Simple Swaps: Natural Laundry Detergent

What you choose to wash your clothes in can have a huge effect on your health and how you feel each day.  Detergents leave behind a residue on your laundry that stays with you day and night, on your clothes, towels and sheets.  Choosing a natural detergent is more important than many of us think!

Why? Synthetic detergents contain chemical fragrances, dyes, surfactants and phosphates and many times bleach.  Let’s start with the effects of the fragrances.  Chemical fragrances contain xenoestrogens which, as we’ve learned in previous swaps, can cause a dangerous level of estrogen in the body which can cause breast cancer, hormonal imbalances, PMS, menopausal symptoms, low testosterone and other chronic conditions.  Surfactants can cause allergic skin reactions.  Phosphates can cause allergic reactions, skin irritation and nausea and is also extrememly dangerous to the environment.  If detergent can cause these issues in adults, imagine what damage it is causing in babies and children. When synthetic detergent is replaced with a natural version, mood imbalances, hormonal imbalances and nausea all have been known to clear up.  All this, just by simply swapping to a healthy detergent!  Who knew such a small change could make such a huge difference!

Swapping Frugally: Like many other swaps, Amazon will save you a bundle.  They often sell Seventh Generation laundry detergent at a discount through their Subscribe and Save program and may even have a coupon available (for a great deal now, see my post here).  The laundry detergent Ecos often has high-value coupons available on Recyclebank that can be combined with a sale at stores like Whole Foods, Kroger and Hiller’s.  Babies R Us frequently offers natural baby detergent on sale that can be combined with coupons.  

Looking to make healthier choices?  Commit to one Simple Swap per week!  For more Simple Swaps, go here.  Don’t miss any swaps, follow me on Facebook and Twitter!