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Green Laundry Detergents
Most detergents are derived from petrochemical ingredients. They may contain bleaches, synthetic whiteners, and chemical fragrances, even in some so-called "fragrance free" brands. Some detergents may contain ammonia, ethanol, napthalene and phenol. Many liquid brands contain ethoxylated alcohols which can be contaminated with carcinogenic 1,4-dioxane. Detergent residues on clothes and bed linens can be a source of skin irritation, and lingering scents from scented products can cause respiratory and other reactions in both the user and others. Petroleum-based detergents cause more accidental household poisonings than any other household product. Laundry soaps, available as bar soaps or flakes, are usually made from natural minerals and fats and tend to be less toxic than conventional detergents.
Less Toxic Alternatives
• Kosher Soap - bar soap can be grated into wash water
• Down East -Liquid Laundry Detergent
• Nature Clean - Natural Laundry Liquid
• Nature Clean -Natural Laundry Powder
• Seventh Generation - Natural Laundry Detergent (powder)
• Simply Clean - Gentle Wash (fine fabrics)
• Soap Factory - Heavy Duty Laundry Detergent
• Soap Factory - Laundry Miracle
• Soapworks - Laundry Soap Powder
Make your own Alternatives
Laundry Whitener
Add up to 1/2 cup of 20 MuleTeam Borax or Arm & Hammer Washing Soda to washer.
Use sodium hexametaphosphate, amount depends on water hardness
Tips
You can often reduce the recommended quantity of detergent by half or more and still get clothes clean. Experiment to find the right amount, which will differ for mildly soiled and heavily soiled clothes. This can decrease detergent residue in clothes, decrease your exposure, decrease chemicals released into the environment and save you money.
To get chemicals out of new clothes, soak for a few hours or overnight in large container of water with either
• 1/2 cup coarse non-iodized salt (Can destroy elastic if left too long,,, but will remove musty smells from cotton clothes which haven't been worn for a while )
• 1/2 cup baking soda and/or 1 cup white vinegar. It will take a few rinses to fully remove baking soda. Baking soda may fade colors.
Bleach
The main ingredient in chlorine bleach is sodium hypochlorite (chlorine added to lye.) Chlorine is toxic as a skin irritant, and by inhalation. Sodium hypochlorite can create poisonous chlorine gas if mixed with ammonia (which may be an unlabeled ingredient in some cleaning products) or with vinegar. Workplace safety data sheets warn that sodium hypochlorite may be a neurotoxin and cause liver damage. People with chemical sensitivies report adverse reactions to minute quantities of chlorine. Sodium hypochlorite readily combines with organic matter to form organochlorines which are highly toxic to aquatic life.
Less-toxic Alternatives
• Envirodesic - Hydrox
• Hydrogen peroxide - drug store dilution. Use 1/2 cup per wash load.
• Nature Clean - Natural Laundry Bleach (powder)
• Nature Clean - Natural Liquid Bleach
• Oxiclean - oxygen bleach
• President's Choice - Active Oxygen Bleach
• Soapworks - Safe Bleach
• Simply Clean - Oxygen bleach
Make your own Alternatives
Option A: Use 1/2 cup Borax in washer. (Caution: do not inhale powder.)
Option B: Use 1/8 to 1 cup of sodium hexametaphosphate (a mineral powder ) per 5 gallons of water in regular wash cycle and reduce soap by 1/2. Amount depends on hardness of water. As well as whitening, sodium hexametaphosphate can remove accumulated detergent film from laundry.
Tips
• Sunshine will whiten cotton and linen.
• Never combine chlorine bleach with ammonia or vinegar. Extremely toxic fumes will be produced.
Laundry Stain Remover
Some conventional products contain benzene, toluene and xylene, all neurotoxins, as well as formaldehyde, a carcinogen, and chlorine, a sensitizer.
Less-toxic Alternatives
• Arm & Hammer Washing Soda
• Best Kosher soap - for light stains
• Nature Clean - Laundry Stain Remover
• Oxyclean - oxygen bleach
• Simply Clean - Stain Remover
Make your own Alternatives
Stain Remover A
1/2 cup ammonia
1/2 cup white vinegar
1/4 cup baking soda
2 Tbsp. liquid castile soap
2 litres water
Mix all ingredients in a spray bottle. Shake well before each use. Spray liquid onto the stain and let sit for a few minutes. Launder as usual.
