Do You Think You Should Change Your Laundry Routine?

Doing laundry last night and the lovely smell of the calming blend called Serenity that I used in my dryer I had to blog it.  First a little background and education:

Did you know that not only liquid fabric softener but dryer sheets are very toxic. The air that comes out of your dryer when using dryer sheets is toxic and you and your family should not be breathing that in. The reason they can be sold in stores is that company's outside of medicines do not have to prove something is safe. WHAT!! you say, I know I felt the same way when I found out. How it works is that someone else has to prove that it is toxic or unsafe, not a lot of people have the money or want to put in the work for that so many items go unchecked. Not only that but you look at the ingredient list and you think nah it looks okay, the next rule is that they don't even have to list all the ingredients.  WOW even more crazy I KNOW!!!  Don't worry I have some links to studies done to back up what I'm saying. Lucky some people did do studies but how these companies get away with it... ummm I can only think $$$$$

Here is an excerpt from the University of Washington study:  A University of Washington study of top-selling laundry products and air fresheners found the products emitted dozens of different chemicals. All six products tested gave off at least one chemical regulated as toxic or hazardous under federal laws, but none of those chemicals was listed on the product labels.
read full article here

Even Scientific America has writing about the warnings of using liquid or dryer sheets: If you’re concerned about the health and safety of your family members, you might want to stay away from both conventional dryer sheets and liquid fabric softeners altogether. While it may be nice to have clothes that feel soft, smell fresh and are free of static cling, both types of products contain chemicals known to be toxic to people after sustained exposure.  According to the health and wellness website Sixwise.com, some of the most harmful ingredients in dryer sheets and liquid fabric softener alike include benzyl acetate (linked to pancreatic cancer), benzyl alcohol (an upper respiratory tract irritant), ethanol (linked to central nervous system disorders), limonene (a known carcinogen) and chloroform (a neurotoxin and carcinogen), among others.
Red the full article here

Any breathing issues in the family even more of a reason to stay away from fabric softener. Here is a link to a study done on respiratory toxicity of fabric softener emissions.  Hint, not a good out come.
Read study here

Now you maybe thinking, well these are from the US it must be different in Canada. Maybe we have sticker rules or something.  Sorry no... Here is a blurb from an article from the David Suzuki Foundation page:  Canadians spend more than $275 million on household cleaning products in a year. We buy these products to fight germs, streaks, stains and odours to keep our homes sparkling clean. Cleaning is supposed to be about maintaining a healthy home, yet some common household cleaning products contain chemicals that can harm human health and the environment. What a mess.

But there is no parallel requirement in Canada for manufacturers to warn consumers about the health and environmental hazards associated with chronic, or long-term, exposure to chemical ingredients in household cleaning products. Most of us are exposed to cleaning products and their residues at low levels on a daily basis.

More than 3000 chemicals are used in fragrance mixtures. Many are irritants and can trigger allergies, migraines, and asthma symptoms. In addition, synthetic musks used in detergents build up in the environment and can be toxic to aquatic organisms. Certain synthetic musks are also suspected endocrine disrupters that mimic or interfere with the function of hormones. Phthalates are another common fragrance ingredient in products such as laundry detergents, fabric softeners and deodorizers. Glass cleaners and floor polishes have also been found to contain dibutyl phthalate (DBP). Phthalates are suspected endocrine disrupters associated with reproductive effects, including reduced sperm count in men. The European Union classifies DBP as very toxic to aquatic organisms. Under the Convention for the Protection of the Marine Environment of the North-East Atlantic, DBP is listed as a Chemical for Priority Action. Air fresheners contain a potpourri of fragrance chemicals, in some cases including cancer-causing benzene and formaldehyde, as well as phthalates and numerous VOCs
Read the whole article here

So what can you do about this you ask?? Well here you go

I use an all natural and safe laundry soap. You can make your own but I have not time to look into doing that yet so I'm thankful that I can just purchase it for now. 

My fabric softener is good old vinegar with essential oils. I like to use lemon as it is great for stains and any smells. Although if anyone has been sick in the house I use a protective blend called OnGuard. It is a lot less expensive to use vinegar and essential oils and super easy. I also will use dryer balls made from pure wool in the dyer. It helps to dry your clothes faster and you can put drops of your favorite essential oil on them to scent your laundry if you wish.  If you want your laundry to be more scented add about 4 dryer balls with about 2-4 drops of essential oil on each ball and add into your dryer for the last 5 minutes or so.  I use the same warm setting to dry my clothes and I don't feel it affects the strength of the scent but some prefer just the air setting for the last 5 mins with the extra oil on the balls.  This will last a for a few loads before you need to add more oil. I did this last night and my laundry still smells so delicious and I know I'm doing something great for myself and my family.  I used the calming blend Serenity in the  laundry last night and OMG I love it.

An added bonus that I didn't even realize until after someone mentioned it to me. My son and I suffer from eczema in the winter. Once I stopped using fabric softener last year, this past winter I noticed (after someone mentioned it) both of us didn't have an eczema all winter. I usually get it on my sides to the point my skin flakes off all winter. This past year nothing for the first time in 20 years. 

As an added bonus to your laundry the vinegar itself it very helpful. Textile dyes prone to bleeding and fading are called unstable dyes. During washing, these dyes release pigmented mineral compounds. Vinegar absorbs and neutralizes these minerals. Added during the rinse cycle, it strips dark clothing of dulling soap scum. It also brightens greying white socks and underclothing. It also helps to deodorizer, takes stains out and proven to kill viruses and germs. That will the bonus of the essential oils and all of their deodorizing, stain removal, antiviral, antibacterial.... that is what I call a win - win - win

If you would like to know more about essential oils please contact me about having a free into class to natural wellness. Can't wait to get some of the essential oils? You can purchase them herehttp://mydoterra.com/motherofrays  Contact me if you need help in deciding which essential oils would be best for you and your family healthyfamily@rogers.com

*** make sure to only use pure essential oils, the higher the quality the better. Once you get into higher quality oils not only do they help more with the cleaning but they also have side benefits on a therapeutic level.  Make sure you 100% trust the company you are purchasing from and not just relying on what you see on the labels. If you have any questions or need any help please again feel free to reach out to me

~ Jessica

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