There are so many products we use to keep us, our homes, and even our clothes clean and fresh, but what we don’t realize is that by using many of these products, we often expose ourselves to much worse dangers than just dirt or dust. Within these cleaning agents are chemicals that leave residues on our clothes and absorb right into our skin and/or evaporate into the air we breathe. Often the chemicals on their own are not overly toxic, however, when we mix them with others, they become chemical cocktails that can be highly poisonous and even deadly. This is especially true when it comes to laundry detergents, fabric softeners and bleach.
POP QUIZ QUESTION
Why do laundry detergents and fabric softeners have to use strong synthetic fragrances?
a. because smelling these chemical scents is good for us
b. because rinsing these down into the drain or venting them out into the air is good for the environment
c. because these fragrances are coving up chemical smells from powerful toxins such as chloroform, A-Terpineol (can cause respiratory problems, including fatal edema, and central nervous system damage); Ethyl Acetate (a narcotic on the EPA's Hazardous Waste list); Camphor (causes central nervous system disorders); Chloroform (a neurotoxin, anesthetic and carcinogenic) and Pentane (a chemical known to be harmful if inhaled)
ANSWER: C (I hope that was fairly obvious!!!) (source)
Let’s start with examining the potentially toxic ingredients found in typical laundry detergent.
SURFACTANTS:
This is what allows the dirt and oils to be removed from our clothing so that when something gets washed the dirt doesn’t just go back on the clothes. Not all surfactants are ‘bad’, and unfortunately it’s not easy to determine which ones are in your detergent as they don’t have to be on the ingredients label. If your detergent does list each type of surfactant, here are some one’s to watch out for:
- Alkyl phenoxy polyethoxy ethanols: This group of surfactants activate estrogen receptors, meaning our genes can be altered by exposure. They are also slow to biodegrade and have been implicated in chronic health problems. (source)
- Diathanolamines: neutralize acids in laundry detergent to make them non-irritating. These too are slow to biodegrade and are known to react with other naturally occurring agents to create nitrosamines, a family of potent carcinogens. (source)
- Linear Alkyl Sodium Sulfonates (LAS): These synthetic surfactants are typically listed just as 'anionic surfactants' on the ingredient labels and are the most common type used. That doesn’t mean they are safe. In fact, during production they release many extremely hazardous chemicals into the air and environment including benzene. They also biodegrade slowly.
- Petroleum distillates (aka napthas): These chemicals have been linked to cancer, lung damage, lung inflammation and damage to mucous membranes.
- Phenols: According to the National Institutes of Health, phenol is toxic and people who are hypersensitive to it could experience death or serious side effects at very low exposures. Plus, it is rapidly absorbed and can cause toxicity throughout the entire body. Severe toxicity and death can result from phenol's effects on the central nervous system, heart, blood vessels, lungs and kidneys.
OPTICAL BRIGHTENERS:
I discovered the dangers of optical brighteners when Emma kept getting diaper rash. I finally read something that explained what was happening to her. These agents don’t actually clean anything; they convert UV light wavelengths into visible light which makes our clothes look brighter. But they are incredibly toxic to us and our environment (especially in a wet diaper)! Many optical brighteners are made from benzene (mentioned earlier). These chemicals don’t break down either, so they wind up back in our ground water poisoning our eco-systems.
Optical brighteners can also cause allergic reactions and phototoxicity. When our skin is exposed to them through our ‘bright’ clothes, we can get rashes that are often mistaken for sunburn. Read this New York Times article for more information about phototoxicty.
PHOSPHATES:
Phosphates are becoming more and more common, yet recognized more widely as contributing to significant environmental problems. They appear to be in just about everything now and I’m watching them wreak havoc on the lake we live near and our own pool. Phosphates are entering our eco-systems through excess fertilization and through sewage plants that don’t filter them out (although it is possible). These phosphates are used to remove hard-water minerals to make detergents more effective, and to prevent dirt from settling back onto clothes during a wash.
As they are released into the environment, however, they encourage algae growth and create unbalanced eco-systems. Many states have banned or restricted the use of phosphates for this reason, and you may see laundry detergents advertised as "low-phosphate" or "phosphate-free." (source)
FRAGRANCES:
Many fragrances, as you may have read about from previous articles and in the Pop Quiz Question above, are extremely toxic and can be derived from petroleum. Most do not break down after they make your clothes smell ‘better’ and contaminate our drinking water, lakes, rivers, oceans and air. Since fragrances are considered ‘trade secrets’ they do not have to be listed on labels as anything other than ‘fragrance’, so you don’t have any idea what chemical combinations you are exposing yourself to.
