Goal For The Green

Many of us don’t give a second thought when it comes to the laundry detergents we use to get our clothes clean.  As you stroll the aisles of the grocery store looking at different laundry detergents, each one competes for your attention and your dollar. You are left with a variety of different choices without realizing that many of these heavily scented detergents that are supposed to get your clothing clean can leave behind many different problems for both your health and the environment.

Before you pick up that sweet smelling laundry detergent on the grocery aisle, understand that no matter how great that linen scented laundry detergent smells, it’s probably not very good for you.   Artificial fragrances are well-known irritants to the mouth, throat, and eyes, not to mention the fact that they can cause flare ups with allergies. To add insult to injury, many of these detergents can be carcinogenic (cancer causing).

Many chemicals prevalent in laundry detergents can create a whole host of health problems, even birth defects. Unfortunately, the ugliness doesn’t stop there.  Many of these chemicals have even been known to create problems with the hormones, liver, and kidneys.   The chemical cocktails that go into making laundry detergents do more than clean your clothing.  They leave a trail of health problems and negatively impact our carbon footprint on the earth.

The chemicals present in many laundry detergents can be unhealthy for both our bodies and mother earth. Chemicals like linear alkyl sodium sulfonates (LAS) are harmful to aquatic animals and produce toxic fumes during production.  This is just one of the popular ingredients found in many detergents.  Imagine the damage that many of the other chemicals can do to our health and the earth.  The damage can be devastating given enough time and opportunity.  As we expand our knowledge, we must learn to question everything from the utility pole supplier to the composition of the plastic containers used to package our foods.

Commercial detergents don’t always have our health or the wellness of mother earth in mind.  This is why becoming familiar with the dangers of certain prevalent chemicals found in laundry detergents can be a huge help when it comes to being proactive about your health.  It also helps us to keep our ears to the ground in helping us take a more green approach in or normal day to day tasks.  It pays to become familiar with the dangers that many chemicals pose for our health and the earth.