We all take great lengths to make sure that our clothing is clean and fresh, but, shockingly, the very laundry soaps that we use to make our clothes "clean" may actually be leaving them in a more worse condition before they even hit the washer. That's because most commercial laundry cleaners, both the common and name brands you find at your local super stores, are loaded with toxic chemicals that potentially could harm both you, your family and the environment.
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Popular and generic laundry soaps can and will leave dangerous chemical residues on your clothes and skin. |
Residues of these toxins are left on your clothing and absorbed possibly by your body through the pores and skin, and evaporated into the environment where they could be breathed and taken in.
A Common Laundry Soap
If we take a glance at a container of laundry soap, we'll discover that the named ingredients are rather unfamiliar. One popular brand listed, for instance:
- Cleaning agents (anionic and nonionic surfactants)
- Buffering agent
- Stabilizer
- Whitening agent
- Scent
From the list, it is difficult to tell what, exactly, is even in that soap, so I broke down some of the common laundry/soap ingredients out here.
Linear alkyl sodium sulfonates (LAS): Those synthetic surfactants are commonly listed as 'anionic surfactants' on containers, and are one of the most common surfactants used. During the process of making these detergents/soaps, carcinogenic and reproductive poisons such as benzene are set loose into the air and environment. These also breakdown slowly, making em a danger in the air and or environment.
Petroleum distillates ( napthas): These chemicals and toxins has been connected to cancer of the lung, lung damage, inflammation, and damage to mucous membranes.
Phenols: Released from the National Institutes of Health,
phenol is dangerous and those who are sensitive to it can
experience death or debilitating side effects at the lowest exposures. Not only that but, it's quickly absorbed and can spread this poisonous, toxin throughout
the whole person. More times then not, death and greatly absorbed toxicity result
from the phenol's effects on the central nervous system, heart,
blood vessels, lungs and kidneys. So these are definitely a no no for us with MS.
Another common surfactant in United States laundry soaps and detergents is Nonyl Phenol Ethoxylate. The chemical has been outlawed in Europe, and has been discovered to not quickly, but to slowly biodegrade into even more hazardous and toxic agents and compounds. Study has suggested that the surfactant accelerates and promotes the growth of cancer cells in the breast and more feminine traits in male fish.
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Are chemicals in commercial laundry detergents leaving your clothes dangerously clean? |
Optical brighteners and Whiteners: These synthetic agents convert UV light waves into bright light, which makes washed and laundered clothing to appear whiter and brighter, although doesn't actually affect the cleanliness of the clothing. They have been linked to be toxic to fish and to cause bacterial mutation. Also, these can cause severe allerys when they are exposed to the skin that is then later exposed to the sun.
Phosphates: These chemical agents are often used to take out hard-water minerals to make soaps and detergent the most effective, and to also prevent grudge and grime from setting back into your clothing during a wash cycle . The main and most problem with these are that, when released into the air around us, they promote the growth of certain marine and water plants, which also adds to the problem of unbalanced ecosystems. Most U.S. states have made it illegal or banned and or restricted the use of phosphates for this main purpose, so you may notice laundry soaps stating themselve as "low-phosphate" or "phosphate-free" as a result of this.
Sodium hypochlorite (bleach): Is an agent toxic precursor to chlorine bleach, which is highly and deathly poisonous and is
involved in most at home poisoning cases than any other agent. What it does is it reacts with other organic materials in our environment. Carcinogenic and toxic compounds are then created and can cause
reproductive, endocrine and immune system disorders. Are these starting to sound like MS starters yet to you?
EDTA (ethylene-diamino-tetra-acetate): EDTA are a class of compounds that are used as an alternate to those toxic phosphates to minimize the mineral hardness in the water, so as to enable the bleaching chemicals from becoming active before they are put in the water and to help decrease foaming. EDTA does not easily biodegradable and it can re-dissolve poisonous heavy metals in the air, allowing them to re-fall again right back into our food chain.
Using a quarter cup of all natural Borax to a table soon of 99% natural JR Watkins Lavender castile soap with clean your clothes with no hard or toxic build up (See left side lower picture for view) |
Artificial and fake fragrances: Most of these are made from petroleum (see petroleum distillates above), and do not breakdown in the environment. They have been linked to several different accounts of toxic effects on marine animals, fish and mammals, and they often cause allergies irritating both the eyes and skin. A word of warning...petroleum has been labeled and natural but the government, but it clearly is not. So when making a wise choice on what to use for you, your ms, and your family, do your homework first. Coming to my blog is your first tool of help:) As always, natural clean healthy ms mama helping you to take control of your ms and its symptoms naturally.
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