Liven Up Your Laundry

That “Fresh” Laundry Smell

Do you love that fresh laundry smell? Did you opt for “safe” baby detergent for your little ones but continued using your normal detergent thinking it was ok because you don’t have sensitive skin? This is a common trap many fall victim to and the labeling is misleading. Would you still love that “fresh” laundry smell if you knew that popular laundry detergents have been found to contain “problematic levels” of cancer-causing chemicals and endocrine disrupters?

“The mystery mixtures that provide the jolt of fragrance in fabric softeners and dryer sheets can contain hundreds of untested chemicals, including toxic ingredients like phthalates and synthetic musks - both suspected hormone disruptors. Fragrances are among world's top five allergens. A recent University of Washington study on air contaminants from fragranced consumer goods detected between 18 and 20 chemicals in each of four laundry products - including likely human carcinogens acetaldehyde and 1,4-dioxane, developmental toxicants methyl ethyl ketone and chloromethane, and allergens like linalool.”

I t is always concerning to me when I am walking outside and begin to smell strong fragrances coming from the dryer vents of surrounding homes. Not only does it bother me, but it is also bad for the environment and over all air quality. My kids don’t like the smell either and it gives me an immediate headache. Once you start to remove these toxic chemicals from your home your sense of smell will begin to improve and you will start noticing how strong they are as well. I have had many friends say “I didn’t realize how bad it smelled until I stopped using it!’. The problem with these fragrances is that they use chemicals to make them cling to your clothes so they are very hard to remove once you use them. We have had to soak clothes vinegar and then let them sit in the sun off and on for 2-3 weeks before we could bring them inside if they were washed in normal detergent. So if you are using those daily, imagine what it is doing to the air quality in your home! They are also known skin irritants so if your children suffer from eczema or frequent rashes I highly encourage you to switch to a cleaner brand. Laundry detergent and dryer sheets are petroleum based to they are often the two biggest sources of toxic chemicals and carcinogens in our homes.

How to Choose a Safer Alternative

Like the personal care product industry the marketing is misleading. “Free and Clear” and “Unscented” often seem like the way to go but you really need to dig deeper and read the labels and check out the Environmental Working Group to see how they measure up. This is important for adults and children but due to immature organ systems in children they are even more susceptible and their systems are less capable to handle and fend off chemical assaults. Here is a tip for you…skip the popular baby detergents and choose a safe brand for the entire family. Dreft is the most commonly purchased and it has an EWG rating of “F” for highest concern. That is terrible for all the new momma’s out there trying to find the best detergent for their newborn. Just to be clear, a product doesn’t have to be listed on the EWG website to be a good product, but if it has a poor rating on their scale I would definitely recommend avoiding it. If you come across a product you are researching and you can’t find a rating and need help looking at the ingredients please reach out. I am happy to help.

Popular Baby Detergents and their EWG rating:

• Dreft: F

• Babyganics: F

• Up and Up Baby Liquid Laundry Detergent:F

• All Baby Liquid: D

• Seventh Generation Baby Natural: D

• Earth Friendly Baby Ecos: C

• Dropps Baby Laundry Detergent: B

• Dapple Baby Detergent: A

Popular Mainstream Detergents and their EWG rating:

• Tide: F

• Gain: F

• Downy: F

• Greenworks: F

• Fab: F

• All Free and Clear: F (this is what I used to use before I learned about ingredients to look out for so it is a journey for all of us)

So as you can see “baby” detergent isn’t always the best bet. We opt for an all around safe detergent that works well and we use it for our entire family. For new moms, we did not have separate detergents and I pre-washed all of our baby clothes in safe detergent that was not labeled specifically for baby.

My Favorite Safer Laundry Detergents (for the entire family)

• Shaklee Laundry Products are my top choice. They work really well and you get a lot of value in each bottle.

• Charlie’s Soap Fragrance Free Laundry Powder (A)-Prior to finding Shaklee I used this one most frequently. I bought it on Amazon.

• Better Life Unscented Liquid Laundry Detergent (A)-If you are still looking and aren’t satisfied with the above options this is another great brand.

• *My Top Tip* If you want to skip having to buy laundry detergent all together you can get an Ozone Machine for your washing machine. It not only cleans your clothes but also disinfects them. We love our O3 Waterworks Machine and use it primarily for laundry. I love how it disinfects my children’s clothes-especially after a long school day or if we have had recent illnesses in out home.

How To Remove Stubborn Stains

With 3 small children I am constantly scrubbing or soaking something. Many stain removers have very strong smells so I have tested a variety and have found my favorites. The key is to spray it immediately and let it soak in cold water. They I scrub it and put it through a soak cycle in the washing machine. If that doesn’t work I scrub it more before drying it. Not only does this preserve your clothes but it is also important if you consign your children’s clothes when they outgrow them.

My Favorite Safer Stain Removers:

• Nature Bright Laundry Booster and Stain Remover-Top choice. Great at removing stains and great for soaking clothes. towels, and sheets to brighten them.. You can see it in action here.

• Puracy Natural Stain Remover: This is my first step when we get a stain. I spray this on it and let it sit and then come back to scrub it and soak it. I always use a tooth brush to scrub stains.

• OxiClean Laundry Baby Stain Soaker (powder version): I was suprised at the safety of this product when I looked it up. The spray versions are not safe and have strong fragrances but the powder works so well. It is great for good and potty stains and you can use it on cloth diapers as well.

How To Choose Safe Fabric Softeners and Dryer Sheets

You might not love my answer on this but we don’t use them. We use wool dryer balls and on occasion we will add a few drops of lemon essential oil to them. I do not miss dryer sheets but if you love to use them this is a safer option! Which safer laundry detergent option did you choose?