How to Use Safe Laundry Products for Non-Toxic Living

The central idea behind non-toxic living is to use products that will not harm the environment or the health of your family. You can accomplish all that and keep your clothes clean by using non-toxic laundry products. Safe laundry detergents remove stains, deodorize clothing and brighten colors without damaging water quality. These detergents will also eliminate various adverse reactions you may have due to Multiple Chemical Sensitivity (MCS) or to severe allergies. Follow these steps to learn more.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Clothes separated by color and fabric type, for easy cleaning
• Computer with Internet capability

Clean Your Clothes With Safe Laundry Products

1. Supplement your safe laundry detergent with borax. Borax is a naturally occurring compound that's also a powerful deodorizer. You can buy borax in the cleaning product aisle of most grocery stores.

2. Remove grass and spill stains with lemon juice. This natural product is perfect for cleaning stains by hand after the fact as well as on-the-spot emergency stain removal.

3. Add small amounts of vinegar to your laundry. Vinegar brightens colors when used in conjunction with safe laundry detergents. If you don't already have vinegar, you can pick it up at your local grocery store.

4. Stock up on natural liquid soaps for regular cleaning. These products clean clothes effectively while leaving out the toxins of name-brand products. There are plenty of liquid soaps made from natural fats and oils. You can find them at health or natural food stores.

5. Clean your silk and delicate clothing by hand. Hand washing will protect delicate clothing while allowing you to use smaller amounts of detergent with each load.

6. Mix 1 cup of baking soda for each large load of laundry. Baking soda is a strong natural cleaning agent. It's especially useful for smelly or heavily-stained clothing.

7. Read natural and non-toxic laundry detergent labels carefully. Products with artificial coloring, scents or petroleum-based dyes aren't sustainable. Labels like "organic-certified" and ingredients such as citrus oil are good indicators a product is non-toxic. Understand these nuances by reading the EPA's fact sheet online (see Resources below).

Tips & Warnings

• Wash clothes using the cold cycle unless it's absolutely necessary to do otherwise. Cold water saves on your heating bill, contributing to a non-toxic and environmentally-friendly lifestyle.
• Set aside more money to pay for clean laundry detergent. The relatively low volume of organic detergent sales means that prices are still several times more than those of name brand competitors.
• Respond immediately to any reactions or illnesses caused by safe laundry products. If you accidentally swallow or put your skin in contact with detergent, you may experience reactions like stomach pain and swelling. Seek your doctor's help immediately, or visit an emergency room.

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[CrunchyMama]

on 4/27/2008 Make your own laundry soap!! Dissolve a grated bar of Ivory soap, 1/2 cup borax and 1/2 cup washing (not BAKING) soda in hot water. I heat mine over the stove until it is totally dissolved. Add enough cold water to bring the mixture up to 2 gallons. Let it sit overnight and it will get a gloppy, gelled, egg-soup consistency. Use 1/4 cup in HE washers, 1/2 cup in regular washers. No crazy chemicals, dyes or fragrances, and it is AWESOME at cleaning your clothes!