BLEACH:
Sodium hypochlorite (household bleach): Household bleach is the most common cleaner accidentally swallowed by children. It is also often mixed with other cleaning agents such as ammonia, which can cause deadly results. Bleach reacts with organic matter in drinking water producing a host of dangerous by products. You can learn more about the potential toxicity of bleach here: (source) (and remember what happens when you mix Chlorine and Fluoride (fluoridated water – see Toxic Toothpaste article).
EDTA (ethylene-diamino-tetra-acetate): EDTA can be used as an alternative to phosphates. Using EDTA helps reduce mineral hardness in water, prevents bleaching agents from becoming active before they're put in water and stabilizes foaming agents. The problem is, EDTA does not biodegrade readily so it reacts with heavy metals and other chemicals in the environment.
FABRIC SOFTENERS
Fabric softeners (this includes dryer sheets) are some of the most toxic household products used and the ironic thing is they are not necessary for natural fabrics (cotton, wool, linen, bamboo) as natural fibers tend not to get static cling... (source) Plus, they work by leaving a residue on the fabric which never completely washes out so your clothes lose their crispness and become dull.
Most commercial fabric softeners contain quarternary ammonium compounds (quats) and imidazolidinyl, both of which are known formaldehyde releasers. Symptoms of exposure to these chemicals include: asthma, joint pain, depression, headaches, chronic fatigue and a variety of other symptoms. Fabric softeners may also contain carcinogenic coal-tar dyes, ammonia and very strong scents which are actually more toxic once they are heated in the dryers or through ironing. (source)
As I mentioned earlier, fabric softener chemicals are made to stay in clothes fibers and slowly release so your clothes, sheets and towels always smell ‘laundry fresh”. Well, that slow release of chemicals into the air affects the health of those wearing the clothes and of people around them as they are constantly being exposed to the toxic residues.
How dangerous is the ‘off-gassing’ from fabric softeners and detergents? If you have any breathing issues, have a baby in the home, or a child with asthma please reconsider using conventional detergents and fabric softeners. The research is overwhelmingly showing the dangers of these products to our internal and external environments. One researcher has found that: “traces of surfactants of the "fabric softener" type greatly increase [up to 50 times] the rate of diffusion through a baby's skin. This factor has undoubtedly contributed, and continues to contribute, to many SIDS deaths.” (source)
What are your alternatives?
The healthy, environmentally friendly and socially responsible alternative is to use a natural laundry detergent or fabric softener that is hypoallergenic, biodegradable, not tested on animals, non-toxic and free of allergens, dyes, perfumes and petroleum-based solvents.
There are many products out there; the best way to choose is by word of mouth, or trying the products for yourself.
I highly recommend Seventh Generation Free & Clear Natural Laundry Detergent and for my fellow Canadians (only carried in Canada) Claudia's ChoicesTM Ultra Phosphate Free Laundry Powder. We tried so many products and bought this for our daughter’s cloth diapers. We were so impressed that we started using it on all our laundry. It works great with hard well water too!
Vinegar added to the wash can help keep colors bright, reduce static and soften fabrics (but NEVER use vinegar if you are using bleach — the resulting fumes are hazardous).
Baking soda will leave clothes soft and fresh smelling.
For synthetic fabrics or blends (including most no-iron fabrics), there are oleo-based laundry detergents widely available that are biodegradable and do not contain phosphates, fragrances, or harsh chemicals.
You can also experiment with adding a bit (1 teaspoon) of a natural hair conditioner on a small rag, and put that into the dryer as a homemade dryer sheet.
Dryer balls (reusable) can be bought in most home stores now to help reduce static cling. You can also make your own using aluminum foil, just make a ball and throw in the dryer.
To reduce static in synthetic fabrics, 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.
If you need to remove a stain, look at some natural ways to remove it. Here is a great resource for different types of stains and what you can use: (source)
And, my favourite natural way to brighten fabrics, hang them outside to dry. My colours are more vivid and the whites are brighter. Plus the smell (or lack thereof) is so refreshing. Even the stains from diapers disappear after a couple of hours hanging in the sun!
Have any other suggestions for laundry detergent, bleach, or fabric softeners, please feel free to email me directly, or post on our discussion boards.
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