Green up your laundry room part 3
{Soft Fabric Concentrate & Soft Fabric Dryer Sheets}
This the last part of my “Green up your Laundry Room” Series. In the first part , I talked about Nature Bright, the all natural bleach alternative. In the second part of the series, I talked about laundry detergents & the Shaklee alternative: Fresh Laundry Concentrate. Finally, this weekend is the last part of our series. I will be sharing Soft Fabric Concentrate & Shaklee’s Soft Fabric dryer sheets, the all natural alternative to fabric softeners & conventional toxic dryer sheets.
While researching about the “safeness” of fabric softener and dryer sheets, I came across this bit of scary information. If you knew the REAL stuff you were using to clean your families clothes, would you still clean with it? “When marketing fabric softeners and dryer sheets, advertisers promise soft, fragrant towels, sheets and clothes. The reality is, fabric softeners contain a very high amount of strong and toxic chemicals. The chemicals used are so strong, that large amounts of fragrances are used to cover up the fumes from the chemicals. For those reasons fabric softeners and dryer sheets are known as some of the most toxic household product used today.
Some of the chemicals used include benzyl alcohol, benzyl acetate, ethanol, limonene, ethyl acetate, linalool, limonene, pentane, and chloroform. These chemicals embedded in your clothes are slowly released into the air that you breathe and onto your skin which you absorb.
So how could products with pretty names like Soft Ocean Mist, Summer Orchard and April Fresh be so dangerous?
Here is a list of the chemicals commonly used in fabric softeners & dryer sheets and the health issues that can arise.
-
- Benzyl Alcohol: Upper respiratory tract irritant
- Ethanol: On the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Hazardous Waste list and can cause central nervous system disorders
- Limonene: Known carcinogen
- A-Terpineol: Can cause respiratory problems, including fatal edema, and central nervous system damage
- Ethyl Acetate: A narcotic on the EPA’s Hazardous Waste list
- Camphor: Causes central nervous system disorders
- Chloroform: Neurotoxic, anesthetic and carcinogenic
- Linalool: A narcotic that causes central nervous system disorders
- Pentane: A chemical known to be harmful if inhaled
Benzyl acetate: Linked to pancreatic cancer
Just an fyi, here was my most favorite fabric softener and its respective ingredients. I used Downy for years before switching to Shaklee.
Downy (my previous favorite) – ingredients and all of Procter & Gambles laundry product ingredients (including the “popular” Tide)
I also read during my research, about Bounce ingredients…
“Bounce contains a sticky chemical that is interpreted through touch as being soft. The chemical make up is guarded, however, it is flammable and has a low level of toxicity. A rat must only eat the amount chemical on 12 dryer sheets in order to die.” Did that just say a rat only had to eat the amount of chemical on 12 Bounce dryer sheets to DIE!!!! Speechless is all I have to say and we are using this on our CHILDREN!
What are the alternatives?
Unfortunately, once fabrics have been washed with fabric softener or dried with a dryer sheet, it cannot be fully washed out. The chemicals acts as a wax, coating the fabric completely and no amount of washing will wash away the film.” source. Do you think that the increasing cancer rates among older adults would decline, if we knew what we were truly using in our household products and actually switched to a healthier alternative?
I knew that conventional laundry cleaners were not good for our health, but after researching, I am just speechless! Every once in a while, I have used the leftover Downy fabric softener and dryer sheets I had left from after I switched to the Shaklee brand (while waiting on my Shaklee to arrive in the mail), but after today, those will be tossed in the trash!! I do not want to be the cause of my children getting sick because I just HAD to have great smelling clothes!
Instead of those toxic laundry softeners & dryer sheets, my family now uses Shaklee’s All natural Soft Fabric Concentrate & Soft Dryer Sheets.
