Laundry Detergents: Clean House Clean Planet

Clean House Clean Planet by Karen Logan

Many laundry detergents have various ingredients in them that may not be the best for you, the environment or your clothes. Common ingredients can include quaternary ammonium compounds, sodium carbonate (or washing soda), sodium alkyl benzene sulfonate, sodium silicate, bleach, enzymes and sometimes phosphates. Sometimes the ingredients on the laundry detergent containers are cloaked in secrecy or ambiguous descriptions. So you may really have to do some research to find out what is truly in the detergent you use. (see pg 191 - Clean House, Clean Planet by Karen Logan)

So to help you out, here are a few of the common ingredients and a little behind the scenes story that you won't find talked about about.

Quaternary Ammonium Compounds are toxic. Ingestion can cause burns in the throat. Many companies have phased out these compounds, you can still find them in older formulations. All phenols are corrosive and damaging to the skin and eyes with prolonged exposure leading to liver and kidney damage. (see pg 111 - Clean House, Clean Planet by Karen Logan)

Sodium Carbonate (or Washing Soda) according to Wikipedia is a sodium salt of carbonic acid. Used in the making of glass, as a pH regulator, to remove the flesh from bones in taxidermy, and also used in washing detergents, in food cooking. Sodium Carbonate does have a different chemical composition from Sodium Bicarbonate (also known as Baking Soda). This has many uses but as you can see it has some extremes.

Sodium Alkyl Benzene Sulfonate according to the MSDS (Material Safety Data Sheet), this is harmful if ingested or inhaled in quantities. It is a mild skin irritant and is readily metabolized in the body.

Sodium Silicate has many uses according to Wikipedia. If it is used in neutral or alkaline it is stable but if it is in an acidic solution, it reacts with hydrogen ions to form silicic acid. Some of the many uses of Sodium Silicate include muffler repair and fitting paste, to seal leaks in the head gasket of engines, to create algae for aquaculture hatcheries, general purpose cement, food preservation, timber treatment, passive fire protection, and water treatment.

Bleach is found in almost everyone's laundry room and yet it was the most frequently reported exposure to the Poison Control Center in 1994. When mixed with acids, bleach can form toxic chlorine gas and when mixed with ammonia, it can form toxic chloramine gas. Bleach can irritate the skin and when ingested it can irritate the mouth, esophagus and stomach. (Pg 19 - Clean House, Clean Planet by Karen Logan). There are also issues of the environment that of course the manufacturer says it is completely safe but that does not necessarily mean it is. There is plenty of evidence out there to suggest that what the manufacturer says is not necessarily true.


If you wish to read up more on various ingredients that are used in laundry detergents, the Soap And Detergent Association has a wonderful website filled with information relating to the industry that they represent. So please read that website with this in mind.

I have tried to find a site that lists all the ingredients of laundry detergents but if it is out there, it is evading me. Of course they claim it is a trade secret but in all reality, as toxic as the ingredients are, they should be listed. We have to thank the lobbyists and campaign contributions for making sure of this.

In this post, I've just listed a few ingredients that have some strange uses. Laundry detergent is not something you want to eat or drink but with children around, you need to be very careful as it takes very little to be ingested to cause serious problems. Laundry detergents are a major source of waste water and so the toxic ingredients in them have to go somewhere. It is probably safe to say that the less we use of these things, the better our world will be for future generations. There is so much more I could share from the book Clean House, Clean Planet by Karen Logan, but I'll let you read it and learn much more than I am able to share here. It is an excellent book and I've personally used many of her ideas. They do work and they work well.

One thing to keep in mind is that many of these detergents to do not wash or rinse out of your clothes very well. If you don't believe this, try washing the next load of laundry and don't put any detergent in. See how much soap and suds come out of the clothes. Some detergents are better than others but why have all of this stuck to the fibers of your clothes where it might be a mild skin irritant or have a level of toxicity that you wear on your body all day long.

Here's some immediate things you can to begin changing how you use Laundry Detergent: (pg 196 - Clean House Clean Planet by Karen Logan)

• Use half as much detergent and look at the results. Most likely your clothes will be clean with less product. Check it out for yourself and adjust the amount used to see what you truly need for your water type and situation.
• If you have really have a load of laundry that is soiled, you could add a 1/2 Cup of Borax as a laundry booster.
• When you're finished with a bottle of detergent, don't' just throw it out. Fill it up with water from the machine and use it in your washer for another load. You make the bottle go a little further which makes your dollars more effective and less goes into the landfill to pollute the environment and ground water.
• Instead of bleach, try using lemon juice from a squeezed lemon. It works well and it doesn't take much.
  
• Instead of fabric softener, try using 1/2 Cup baking soda to the rinse cycle.
  
