Laundry Room Culprits!

The average family visits the laundry room once a week to wash their clothing and other fabrics. When carrying out this common routine, we think of our clothes, but rarely think about the products being used, and their contents.

Most laundry detergents are made from petrochemical ingredients, derived from petroleum or natural gas. They may also contain bleach, synthetic whiteners, chemical fragrances, ethanol, ammonia, naphthalene and phenols. Some liquid detergents have even been found to be contaminated with carcinogenic chemicals such as 1,4-dioxane.

It might be the first time you have ever heard of these chemical. They probably they don’t have any significance for you. But they have effects you can’t afford to ignore!

The detergent residues on your bed linens and your clothes could be the cause of skin rashes and irritation. And if you have or ever had, a respiratory problems or related health problems, it could possibly be the scented products that were the cause.

The good news is that there are less toxic alternatives, which are good for both you, and the environment. We recommended using laundry soaps available in flake form, or bar soaps that are made from fats and natural minerals.

“The more the merrier.” This may be true about your friends, but toxins are no friends to people . These days, we reach for specialised products for every purpose, and the laundry room is no exception. We think that a little extra detergent will somehow make our clothes cleaner, and we purchase specialised for all the different kinds of stains in our clothes. It’s about time that we stop taking pride in having a variety of cleaners, detergents, stain removers, bleaches, fabric softeners, air fresheners, crease and lint removers, and all the other speciality products.

It’s about time that we start taking pride in cutting down on our cleaning products. Take pride for not falling prey to the marketing gimmicks when you resist a new cleaning product.

Take pride in resisting the temptation to throw in yet another sheet of fabric freshener or softener when putting your clothes in the dryer.

Take pride when you reduce the quantity of detergent you use.You might be pleased to know that using half of the recommended detergent can often do the job just as well. Take pride when you wait for a full load of dirty clothes before doing laundry, rather than washing a few clothes at a time. And if you have to wash some clothes urgently, remember to set the washer to ‘half load’.

The benefits are clear. The biggest of all is the money you save by cutting down on needless laundry products. There will also be less soap residue in your clothing. And finally, there will be a decrease in the harmful chemicals released into the environment.

Remember that laundry detergents and other cleaning products can be harmful to your kids. Always keep them away from children. If children ingest any of these products, the result could be fatal.

And don’t forget to think about this article when you head towards your laundry room, and think twice before pouring in that pretty-looking scented detergent!