Toxins are hiding everywhere in our homes. In our food, in our cleaning supplies, in our air. It’s a constant battle to keep them out of our homes!
I have been on a mission in our home to swap out toxic ingredients with clean ones. I’ve swapped our cleaning supplies, supplements, all the good things we use on a daily basis. It’s sometimes very hard to know what is safe because our stores are full of products guilty of greenwashing. Basically, they lie about how safe the products actually are. Many other products don’t seem harmful until you dig down into the ingredient list. I thought I’d share a list of the most common toxins to look for. Also, below is a link to grab my semi-homemade laundry detergent recipe.
Many people don’t think about their laundry detergent but should. The detergent clings to our clothes and touches our most intimate areas. These are places we absolutely do not want toxins absorbing into our bodies!
7 Most Common Toxins Hiding In Your Laundry Detergent
FRAGRANCE
500 Potential chemicals that don’t have to be listed. Some are toxins but many of them are neurotoxins.
Once they’re in the brain they can take decades to eliminate.
Exposure to some fragrance chemicals can cause: eye, nose and throat irritation, headaches and respiratory issues.
They can be respiratory irritants that can trigger aggravate sinus conditions and asthma attacks.
CLEANING AGENTS (SURFECTANTS)
Surfactants are the main ingredient in most detergents on the shelves.
Long-term use can lead to skin irritations.
They can interrupt the body’s natural enzyme process.
STABALIZERS
Stabalizers help extend the shelf life of cleaning products on the shelf.
Common ones are polyalkylene oxide or ethylene oxide that can cause eye & lung irritation and dermititis.
BLEACH
It can irritate and burn human tissue internally and externally.
Bleach can also cause: migraines, extreme headaches, vomiting, nausea and esophageal perforation.
It can damage the nervous system a.k.a. the system that moves messages between different parts of your body!
PHOSPHATES + EDTA
Phosphates used to be popular among most detergent makers but they were deemed as harmful on the environment, especially in streams and waterways.
They have been mostly replaced by EDTA (ethylene diamine tetraacetic acid).EDTA has been found to be toxic when studied on animals.
Does not biodegrade (break down) easily in the environment.
1,4 DIOXANE
A known animal carcinogen.
It is reported that the levels in found in many personal care products are 1,000 times higher than those found in animal cancer studies. Fact Sheet
Even worse in products you use in a hot bath or shower. The hot temps open up your pores and allow the toxins to penetrate your pores even more.
BRIGHTENERS
They absorb UV light to help clothes appear brighter: Brighter colors & brighter whites!
Naphthotriazolystilbenes: linked with reproductive & developmental effects
Since they stick to your clothes to help them appear brighter they can absorb into the skin.
Especially the clothes that touch your most intimate areas!
Do You Want My Semi-Homemade Laundry Detergent Recipe For PENNIES Per Load?
Are any of these currently in your laundry detergent?
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