Stain Remover B
1/4 cup borax
2 cups cold water
Soak clothing in mixture or apply with sponge. Baking soda or washing soda can be added to this mixture for additional power to remove odours, mould and grease.
Grease Stains
Add one can of Coke to washer for severe grease stains.
Warning: NEVER mix ammonia or vinegar with chlorine bleach. Toxic fumes are created.
Laundry Starch
Avoid aerosol products. Fine droplets of spray can be inhaled deeply into lungs and transferred to the bloodstream. Spray starch is mostly cornstarch, but some brands may contain formaldehyde, phenol, and pentachlorophenol.
Make your own Alternatives
Light-colored Clothing Starch: Dissolve 2 or 3 teaspoons of cornstarch in 1 pint of water. Pour into refillable spray bottle.
Dark-colored Clothing Starch: Dissolve 2 or 3 teaspoons of cornstarch in 1 cup of water. Add 1/2 cup black tea. Pour into refillable spray bottle.
Fabric Softener
Fabric softeners are designed to reduce static in synthetic fabrics. They serve no purpose with natural fabrics. Fabric softeners may contain quarternary ammonium compounds (quats) and imidazolidinyl, both of which are known formaldehyde releasers. For about 5% of people, quats are an extreme sensitizer. They may cause a variety of asthma-like symptoms, including respiratory arrest. Exposure to formaldehyde can cause joint pain, depression, headaches, chronic fatigue and a variety of other symptoms. In lab tests formaldehyde has caused cancer and damaged DNA. Both quaternium and imidazolidinyl can cause contact dermatitis. Fabric softeners work by leaving a residue on the fabric which never completely washes out. It can cause allergic reactions through skin contact and inhalation. Fabric softeners may also contain carcinogenic coal-tar dyes, ammonia and very strong scents. When fabric softeners are exposed to hot water, heat from dryers or ironing, vapours may be emitted which can be deeply inhaled, increasing their impact.
Less-toxic Alternatives
• Dryerballs - Eliminate static cling, soften clothes, reduce drying time. No chemical residue, no plants, no scents.
• Static Eliminators - no chemical residue, no plants, no scents.
• Nature Clean - Natural Fabric Softener.
Make your own Alternatives
Add 1/2 cup of white vinegar, baking soda OR borax to the rinse cycle to soften water and reduce static cling.
Laundry discs or balls (reusable) soften water and help reduce static cling.
A ball of aluminum foil in the dryer can reduce static cling without adding chemicals.
You may be able to dramatically reduce your use of fabric softener and still get the desired effect. One person reports she puts a dab of liquid softener on a damp washcloth, places it in her dryer and reuses the same washcloth for many loads without adding more softener. One bottle of softener lasts her years.
Tips
To reduce static in synthetics, run dryer on “air dry” or “no heat” setting when laundry is almost dry, then hang clothes up until completely dry. This will also reduce the need for ironing.
Dry Cleaning
Conventional dry cleaning fluids contain highly toxic chemicals including tetrochloroethylene (perchloroethylene), a carcinogen, central nervous system toxicant, and respiratory irritant, naphthalene, a suspected carcinogen and reproductive toxin, toluene which may cause damage to a developing fetus and is neurotoxic, and xylene, a neurotoxin. They also contain benzene, formaldehyde and trichloroethylene, all of which are carcinogenic. Many of these substances are also known to cause liver and kidney damage. The US Environmental Protection Agency has noted that fumes from slightly damp dry cleaned clothing are a common indoor air pollutant. Exposure to these chemicals occurs as they evaporate from clothing into indoor air, and when contact is made with skin. Dry cleaning fluid has a half life of 40 days.
Less-toxic Alternatives
Water process dry cleaning is an excellent alternative, which can be used for most normally dry cleaned items. You must specify "Water Process" on your order. The cleaning agent should be fragrance free, and items cleaned this way have been tolerated by people with chemical sensitivities.
Tips
Some clothing marked 'dry clean only' does not actually need to be dry cleaned. Manufacturers simply want to avoid disgruntled customers who may wash clothes incorrectly. Generally, you can wash almost anything without harm if you know how to do it properly. If you must use conventional dry cleaning, remove plastic bag and hang clothes outside or in an area separate from living quarters to encourage evaporation of solvents. This could take up to a month. Washing clothes yourself and having them pressed by a dry cleaner can provide that crisp look without the chemical exposure, and for less money.
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Green Cleaning Clothes
