http://www.care2.com/greenliving/health-hazards-of-stain-removers.html
Health Hazards of Stain Removers
By Misty McNally, Natural Solutions
What could be more satisfying than clean laundry? Well, how abut the fact that hard-working appliances and detergents do the scrubbing, rinsing, and wringing for us. Yet all this spot-be-gone wizardry comes with a dirty secret: The chemicals in conventional stain-removal products can qualify as health hazards.
Melissa McCarty, ND, at the Bastyr Center for Natural Health outside of Seattle, says chlorine bleach and stain-lifting solvents produce harmful fumes, can irritate skin and eyes, and can be fatal if swallowed. She adds that researchers have linked the chemicals to cancer and reproductive disorders as well. The greatest risk, McCarty says, might be our repeated exposure to thousands of chemicals over our lifetimes. “Your toxic burden builds up, and your sensitivity increases,” she says, “and you’re more likely to have side effects.”
Conventional spot removal products may also damage the environment. Ingredients like surfactants and solvents often come from petroleum, a nonrenewable resource, which biodegrades slowly if at all. The harsh chemicals get washed down the drain and into the water supply, upsetting fragile ecosystems. Christopher Gavigan, CEO of Healthy Child, Healthy World, an organization dedicated to protecting the health and well-being of children from harmful environmental exposures, says, “It’s wise for parents and for anyone who is concerned about the health and welfare of themselves and the planet to be very attentive to laundry chemicals.”
Point taken, but how do you get that iced mocha stain out of your new white jeans?
Martin Wolf, director of product and environmental technology at Seventh Generation, a company that makes eco-friendly household products, suggests a few tricks from the pantry:
- Hydrogen peroxide. Spray on stains caused by such things as juice, soda, coffee, and tea. Test it on an inconspicuous hem first for colorfastness.
- Club soda. Soak the stain in it. (Be sure to use plain, unflavored soda water.)
- Corn starch, corn meal, or baking soda. Sprinkle on a greasy spot to blot up the oil. Wait, then brush off.
Wolf adds, “Just pretreating with your detergent will accomplish a lot of what a stain removal product would do.” He suggests washing in cold water, as warm or hot can set the stain. Finally, hanging whites to dry in the sun can keep them bright–plus, it saves energy.
And just what should–or should not–be in a detergent? McCarty looks for these key words on labels: biodegradable, nontoxic, solvent-free. She also suggests avoiding perfumes or colors. Phosphate-free, chlorine-free, and preservative-free also make Gavigan’s must-have list.
Unfortunately, Wolf says, few guidelines exist to regulate what can be labeled “natural,” “-free,” or even “biodegradable.” Eco-friendly companies, however, set standards for themselves that emphasize health and environmental ethics. They rely on plant-derived surfactants and solvents, peroxides as brighteners or bleach, and ingredients that biodegrade quickly.
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11 comments
add your comment »Paul, you are so right. But you also realize if you take clothes to a cleaners that's exactly what they will use. I don't use a cleaners anymore because of the poisons. I can't even be around someone who has clothes on fresh from the cleaners.
I also can't be near someone who uses fabric softener without getting disoriented.
I found a new trick. I put a clothes line on my patio so if I leave dark cloths out they aren't in the sun.
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Care2.com Readers,
Please ignore the post by Christoph Wuth above; the solvents he suggests are highly toxic! Benzene and carbon tetrachloride are carcinogenic compounds.
Paul Overby
Chemical Engineer
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The best product I have found in Canada is Infinity Heavenly Horsetail All Purpose Cleaner. It is made from the herb horsetail. It is natural. It is unscented. We think it is nontoxic. We use it for all stains with great success. Use if full strength on stains of all kinds. It is made by a division of Jedmon Products Ltd, Toronto, M3J 3J9.
Also good for washing dishes, floors, cars, laundry, etc.
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Oily or greasy materials can be dissolved in solvents such as naphtha, benzine, alcohol, carbon tetrachloride, or prepared cleaning fluids obtainable in retail markets. All solvents are flammable or give off poisonous fumes. Do not use near open flames or in closed rooms. Ventilate well.
Apply solvents by placing the fabric--stained side down--against an absorbent cloth. Drop solvent on back of stain and tamp with a cloth wet with solvent. Move soiled part to a clean area on the absorbent cloth and repeat until stain has been removed.
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I don't have a clothesline outside, and believe they may be prohibited in my subdivision, however we do "hang dry" much of our laundry. We have a hanging rack inside and we never dry pants (because it shrinks them), or many of my skirts and shirts. We mostly dry towels, sheets and underwear. It saves on the cost of running the dryer and the clothing lasts longer and stays in better shape.
I already buy biodegradable and natural ingredient detergent.
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In addition to these spot-remover ideas in the article, we also like Biokleen's Bac-Out, which is an environmentally safe enzyme based cleaner. I also use Fels-Naphtha soap to pretreat stains. I moisten the stained area and rub the soap over the stain. Then I throw it into the laundry bin. I use the Bac-Out the same way. By the time the next batch of clothes goes into the laundry, the stain has been soaking in the pretreatment for a while. We're able to get most of our stains out that way. Also, I should mention that I don't use an electric dryer. I suspect that hanging my clothes in the sun helps get out the stains; I also suspect that putting them in the hot dryer would tend to set stains.
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Borax works well and can go on the trees if you have your washer empty out in the yard. Non-chlorine bleach is peroxide so it's cheap and easy to use or use the powdered kind.
And I make and use LYE soap for washing every part of me, my dogs, my hair, and you can use it in the laundry. Just shave it and put it in a bowl then add boiling hot water to dissolve it. Add to your laundry. The lye is long gone before you use the soap and it's the most natural thing you can use on your face also.
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Judy P, if you have a sunny window, then you have a place to dry at least a few articles of clothes. There are lots of indoor racks available.
:)
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I don't think for clothes that have been stained that not using some sort of cleaner would make them "clean" -- We don't want to go back to when they used lie soap now do we? Some of us don't have the luxury of having a line to dry our clothes as many many people live in small apartments/condos which are not allowed to have clothes hanging outside especially in more affluent locations. So, we must keep all-inclusive in mind -- not just those fortunate souls who have homes. And, I hope this isn't just a source of just promoting products like Shaklee because I used it and I wasn't always satisfied with it -- It didn't allways get my laundry as clean as I would like. But, I do soak my clothes that are stained and it's always nice to hear about alternatives.
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My favorite laundry products are Shaklee's Get Clean Fresh Laundry Liquid Concentrate and Nature Bright Laundry Booster and Stain Remover. These product work better than conventional ones and are biodegradable, nontoxic, Phosphate-free & chlorine-free. Check them out here:
http://shannon.myshaklee.com/us/en/category.php?main_cat=HomeCare&sub_cat=GetCleanLaundry
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