I have been on the safer swaps train for quite a few years now, after learning the toxic ingredients that can be found in our personal care products! One of the easiest and most effective swaps our family has made is to safer laundry products!
One of the first things that we swapped was laundry detergent. I would love to say I did a great job of this but, I was greenwashed to start *face palm.* I read that Dreft was filled with terrible ingredients (and it is, check out the ratings here, WOOF!) so I wanted to switch that out immediately. I did, to a “free and clear” detergent. That had to be a better option, right!? Wrongo. Totally “greenwashed” by the marketing terms “free and clear.” Dangit!
I started looking into safer laundry options using the Environmental Working Group (EWG) app and website. It is not an end-all-be-all but it is a great tool to reference when shopping! The app is super helpful when you are standing in the Target aisle with a fussy baby on your hip and you can’t scan the list for questionable ingredients! I have learned that conventional laundry detergents are generally filled with unsafe ingredients including ones that disrupt hormones, irritate the skin, cause breathing issues/induce asthma and the list goes on. Over the years I have had so many mamas who are struggling with their babies/kiddos who have skin irritations/eczema and the first question is “what type of laundry detergent are you using?” Once the laundry products are sorted out, the skin issues generally improve! Think about it, your laundry products are sitting on you and your family’s skin literally day and night! If there are ingredients that are questionable and irritating, there is no escaping them!
I have tried a few safer laundry products throughout the years and recently started Molly’s Suds and fell in love! Our clothes smell fresh, are cleaner and just look overall better! I had been using the Oxygen Whitener (I literally buy it by the gallon and it lasts for-ever!) for a while paired with Bac-Out Stain Remover and it is a game.changer. Emmie gets a ton of bloody noses and it gets the blood out of her pjs and bedding like a dream. Seriously, nothing else compares to that duo!
Molly’s Suds detergent is also a win in my book! They have fresh scents that seem to last longer than other safer detergents and work so well at actually cleaning the clothes! I have noticed that I haven’t had to send loads through the wash again because they were still dirty. Talk about adding insult to injury during laundry day, iamiright!? No one likes to do laundry twice!
We are also big fans of the SWIM Swimsuit Cleaner! Living on the lake and combined with swimming lessons and splash pads, our swimsuits get a ton of use. They can get kind of dingy and stinky from the lake water and a quick soak in the swimsuit cleaner and they are fresh once again!
If you are interested in trying out Molly’s Suds, they gave me a promo code for 15% off your order! Use: KrystenSchwartz at checkout or use this link!
When I talk about safer laundry options I always get the question about dryer sheets and if there are any better options out there. The answer is YES and it is such an easy swap to make! Dryer sheets can be filled with all sorts of ingredients that a. are unsafe (linked to asthma, hormone disruption etc.) and b. you aren’t even aware of because they are not required to disclose every ingredient in their products! Instead of using dryer sheets, our family has opted to use wool dryer balls! They are absolutely more eco-friendly since you can re-use them endlessly, help reduce the amount of drying time and can be scented to your preference! I have bopped around in the essential oils arena (more on that in a later blogpost) but have most recently been enjoying Plant Therapy! Their oils are so much less expensive than other brands and they have a ton of organic options! If you are interested in Plant Therapy and haven’t ordered before, you can use this link to get $10 your first order!
Lastly, one of my favorite tricks for freshening up towels is adding in good old fashioned vinegar before hitting wash! We have a front load washer so I add a few glugs (I have never over done it and never measure!) into the “pre wash” section of the drawer. It works wonders to help kill off whatever is making towels stink and gives them back their fluff!
The most important thing is that this is an EASY swap to make! There are safer options available for laundry detergent and the best part–they actually work! Start small and make one swap in your home at a time! These little things add up and help so much in the short and long term. Feel free to leave a comment if you have any questions or have ideas for other blog posts regarding safer swaps!
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