HOMEMADE LEMON LAUNDRY POWDER:
According to statistics 9.5 million Australians or 76% of grocery shoppers purchase laundry powders in an average year. Yet what do we know about this household product that we so frequently rely on to keep our clothes clean and smelling as fresh as a summers day?
The truth is, that your laundry powder is not whiter than white! In fact it is down right toxic.
Conventional laundry-care products often contain chemicals with negative health effects ranging from skin and throat irritation to carcinogenicity. Even more disturbing is that very few of these chemicals have been thoroughly tested, particularly in combination with other chemicals, and some chemicals that have been proven to be harmful are still being widely employed.
Researchers from the University of Washington studied top-selling laundry products and found that they emitted dozens of different chemicals. All of them gave off at least one identified as toxic or hazardous under federal laws!
Because laundry-care product manufacturers are not required by law to list all laundry detergent ingredients on packaging, it can be difficult for consumers to make an informed choice. Nevertheless it is still possible to gain useful information from laundry product labels if you know what you are looking for..
Below is a list of harmful laundry chemicals to avoid, many of which are frequently listed on product labels. To protect your health and the environment, choose vegetable-based laundry products, or beter still make your own.
Toxic Chemicals in Laundry Detergents that may be detrimental to our health:
1/ Fragrance: This is one of the main problems, and the main focus of the 2008 study. Manufacturers combine a number of chemicals to produce a fragrance to make us believe our clothes are clean because they smell clean and the worst thing is that they don’t have to list these chemicals on their labels due to trade protection.
2/ Cleaning agents (surfactants): These are included in the formula to help the product clean better. Examples include chemicals like quaternium-15 (known to release formaldehyde, a known carcinogen), diethanolamine (linked with skin and eye irritation and possibly liver problems), nonlphenol ethoxylate or NPE (toxic to nerves, irritating to skin, potential hormone disruptor, toxic to aquatic life), linear alkyl benzene sulfonates or LAS (irritating to skin and eyes and toxic to aquatic life; benzene on its own is a carcinogen), and petroleum distillates (linked to cancer and lung damage).
3/ Stabilizers: These chemicals help stabilize the formula, so that it lasts longer on the shelf. Examples include polyalkylene oxide or ethylene oxide, which are linked with eye and lung irritation, and even dermatitis.
4/ Bleach: May be used separately or included in the detergent itself. It’s known to irritate skin, eyes, and lungs, and when mixed with waste water, it can form toxic organic compounds that have been linked with respiratory issues, liver, and kidney damage.
5/ 1,4-dioxane: This is a chemical by-product of detergent manufacturing. In independent tests, Women’s Voices for the Earth found 89 parts per million (ppm) in Tide Free & Gentle and 63 ppm in regular Tide. They helped increase awareness, and Proctor & Gamble agreed to reformulate to reduce levels to below 25 ppm. Future tests should show whether they made good on that promise.
Brighteners: You’ll find these in detergents advertising their “brightening” powers. Brighter whites! Brighter colors! What’s creating all this brightness? Chemicals that actually remain on the clothes to absorb UV light and help clothes “appear” brighter. We’re talking things like naphthotriazolystilbenes (linked with developmental and reproductive effects), benzoxazolyl, diaminostilbene disulfonate, and more. Since these remain on the clothes, they are likely to come into contact with skin.
6/ Phosphates & EDTA: Manufacturers use these to make detergents more effective in hard water, and to help prevent dirt from settling back on clothes when they are washing. These chemicals have long been associated with environmental damage, particularly in our streams and waterways. They cause algae blooms that damage ecosystems. Many detergents have now eliminated these, but are now using ethylene diamine tetraacetic acid (EDTA) in its place, which does not readily biodegrade, and has been found to be toxic in animal studies.
A pretty scary, list of ingredients I should say, but don’t despair! Try your hand at this simple homemade laundry powder that really does the trick!
LEMON LAUNDRY POWDER
INGREDIENTS
6 cups washing soda
3 bars Lemon Castile soap or a coconut oil based soap.
Lemon essential oil
METHOD
Cut soap into small chunks and add to a food processor along with the washing soda.
Blend until you have a fine powder. You may want to lay a tea towel over the top of your food processor to prevent a fine mist of powder from escaping into the air. Allow the mixture to settle before opening the container or the powder will float onto your kitchen surfaces!
Carefully pour the powder into a clean container (keep the essential oil next to the jar and add 5 drops with each load)
Add 2-3 tablespoons of laundry powder per load ( If you are washing in cold water, dissolve it in hot water before adding to the wash).
Once washed, hang on the line outside to dry and your washing will smell amazingly clean and fresh without any nasty synthetic toxins.
