The average home of four does between 8-10 loads of washing each week, that's up to 40 each month, and over 500 each year. Basically, we do a lot of laundry!
So, why are we not paying more attention to what we're washing our clothes with?
Because the laundry industry is hiding some pretty dirty secrets. We're here to reveal the toxic truth about what's really in your products...
🧪 Detergents
Common chemicals found in detergents include hormone-disrupting phthalates and probable carcinogens like dioxane. That means they're capable of:
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changing our DNA
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altering the development of our reproductive systems
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causing cancer
🧪 Fabric Softeners
Fabric softeners contain compounds called quaternary ammonium compounds - aka 'quats'. Quats are asthmagens and antibacterial, that means they're capable of:
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causing asthma
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promoting drug-resistant bacteria strains
Fabric softeners are also designed to build up a waxy coating on your clothing. That means they are actually increasing the flammability of your items! Look and you'll see a warning label to not use them on children's clothing - yikes!
🧪 Stain Removers
Probably the most toxic of the bunch, stain removers are designed to be tough on stains. That means they've got some pretty potent chemicals in them that are linked to respiratory, reproductive and developmental issues.
🧪 Fragrance
All of these products have one thing in common - fragrance! Spring Blossom, Summer Breeze, Fresh Linen, you've heard them all right? But how do they make that smell? The scary thing is, we'll never know in full as companies are able to list these as just Fragrance or Perfume. What we do know is that they're made of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) that pollute our indoor air:
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causing dermatitis
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causing asthma
So, I don't know about you but I'd rather have stained clothes that stink after reading all that. Thankfully, you don't need to resort to that! There are plenty of safer alternatives, from DIY cleaners to non-toxic solutions that really work.
Here at cleen, we've curated a Laundry Bundle that has everything you need without the fear of harming your health or polluting your home. Discover more here.
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