• Check out alternatives to the regular store brands. There are more Eco friendly products and some of them don't get too expensive.
• Get yourself a measuring cup and keep it by the washing machine to accurately measure out laundry detergent. Don't go by the eyeball method or if I put more, it will clean better. More is not always better. Plus your laundry detergent dollars will go much further!
  

I use Dr. Bronner's Sal Suds for my laundry and I also use it for general cleaning and to mop my floors. It is a great cleaner and rinses out of the clothes much better than most laundry detergents. I use essential oils as well if I am cleaning the floors and it really makes the house smell great. The one nice thing when I use it on the floors is that it seems like dirt is not attracted to my floors like regular household cleaners. So I assume the same is true with using this in the laundry. This product appears expensive but I have a 1/4 cup measuring cup that I use and for most loads of laundry, I probably fill that measuring cup half way. Half of the 1/4 cup measuring cup is plenty for about 4 gallons of mop bucket water. Any more than that and everything is too soap sudsy. I have even began to experiment putting lemon essential oil (about 5 drops) into my whites and I was amazed at how well it cleaned them. I've started to add 1/2 cup of baking soda and it helps not only clean the laundry good but gives them a softness. So while this soap product may look expensive, it does go a long ways. If you use it like I do, it will last a long time.

The biggest thing is to become aware of what you are using and see just how it impacts not only your life, but the world around you. Of course finding something that works well and is not a hassle, is a big plus in making this work. Do like I've done though and prove to yourself if all of this makes a difference. I was a skeptic at first but the more I learn and do with this, the more I realize just what a difference it makes in my life.

Much of the information I shared here, I got from researching online and reading the book, Clean House Clean Planet by Karen Logan. This book is wonderful and has so many natural cleaning methods in it that are easy, inexpensive and wonderful to use. If you want to cut some of your household expenses from cleaning supplies, get this book. You'll be surprised at how it changes your life!

Clean House, Clean Planet

One of the most used books in our house!

I heard about this book from a friend. When I began reading it, I learned a lot as to what was in a lot of the cleaners we bought from the store. Let me tell you - there's some highly toxic stuff in what you buy. And the other thing that really got my attention is that the packaging and water make up a significant portion of the price.

There are many different ideas of natural inexpensive items that you can use in your household cleaning and most of them are either simple to obtain or create. It isn't hard to do at all.

Did you know that you can use the juice from a squeezed lemon as an alternative to bleach in your laundry? I use it for my whites and it does an excellent job! That's cheap and it doesn't harm the world we live in.

And how about a quick, simple and cheap room air freshner for like the bathroom. I use a little open jar with baking soda and the peppermint essential oil. Works wonders for headaches (sniff the peppermint) as well if you have one but it keeps the bathroom smelling nice. And you just keep adding baking soda or essential oil to it when it needs freshened up! Baking soda is a natural substance so it doesn't harm the environment either.

I try to mix up my cleaners so that I don't have too much on hand but I've got enough that I'm not mixing it every time I clean the house.

Another thing that she talks about in the book is using "GOOD", "HIGH QUALITY" essential oils. Not the ones you buy in some local store that are on sale or are made with essential oils. I'm talking about good ones. Since I'm a Young Living Essential Oil distributor now, I buy all mine through them. You can not beat the quality and part of the quality is in how the essential oils are processed and harvested. If you want to know more, just email me on that. I use several but peppermint and lavender are my favorites along with Pine and Eucalyptus. It only takes a few drops because these things are concentrated.

Note:  I now use Ananda Essential Oils.  Better price, excellent quality and they are much nicer to do business with than Young Living.  Young Living screwed me over pretty good and never reconciled it with me.  Go to http://www.anandaapothecary.com/ and check this place out.  They are very nice people.

Here's another little tip I learned from the book and my own experience. I use Dr. Bronner's Sal Suds for my laundry, for general cleaning and for some of the cleaning recipies. It costs around $8 for a 32 oz bottle but it lasts a long time because it is so concentrated. I use less than a 1/4 cup for a load of laundry or when I mop our floors. The best thing about this stuff is that it washes out and doesn't cling to your clothes like regular detergent. It is natural substances so it is good for the environment. But the best part I like about it, is that it seems like our floors don't get as dirty as they once did. It is like the regular pine sol, spic and span cleaners almost attract dirt and this doesn't. I like that! Plus I add essential oil to the mop water and it leaves the house smelling so nice!

I'd tell you what I use to clean glass and windows which will amaze you because it is so cheap and readily available (no, not water and soap either). But I'll just tease you enough so that hopefully you'll read the book. *smile*

The book has so many recipes and ideas and tries to give you the ins and outs about each one. They are not hard to make and everything she has in the book is practical. It came out of what she used in her own house.

So check this book out (link is at the top of the page) and save some money on your cleaning supplies while you are more gentle on mother earth. She'll appreciate it to.

I'm not sure when the last time was we bought a commercial cleaner in the store. We just make our own now.