Think about how many loads of washing you put on per week. If you have a large family it could be more than ten! That’s over 520 each year! Now think about how much washing detergent your family alone is discharging into the environment. How much do you know about the chemicals in that detergent? Not only can you come in contact with caustic chemicals via your clothing but you can breathe them into your lungs once they become airborne in the process of doing your laundry.
The detergent you’re using may contain a cocktail of potent cancer-causing chemicals. Some detergents contain:
Four of the worst offenders are:
Sodium lauryl sulfate is a surfactant, detergent and emulsifier used in thousands of industrial cleaners and cosmetic products. It is present in nearly all shampoos, scalp treatments, hair colour and bleaching agents, toothpastes, body washes and cleansers, make-up foundations, liquid hand soaps, and laundry detergents. Some of these chemicals are potentially damaging to your health and contaminate waterways and harm the environment. Some studies have linked SLS to:
Thankfully, there is an alternative that is equally as effective and less contaminating. Here we tell you how to make organic homemade detergent.
This is not about a rejection of modern living! Of course you want clean, fresh smelling clothes but you do not want to compromise your own health and the safety of the environment to get them! It is all about finding an effective alternative to chemical detergents. Natural detergents are also a lot cheaper so your bank balance benefits as well as your health.
It is important to realise that detergents soak into your clothing and some will stay there! They aren’t only damaging your skin and that of your children, but little by little, all of these chemical elements can cause other diseases that you are not aware of. The health effects of some of the detergent chemicals are still very poorly understood. It is also important to note that homemade natural detergents are 100% biodegradable. They will leave your clothing smooth and clean, but the difference is that you will find that when you take your clothes out of the washer, you won’t smell the characteristic perfume. This is not a bad point – it means that they have nasty residues on them!
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