in the future, though).
send green star
why is this inappropriate?
I make my own fabric softner with baking soda,water,vinegar and lavender essential oil.
send green star
why is this inappropriate?
I use soapnuts and they are great!Sometimes I add a drop or two of lemon essential oil to the cotton bag for a touch of light fragrance, and with really dirty things I add a bit of bleach alternative(made with hydrogen peroxide). Even my super skeptical hubby is now a believer! I just wish I had known about these 30 years ago when I was washing cloth diapers for my babies!!
send green star
why is this inappropriate?
Has anybody ever used soapnuts? I am looking into this, as it seems to be very environment-friendly. I am not sure about the results for clean laundry.
send green star
why is this inappropriate?
I've used straight baking soda, and it works well enough for me. Granted, I've never really tried it on bad stains, but soaking seems to help in most cases.
Note: A lot of detergents, including Arm & Hammer are tested on animals, so if you're like me and you can't find or afford green detergents, try baking soda or make your own invention using natural ingredients.
send green star
why is this inappropriate?
you can use vinegar instead of fabric softener. Just put it in your downy ball or fabric softener compartment. Your clothes don't come out smelling like vinegar.
For detergent I use Bio-Kleen brand Free & Clear. Bio-Kleen makes a great assortment of Earth friendlier cleaners.
send green star
why is this inappropriate?
I need to make the switch to a more environmentally friendly laundry detergent. Why does it have to cost so much more than the bad stuff? Any thoughts on a less expensive brand out there that you could buy in store instead of having to order online? I stopped using Downy, because the smell of it just suddenly started to make me sick! Then I realized it was from all the chemicals. I found these great dryer thingies at Trader Joes. They are these little packs of lavender that you can use over and over again. They don't necessarily soften, but they do a good job on the static and smell great. Do you think straight baking soda would work to clean clothes? Or how about a mix of that and castille soap? Oh, and a great suggestion to save energy - I hang dry most of my clothes instead of drying them in the dryer. And now that summer is approaching, you could get a clothes line and dry everything outside!
send green star
why is this inappropriate?
One bright morning my husband woke up with his lower legs itching, red, irritated and hurting--turned out to be from his socks with detergent residue left in. We stopped using the culprit detergent for FREE and CLEAR and though we also use public laundry facilities, the rash hasn't returned.
send green star
why is this inappropriate?
Facebook account: