Why Using Organic Laundry Detergent is Better For Your Health

These days, many people are making big changes in their daily lives so that they can be healthier.  At the same time, they are making changes that can also help the environment.  Did you know that just the way you do laundry can have a positive effect on your health and on the planet?

By using organic laundry detergent, you can protect your skin, clothes, and Mother Nature.  Just by taking one look at the ingredients on standard laundry detergent, you could see that there are many unhealthy elements inside of one bottle.  Unfortunately, in many cases you will not be able to look at those ingredients because they are often not listed.

Why Common Detergents Are Bad For Your Health

Most of the name brand laundry detergents that are on the market these days contain things such as phenols, optical brighteners, phosphates, and artificial fragrances.  These items do not come in small doses, either.  All of the toxic ingredients listed can be found in very high concentrations inside of standard laundry detergent.  All of these are bad for you and for the Earth.

Amazingly enough, most of those harmful chemicals are not even necessary to clean your clothes.  They are only added so that your clothes will be brighter and whiter to the eye. If you are exposed to these chemicals for prolonged periods of time, you can develop allergies to various laundry detergents.  These chemicals can cause damage to your skin. The fumes that they give off when your clothes are drying can also harm you, as the staff of many dry cleaners and launderettes will eventually be alarmed to discover.

Many Name Brand Detergents Also Harm the Planet

So, how exactly are these chemicals bad for the Earth?  The harmful ingredients inside of common name-brand laundry detergents get into our water supply and they can contaminate the fish population.

In order to avoid the effects of synthetic laundry detergent, many shoppers are switching over to organic products.  You don’t have to go far from home to find specialty, natural detergents. They can usually be found at your local grocery store and on the Internet.

While organic laundry detergent is often more expensive, the benefits far outweigh the costs.  First and foremost, organic laundry detergent is much better for your skin than traditional detergent.  It does not contain the same harmful chemicals as the name brand detergents on the market.  When you’re shopping you’ll want to look for detergent that does not contain phosphates.

Go Green… Then Greener

Organic detergent also comes in a “super-green” form.  These types of detergents come in organic packaging and they are made in smaller batches.  These can generally be found at your local health food store.

Natural organic detergent also contributes to a healthy planet.  These laundry soaps are biodegradable and contain plant oils.  They also lack petroleum.

Perhaps the most appealing thing about natural detergents is that although some are pricey, you can find them at the same price as many of the major bands.  Seventh Generation, for example, comes at thirty cents per load.