Has anyone wandered down the laundry detergent aisle at Walmart or Target just so you can enjoy the smell?
Maybe it's just me, but I'm a sucker for good smelling towels, sheets, blankets, and clothes.
Have you noticed that Bounce dryer sheets or laundry softeners can make allergies and asthma flare up? Has anyone else gotten a rash from their scented dryer sheets?
Maybe you haven't experienced any issues but you've been seeing the research out there on the artificial scents that are in all of our mainstream laundry products?
I'm not going to get into all of the chemicals and their negative effects on our bodies (that's a can of worms for another day) but if you're curious for some heavy reading, here are a few resources to get you started:
In this statement, the EPA expresses concern about Nonylphenol (NP) and (NPE) Nonylphenol Ethoxylate, a chemical found in many household products including laundry detergents. It has been found in all forms of water to be harmful to marine life. It has estrogenic properties.
Here you can find an EPA document Risk Evaluation for 1,4-Dioxane the dangers of this carcinogenic “forever” chemical.
This Article by Columbia is about Diethyl Phthalate (DEP) and Butylbenzyl Phthalate (BBzP)—phthalate chemicals that can trigger asthma.
I'm going to jump into some solutions I've found because I struggle with allergies and asthma, but I can't give up smelling clean and fresh.
My four rules are
Does it really clean my laundry?
Does it still smell good?
Is it sustainable for my wallet and the environment?
Can I buy/get it easily?
All of the following links are for Walmart and Amazon. You could absolutely create an account with any of the following brands to order directly from them if you prefer! I'm not a huge fan of Amazon, but with my schedule and life, it's my preferred shopping experience.
This page contains affiliate links. When you purchase through the links on this page we may get a small commission on products that we already believe in using.
Detergent Options
Dropps - this laundry detergent cleans my clothes so well. There aren't any harmful waxes or residues that will build up on my clothes. There also aren't strong scents. I love the clean and fresh option, it's extremely subtle and delightful. Lavender Eucalyptus Option is also fantastic. They have an Unscented Option for extremely sensitive skin or for the fur baby's bedding/towels and toys.
Tru - Earth Eco Strips - I personally haven't tried these but they have great reviews for being safe and clean. You can get them scented or non scented. They also have a specific baby formulated option.
Both Tru-Earth and Dropps are committed to low waste and recyclable packaging. If you're trying to move away from plastic or if you want to create less trash, these are both great options for the environment.
Laundry Softeners
White vinegar allllllllll the way baby!
This stuff is $2/gal at Walmart. You'll only need a ¼ cup per load of laundry. I've ended up only using it with my towels to make sure they're extra clean.
A great benefit of using white vinegar is it's a cleaning and disinfecting agent as well as a fabric softener. Most traditional fabric softeners only provide strong chemicals for smell and some softening.
This would be the fastest and easiest switch to make! It works great with traditional detergents as well.
Dryer Sheet Alternatives
Let's talk about how we get stuff fluffy in the dyer.
I love these wool balls with 5 drops of lemon eucalyptus essential oil on each. It carries the clean fresh scents from the Dropps detergent over and compliments it extremely well. I'm excited to try sweet orange essential oil next!
You can mix and match essential oils with the wool balls or skip that step completely. The wool absorbs moisture while fluffing your clothing, bedding, or towels without putting harmful chemicals into your laundry. Tru Earth states that wool balls have a lifetime of 1,000 uses.
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The math (aka, my favorite part)
Let's break down your cost savings or cost increases.
LAUNDRY DETERGENT:
On average
You'll be spending more on the cleaner and safer options than the traditional detergents.
FABRIC SOFTENER:
Traditional fabric softener costs $0.09 per load of laundry
White Vinegar costs $0.02 per load of laundry
DRYER SHEETS:
Bounce Sheet (240 sheet count) = $0.04 per sheet or load of laundry
Dryer balls = 0.02 per load of laundry
You would also need to buy 4 boxes of dryer sheets for the lifetime of these 4 dryer balls.
If we dry 1,000 loads of laundry:
Wool dryer balls will cost $22.95
Dryer sheets will cost $39.76.
I'll grant the argument that using essential oils might increase the cost of the wool dryer balls. But if those same essential oils are used in household cleaning products and diffusers, the cost of the essential oil has to be divided between those different activities. It will still be more affordable, safer for your health, and better for the environment than traditional dryer sheets.
Here ends my math rant 😉😊
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In the end, I've found that I'm willing to pay $0.45 per load of laundry because of the benefits.
These changes are helpful and sustainable if they don't create additional stress in your life. You're not going to see improvements in your health if you stay up at night worrying about the cost or the chemicals.
If changing detergent, softeners, and dryer sheets aren't a financial possibility right now, I would start with the wool dryer balls first.
Slowly transition to white vinegar as you use up your fabric softener. If you need to keep using traditional detergents, that's perfectly okay! I would consider switching to a Free & Clear or non scented traditional detergent if you'd like or need to keep using it.
Until next time my warriors!
Monica
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