What can I use as a laundry detergent that contains no toxic chemicals and something enviromentally friendly?
Question:It could be homemade or found on dept store shelves..just anything! I wouldn't mind if it had essential oils in it but no too strong though..
Answers:
We have been trying to go chemical free for a while but I just can't afford the commercial chemical free alternatives. For over a year now I have been mixing a 2 pound box of Borax with a 2lb box of baking soda. I use approx 1/4 of a cup of this to a load of laundry. The soda acts as a fabric softener and the borax does a great job of cleaning. If I have a load that needs a little extra punch I add about 2 tablespoons of Washing Soda (this was harder to find in our area. It is marketed by Arm and Hammer and I had to check their website to find a store in my area that stocked it.) My clothes have no smell. They smell like water. Yes, it took some getting used to not having a smell and not having suds but now it is cool. I like that my clothes don't have a smell because then any scent I add to my body is what I can smell and not a mass confusion of smells.
All these products cost about $2 per box and they last close to 2 months (and I do an average of 8-10 loads a week) The Washing Soda will last me about a year. It is very economical and effective.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~...
I have received two seperate inquiries as to whether this is safe for infants so I am adding this . . .
Yes, it is. If you buy commercial presoak for diapers they are mainly made from borax. I personnally used borax in my soak water for my son's diapers and he never even had diaper rash. Also, borax has antifungal properties and that probably helped prevent any yeast type diaper rashes (I didn't know that at the time :) )
Baking Soda is perfectly safe for infants.
Washing Soda would be a little caustic if you were putting the solution directly on their skin but it is completely washed out after you have gone thru the whole cycle so it is just a great alternative.
we use Mela Power by Melaleuca. It's made of a derivative from the melaleuca or tea tree plant. Works great, cleans great, no harmful phosphates and isn't too smelly, but clothes come out smelling clean. Sounds like an oxymoron, huh? You can get it online and don't fret over the cost, you get more than double the cleaning power of the best of the store brands. Go to: www.melaleuca.com
woolite...i think
there's also a product called "sun and earth" (i think that's it.) you can get it in some supermarkets. i also believe you can buy their products on the PETA website .
i used to use their dishwashing soap...great stuff.
There's a brand called 7 Generations, we get it at Whole Foods,a nd have seen it at our local grocery store. It's based on an Iroquis saying that each move we make effects the next 7 generations. Maybe this helps.
DR. BROMMERS 18 in one soap, you can wash anything, and it comes in lovely scents...tea tree, peppermint,lavender,almond,hem...
you can find it at any health food store, whole foods, community grocery
borax,,,,,,,maybe a dash of murphys oil soap
More Related Questions & Answers...