Laundry detergent: we’ve all seen the recent wave of the millennial Tide Pod craze (if you haven’t, read this), and we can all acknowledge the dangers of said millennials, or anyone really, eating laundry detergent. But do you know actually how toxic your Big Brand laundry detergent is? We’ve compiled a breakdown of some dangerous ingredients in your detergent, and a safer alternative for you to swap!
FRAGRANCE
We’ve covered it a thousand time, and we’ll cover it a thousand times more (until there is tighter regulation on the word). “Fragrance” has endless meanings. Large companies concoct an array of chemicals to produce a “fragrance,” and are not legally bound to disclose those chemicals to the consumer. In other words, that floral smell that’s emitting from your bedsheets and clothes is just a chemical cocktail and could potentially give you or your loved ones a negative side effect.
OPTICAL BRIGHTENERS
Also known as the chemicals that make your clothes stay colorful. These chemicals are hazardous because they stay on your clothes after wash day – meaning they are in constant contact with your skin. An EPA Partnership Program – Design for the Environment – found that some of these chemicals can lead to reproductive and developmental effects. Optical brighteners are also synthetic and non-biodegradable, so once they are added to a water system, they stay there and can seriously effect aquatic life. #badforyou #badfortheenvironment
PHOSPHATES
These chemicals are the ones that actually “clean” your clothes. They break down dirt and grime from your laundry, and form the suds. They also cause nausea, diarrhea, and skin irritation in YOU!
1,4-DIOXANE
Like Fragrance, this chemical slips in to most detergents unlabeled because it is a byproduct of another chemical, ethoxylation, which makes your detergent sudsier. 1,4-Dioxane is extremely hazardous, and has been shown to cause cancer, toxicity to the brain and central nervous system, and respiratory system. The National Institute of Health considers this to be a Class B Possible Carcinogen, and other regulatory branches of the US consider 1,4-Dioxane to be more dangerous than pesticides. Avoid coming into contact with this chemical at all costs, so avoid any detergent with PEG, “eth”, oxymol, sodium laureth, polyethelene in the list.
So what is the alternative?
Meliora Laundry Powder. This Safe Swap is free from fragrance, brighteners, preservatives, and (here’s the kicker!) undisclosed ingredients! They are completely transparent in their ingredients list, and are EWG Verified and Made Safe certified.
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