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Laundry Detergents

Started 1 year ago by HunterG
Latest reply from JoB

HunterG
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The detergents these days...yikes. i just took a walk around my block and the only thing I could smell were dryer sheets. I understand wanting to have clean clothing - but good lord!

These detergents are so potent that I can almost guess what type of detergent and scent someone uses from 15 feet away.

What the major companies aren't telling the consumer is that these scents people are becoming addicted to are comprised of nasty chemicals that are brutal to the environment, not to mention themselves! please people do yourself a favor and make the switch to an eco friendly laundry detergent.

http://www.sixwise.com/newsletters/05/07/06/the-toxic-dangers-of-typical-laundry-detergent.htm

http://www.ecomall.com/greenshopping/hrfragrance.htm

Posted 1 year ago #
angelescrest
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Thanks for posting this. There are days I go outside and wham!--I do that little sing-song, "Someone's doing the laundry", but I never thought about the toxicity related to that strong, sweet scent. I've always like Method products myself, and PCC has a small selection of earth-friendly detergents.

Posted 1 year ago #
westseattledood
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Is there such a thing as an eco-friendly dryer sheet?

Doubtful, but why not ask?

Or what other ways are there to prevent static aside from those perfumed sheets?

Posted 1 year ago #
HunterG
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I think Seventh Generation makes dryer sheets, also, my hubby who has chemical sensitivity got some fabric material dryer sheets from this website they work really well too...

the reusable dryer sheets:
http://www.squidoo.com/reusable-dryer-sheets

Got them as free samples from this site:
http://www.nontoxic.com/

Posted 1 year ago #
Sue
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westseattledood, yes, there are green dryer sheets: http://www.seventhgeneration.com/Dryer-Sheets . They're even compostable when finished!

I use those, and also add distilled white vinegar to the load. This helps with static and softness. This method isn't perfect, but I feel better about not using all that chemical stuff.

Posted 1 year ago #
westseattledood
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hey thanks guys. i'll have a look see.

Posted 1 year ago #
Que
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White vinegar is also a great laundry additive to deal with those RARE times when a load gets forgotten in the washer...

Posted 1 year ago #
JoB
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hey guys...
i am as green as the next girl..

in fact probably greener because i have been practicing for 40+ years now...

but the laundry room is one place where green is not winning the battle...

if your goal is to get clean clothes and use less water and detergent... so far every green detergent and dryer sheet i have used fail the soiled white towels test:(

I am still looking... but so far seventh generation beats everything else green i have tried for clean... and it needs added bleach to produce bright whites ;(

as for dryer sheets... scentless bounce outperforms everything else i have tested..

I generate more static electricity than most ;) so performance matters to me.

I honestly wish someone would provide better products than those we currently use.

There is a reason our mothers moved away from those currently offered to the "newer better" detergents.. and it wasn't just advertising:(

Posted 1 year ago #
SarahScoot
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My favorite so far is Seventh Generation Free & Clear liquid detergent.
And I'm one who's had no issues with environmentally-friendly laundry options. I also never use fabric softeners, but then again almost everything laundered in our home is made of natural fibers like cotton... synthetics such as polyester definitely create more static.
Agreed, though, that if a "softening" boost is needed, white vinegar does the trick for me.
Another problem to keep an eye out for is using too much detergent; we have very soft water around here, generally, and too much detergent can result in dingy and stiff laundry. I use about half to two-thirds the amount prescribed on the packaging.
I always found chlorine bleach made my whites yellowish, plus it's bad for the environment, so to keep whites white I wash them separately, in warm water, with detergent and Country Save oxygen bleach.

Posted 1 year ago #
pennidogg
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I don't use fabric softener any more since my husband told me it can make your clothes flammable, it can also make your bath towels less absorbent. I now use Nellie's Dryer Balls (www.nelliesallnatural.com) instead. They not only reduce static cling and help soften but they also cut my drying time as well. I also second SarahScoot on the Seventh Generation Free & Clear.

Posted 1 year ago #
SarahScoot
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Yes, dryer balls are great! Liquid fabric softeners also accelerate fading and fabric degradation. My mom never used fabric softeners (much to my dismay, as that Snuggle Bear really sold me on the idea as a kid!), but now I understand why. Why pay extra money for a product that's bad for the environment and wears out your clothing faster? I kind of understand dryer sheets, if static is really an issue, but again dryer balls or even a cloth soaked in white vinegar does the trick (add a few drops of lavender essential oil if you feel you realllly need a scent boost).

Edit: herongrrrl's post below reminded me that overdrying is a big static culprit as well. Let the dryer run only until the load is just barely dry. This may mean setting it for a shorter cycle than you think it needs, then resetting it for a bit longer if the laundry is still damp. If the laundry is left to tumble for too long after it's dried, it will definitely build static - especially in the dry winter months.

