Laundry Detergent

This is a post I've been waiting to write for a year. I know, that's a long time to wait before writing a post. 

Last October, I was house sitting for some people who live locally. I was helping to take care of their cats for several days while they were away. I'd stayed in their home many times before, so their home was not unfamiliar to me. Their home isn’t far from my home which is nice, especially when staying overnight.  

What does that have to do with laundry detergent? And what does laundry detergent have to do with health? Read on to find out. 

While watching these cats during my first night in their home, I had some difficulty sleeping. For one, the bed I was sleeping in wasn't my own. There's nothing quite like your own bed. And second, I was anticipating at least one cat, possibly several, jumping up on the bed during the night. I'd dealt with those things before while watching another cat of theirs - things that "come with the job" you might say.   

But this time, I dealt with something I had never dealt with before while staying there - highly scented laundry detergent permeating through the sheets. It was so strong, I had difficulty sleeping my first night there. I got through the first night, resolving to wash the sheets the next day with a different laundry detergent. (which I did) 

The next night? Sadly, no better.

I was so tired from not sleeping well the night before, I went to bed early, around 8:30 - 9:00 p.m. But after 2 hours of trying to sleep, I couldn't. The highly perfumed scent in the sheets was so strong, even after washing them, I couldn't handle it anymore. I began to feel sick. What do I do, I wondered? 

Somewhere around or after 10:30 p.m. I decided to text my mom, hoping I wouldn't wake her up if she was already in bed sleeping. 

"Mom, are you awake?"    

I waited to see if I might get a reply. 

"Yes, I'm awake."   

I was relieved to get a reply. My other texts to my mom went something like this: 

"Mom, I don't know what to do. I can't sleep again tonight because the sheets I'm sleeping in are so heavily scented because of the laundry detergent they use. I feel sick. What should I do? Any ideas?"  

My mom texted back by saying: 

"Can you try sleeping on their sofa?"  

  

I decided to try that, but to no avail. Although their sofa was very nice, it was quite firm. I couldn't imagine trying to sleep there all night with just a blanket or two. It wasn't going to work. 

I texted my mom back. 

"That won't work either, mom. I don't know what to do. I've committed to watching these cats, but I need sleep. Any ideas on what I should do?"    

I went and got my own sleeping bag from home and laid it on a bed there and slept inside it that way. Yay! Problem solved! I slept much better in their home after that. 

But their highly scented, sickening laundry detergent made me think a little... how do people wash their clothing, sheets, towels, and other items in laundry detergent like that and not get sick?

Then I realized - they're used to it. Obviously, it doesn't bother them. Out of curiosity, I looked inside their laundry room to see what kind of detergent or fabric softener might have been used to wash those highly scented sheets. It didn't take me long to figure out what it was. It was in a bright green container called "Gain". I forget the exact scent, but I haven't forgotten how incredibly strong that stuff was! 

Why did it bother me so much? Several years ago, we switched to using a more natural laundry detergent. My body had, in essence, detoxed from the regular laundry detergent we once used. My body was telling me that it did not like this toxic stuff.  

Growing up, I remember my mom using the common "Ivory" brand in powdered laundry detergent. Years later, she switched to "Tide" powdered laundry detergent. That was all I knew growing up, and to my knowledge, it never bothered me. I’m sure my mom didn’t think much about the detergent she purchased either. She probably picked one that she liked, one that seemed nice to her, put it in her cart and checked out without thinking much more about it. 

But a few years ago, I found out how incredibly toxic most laundry detergents are. I honestly had no idea.  The info (below) shared from the internet gives you an idea just how toxic most laundry detergents are. This also includes many common, liquid fabric softeners.  

Kind of shocking and eye opening, isn't it?! European countries have banned certain things that we, sadly, continue to use here in the United States. Like I shared in my previous blog post, our skin is our largest organ. Our skin absorbs what is next to it or on it. It's a little concerning when you find out something in regular laundry detergent can be cancer causing. 

Many years ago, I remember seeing laundry detergent that was made specifically for babies. It was advertised as being "gentle". I never understood why some companies made "gentle" laundry detergent just for babies. Now I know why. It is because newborn or young babies cannot handle the chemicals and toxins in regular laundry detergent! Even the laundry detergent companies know how strong and toxic regular detergent is, otherwise, they wouldn't make something different for babies! 

I remember asking a health conscious friend of mine something once. I was really curious. Could SIDS (sudden infant death syndrome) possibly be linked to some babies dying after sleeping in blankets or bedding that was highly toxic due to the laundry detergent that was used to wash them? She agreed that could certainly be a cause. That is not to say that is always the reason. There are many, different, unknown reasons why a baby can die from SIDS, but this could be one cause. 

When this was all new to me, I decided to purchased the common brand called "All" in their unscented liquid detergent. That seemed to work well for doing my own laundry. My mom also switched to using "Tide" unscented liquid detergent. Both of us liked that. Using unscented detergent seemed like a nice choice in the right direction. (and it was) But I was later informed that toxic chemicals were still used to make even those laundry detergents. 

Eventually, I switched to a brand called "Seventh Generation". I use their unscented, liquid laundry detergent. My mom now uses the same thing, and we both love it! 

This is a more natural laundry detergent, and years ago, if you wanted laundry detergent like this, you would've had to go to a health type store to purchase it. Not anymore. Walmart now sells this, along with Target and even many grocery stores! (some stores sell this laundry detergent in a very large container for larger families.) In fact, many grocery stores are beginning to sell more less toxic laundry detergents. Why? I believe more and more people are becoming aware how incredibly toxic most common brands of laundry detergents are. 

There are many non toxic laundry detergents out there. Some people host special events in their homes where others can purchase non toxic products through them. That's great! However, for someone like me who doesn't have much money, purchasing my laundry detergent for a good price at Walmart is what works for me. 

Is the detergent we use now completely non toxic? I don’t know for sure. I’ve read that, even the one I use, may still have some toxins in it. However, compared to most standard brands, I have found the detergent we now use to be far better and far “less toxic” than most standard laundry detergents. I can tell a huge difference. 

If you decide to switch to a better, non toxic, less toxic, or unscented laundry detergent, I think you'll notice a positive change. 

Unscented detergents are usually less irritable to your skin, and your body (and especially your liver!) will thank you if you decide to use a non or less toxic detergent. Our liver is a large organ, created by God for filtering out chemicals and toxins that come into our body. Inevitably, there are toxins everywhere in this world. We cannot avoid them completely. But, if I can help my body out by purchasing a better laundry detergent (non toxic or less toxic), I will. 

 

While sharing with someone earlier this year about my health blog, they said something about this blog being a nice outlet for me to share. Yes, I suppose that is true. But ultimately, I created this blog because I genuinely care about others. This blog was not created to be all about me.

I want to help raise awareness about things - even if it is something as simple as laundry detergent. 

Disclaimer: I am not a medical doctor, and I have no medical training. The things I share on this blog are simple, practical things that I've learned help with good health.