Make your Whites Greener

Most people recognize that commercial cleaning products are not a healthy option.

Thankfully, natural laundry and dishwashing products are immeasurably better for your health.

Available in the aisles of most natural health stores, these household products are eco-friendly, convenient choices for families.

Laundry lessons

 Fabric softeners were invented in the early 20th century to soften the harsh feel of dried cotton. Then, cotton softeners were manufactured using tallow oil (a rendered form of animal fat). Today, however, fabric softeners and dryer sheets lay a thin layer of chemicals over the surface of a fabric, making the cloth softer and preventing static electricity.

Animal ingredients and layers of chemicals just don’t equate with healthy cleaning—or with healthy living. A handy, chemical-free alternative to fabric softener is a reusable dryer ball—it makes the dryer cycle a recycle cycle.

Laundry detergents that use ingredients such as chlorine bleach, phosphates, and fragrance wash a chemical nightmare down our drains and into our waterways. Natural, highly concentrated laundry detergents are a cost-effective alternative.

The smaller packaging of these cleaners also minimizes solid-waste generation and landfill impact. By shrinking the shipping of heavy water-based products, these concentrated natural laundry cleaners also leave a smaller carbon footprint.

Dishwashing lessons

The chlorine steam that vents from dishwashers using chemical detergents can be irritating to breathe, especially for people with allergies or asthma. Natural dishwashing detergents, on the other hand, do not contain chlorine bleach or phosphates, are biodegradable, and contain no carcinogens. They are environmentally safe—for your home and for the planet.

Lessons learned

Chemically formulated products have ingredient lists that are recipes for harm to families, animal life, and the environment (see chart below). However, natural laundry and dishwashing products are based on nontoxic elements.

These natural cleaning products equal the effectiveness of their chemical cousins without the toxic impact. They have the high cleaning performance your baby bottles, lunchboxes, and work shirts require. Yet the renewable raw materials contained in natural solutions make for a low ecological footprint and a cleaning solution without chemical irritants.

Natural laundry and dishwashing products are organic choices for healthy living. They are easy to find online and in stores. The cost is reasonable, the products are effective, and the impact to the environment is invaluable. Make your whites greener!

Harmful ingredients