Posted 1 year ago #
herongrrrl
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A friend of mine gave me a bunch of little pouches filled with aromatic herbs to put in the drier. They made the clothes smell wonderful. Didn't soften them any, but I have never understood the "need" for fabric softeners. I grew up with clotheslines as the standard method of drying laundry (including indoor lines in our garage in winter)--that's a great way to avoid static!

JoB--how about just not using white towels? ;)

Posted 1 year ago #
ellenater
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I agree with JoB. I also prefer 7th Gen Free and Clear and scentless bounce. I have been interested in one of those "As Seen on TV" steamer balls but have not taken the plunge yet.

Those perfumey sheets seriously make me gag. :(

Posted 1 year ago #
JoB
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ellenator..

i have the steamer balls and love them for freshening clothes that are spot free so i can wear them again... and for "softening" line dried clothes.

pennidog...

i also have the bouncy dryer balls and they do take the stiffness out of clothing but do nothing for static cling:(

sarah scoot...

in the summertime i wear only cottons and linens.. and am sorry to report that static cling is still a problem for me with those fabrics...

white vinegar doesn't reduce it enough to keep my skirts from clinging in an obscene and quite unattractive manner for a woman my age:(

i suspect i don't over dry my cottons and linens since they don't reach the dryer at all until they have hung nearly dry ... and then only long enough to release some of the wrinkles so i don't have to iron. i combine the steam balls with a dryer sheet to produce ready to wear cottons and linens.

herongrrl...

as you age you re-experience some of the laundry issues of your childrearing years :( yes, i know. TMI.. but there you go.

I chose white towels and ... so i can make sure they are clean when they leave the laundry...
a lesson learned from my mother...

****

LOL.. from some of these comments..
you would think i was committing green sacrilege
or had somehow gotten less proficient with laundry with practice...

Mine was the generation that moved away from commercial products and explored green alternatives...

believe it or not.. most of us still do our best to make the best compromise possible.. one that harms our planet the least while still producing clean "ready to wear" clothing.

i will not iron to prevent static cling.

I can't remember the last time i dropped a single piece of clothing at the dry cleaners.. though that may change with the new technology...
i still have to learn more about that:)

really ... i just want a green... scent and allergen free... laundry detergent and dryer sheet that works.

unfortunately, i will be giving away the biokleen products i bought to someone who can use them since i can't:(

still looking for viable suggestions...

Posted 1 year ago #
B-squared
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dryer sheets = bad. i use those spiney dryer balls and don't seem to have static issues. Dryer sheets also play havoc with your dryer's filtering system as the filter builds up a coating that eventually clogs it - fire hazard. if you decide to stop using the sheets, here are ways to use up the remaining sheets.

http://www.gatherlittlebylittle.com/2009/02/25-uses-for-dryer-sheets/

Posted 1 year ago #
westseattledood
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Has anyone ever tried to put a tiny bit of H202 in with the enviro-liquds? I haven't tried it cuz I'm not sure it won't eat up cotton, but it is in the "oxygen" products, right?

And, I had not heard about vinegar for static. I'll try it along with the not-over-drying strategy. I'm guilty of that no doubt, because, good gawd, who has the time to baby sit dryer loads. ugh.

thanks gals for all the Heloise tips! ;)

Edit: B-squared - like the list. thx!

Posted 1 year ago #
SarahScoot
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wsd - I hear you on not wanting to babysit the laundry. My dryer is nothing fancy, so I just set it on the "less dry" setting (the choices being less dry, more dry, timed, or tumble/no heat). This gets most loads just right, but falls a little short on towels, so I usually just run it for another 10 minutes or so for those. No babysitting for me!

Posted 1 year ago #
JoB
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B-Squared..

you must not have my magnetic personality :->

seriously.. for whatever reason some of us do generate more static electricity than others..

i seem to short out toggle switch light switches too :(

Posted 1 year ago #
B-squared
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job- i know what you mean, i get regular shocks where others don't. but those dryer balls seem to be doing something for me. maybe you should get a dozen;)

Posted 1 year ago #
johnnyblegs
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My neighbor's dryer vents out on the south side of my house & garden, blowing hot air and the scent of dryer sheets.

Maybe the dryer air helped or maybe not but I was one of the few out of my friends that successfully grew red tomatoes to maturity this year. Thank goodness they didn't taste like bounce :)

Posted 1 year ago #
JoB
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B-squared..

the drier is noisy enough with a couple of those balls in it... a dozen would produce a drier rumba that would drive me out of the house.

johnnyblegs...

last year the tomatos i put near the drier vent didn't do well at all so i didn't put any there this year.

i think that may have been a mistake :(

Posted 1 year ago #