My Favorite Low-Tox Laundry Swaps
We can never get away from our laundry. Our clothes, bedding, towels, and the like, are always touching our bodies. That’s why the ingredients our laundry products are made up of are so important to pay attention to. Traditional laundry products are made up of fragrances and chemicals that are allergens, obesogens, carcinogens, and endocrine disruptors. Constantly carrying these chemicals on our clothing can be harmful to us, as well as those around us.
Long before I started my low-tox journey, I discovered that plastic coated laundry pods were not for me. If I didn’t wash my clothing in warm enough water, the plastic wouldn’t dissolve and would come out soapy and stuck to my clothing. If it was warm enough, that plastic would dissolve and coat my clothing in plastic chemicals, which is problematic as an endocrine disruptor. I switched to a free and clear liquid detergent, stain removers, and dryer sheets, which made my skin feel so much better without having chemical fragrance.
While that seemed like a step in the right direction, I found real relief when I moved away from conventional laundry products altogether. Free and clear formulas aren’t all they’re advertised to be. Although they omit the fragrance and dyes in traditional laundry detergents, they’re still loaded with endocrine disrupting chemicals and additives, just different ones to disguise the chemical smell.
Once I started learning more about conventional laundry products, I made changes to my routine fairly quickly. I swapped dryer sheets for wool dryer balls and brought in vinegar because those were easy and affordable. I purchased my new detergent right away for clothes, but kept using the old detergent I had on hand for towels or other items that get less use until it ran out. I didn’t add items like stain remover and oxygenated bleach until several months later because that’s what was realistic for me. The easiest first and free step though, is tossing the items that aren’t needed right away. Get away from things like scent beads, fabric softeners and dryer sheets, and just do the best you can as you can.
I know what a headache it can be to research all of these products. Below are the laundry products and swaps that have worked best for me, and I hope you'll love them too!
My favorite laundry detergent is ATTITUDE Unscented Liquid Laundry Detergent. This is by far the best I’ve tried and actually feels like it’s getting my clothes clean while being safe for the whole family. I prefer unscented cleaning supplies in general, but if scents are important to you, they offer scents like Lavender, Summer Berries, Wildflower, Citrus Zest, and more, while still being EWG Verified.
I’ve never been one to use bleach, I find the smell unbearable and I’ve always been afraid to accidentally ruin something with it. But like most people, I want my whites white and my colors bright! Koala Eco Oxygenated Bleach was one of my most recent additions to my laundry routine, but has quickly changed the game. My clothes are natural fiber and need to be washed cold, so I really like that this product is a liquid and works with cold, warm, or hot water. I also keep Branch Basics Oxygen Boost in rotation. Since it’s a powder, I find it works best in warm or hot water, where it can fully dissolve before getting to work. One of my favorite things about both of these products is their versatility and usefulness for other cleaning tasks around the house.
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Distilled White Vinegar is one of my favorite and most affordable laundry swaps. I keep a glass bottle full to add as a replacement for fabric softener and a spray bottle that I’ll spray onto the wool dryer balls or directly on the laundry as needed to help help reduce static. And don’t worry, the vinegar smell doesn’t stick around so you won’t smell like a pickle.
Koala Eco Laundry Stain Spray blew me away. I had almost given up on one of my favorite tops that had a grease stain I just couldn’t get out until I tried this spray. Even my husband's coffee-stained tee came out looking like new after the stain had already set in for days.
Dryer sheets help reduce static and soften your clothes in the dryer, but they do so by depositing chemicals onto your clothes. I switched to Branch Basics Wool Dryer Balls, not only are they non-toxic, but they're also economical since they last for years rather than needing constant replacement.
This swap probably took the most adjusting. I bought six and adjust the number I use based on the size of the load. If you enjoy scent, you can add a few drops of your favorite organic essential oil onto a ball before drying. Attaching a clothespin to a wool ball can also help with extra static reduction.
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