Soft Fragrance Free Fabric Dryer Sheets
Shaklee says…
“Nothing’s more inherently good than soft, fresh bed sheets. Except, maybe these innovative dryer sheets. They’re veggie-based. They’re biodegradable. And they even split in two in the dryer for fair and just distribution of soft, static-free goodness to every, last humble pillowcase.”
Comparable to Snuggle® and Bounce® Pure EssemcialsTM Dryer Sheets at softening and static reduction.* Plus, you can throw the whole thing in the recycling bin.
- Softens clothes and helps prevent wrinkles.
- No fragrance.
- Effectively reduces static cling.
- Uses vegetable-derived softening agents.
- Safe with all washable fabrics.
- Tear in half during the drying cycle to distribute softness
throughout the load.
Clean Credentials
- Nontoxic
- Natural
- No fragrance
- Biodegradable sheets
- Recyclable sheets
* This performance comparison was conducted on May 19, 2010, and is valid only for the named products marketed at that time. All trademarks are the property of their respective owners.
Soft Fabric Concentrate
Shaklee says…
Here’s a clean-smelling, silky fabric softener that reduces wrinkles and takes out static cling better than what you’ve probably been using. And thanks to the superconcentrated formula, you not only use less, but the container is small enough that you actually can hold it in your hand.
- Get more softening power for less comparing cost per load, not just cost per ounce, smart shoppers know they use less Get Clean Soft Fabric because its concentrated.
- Small bottle is easy to carry, pour, and store small size fits on your shelf.
- Softens fabrics, reduces wrinkles.
- Reduces static cling.
- Makes ironing easier.
Clean Credentials
- Nontoxic
- Natural
- Concentrated
- No phosphates
Im going to ask you one more time… Now that you consciously know what you are REALLY using to clean your families clothes, will you still use it?
If you want to green up your laundry room along with me, visit my Shaklee website {here}! Also, email me {here} for my great “New Member Specials”!
Happy washing!
If you have purchased Shaklee products from me and would like to share your experience, you can link up your blog post below!
Tags: green cleaning, laundry room, shaklee
Green Cleaning, Laundry Room, Shaklee, simply shaklee saturdays Posted in
13 comments
13 comments on “Green options in the laundry room part 3”
I am also a loyal Shaklee user and also did you know that there have been clinical studies done where doctors have taken a urine sample and told the patient what kind of fabric softener he/she was using? Crazy! 🙂 Great post!
I wonder, is it the same thing with fragrance free? I imagine it must be, but I am TOTALLY posting this to my Facebook page! I have really loved Shaklee dryer sheets – never was a dryer sheets kind of girl, but because there wasn’t a Fragrance free fabric softener in liquid, I switched. I have been VERY happy with them – I also realized my washer/dryer are huge so I have to use more than ONE since my loads are about 2-3 times bigger than normal. But, now I AM VERY glad that we have switched! Thanks for a great post on stuff we all hate to hear but need it anyway! I’m working on converting my whole family over to Shaklee…one person at a time!!
Becky B.
http://www.organizingmadefun.blogspot.com
Organizing Made Fun
W-O-W is all I have to say. I read Jen on IHeart Organizing’s Shaklee post a few weeks back and it made me really research their cleaning supplies. No bad thing to find about them anywhere! So i bought the Basic H and Scour Off to try. LOVE them! Seriously, work as well as the chemical laden stuff… plus they are safe and natural and very well priced!!
I am definitely going to look into the dryer sheets. Wow they sound so bad!!
Also, so you know if these are safe on cloth diapers? I currently don’t use any dryer sheets or regular detergetnmt(I use Rockin Green for the diapers)on our cloth dipes because of buildup issues with regular detergent/softener. I would love a detergent and dryer sheets that were safe for everything!
I recently started using Shaklee laundry products. I was also a loyal Tide and Downy user. However, I LOVE the Shaklee products!
Having a child who is allergic to the dyes and perfumes in laundry products is an eye opener.
When he started breaking out in a rash that we realized came from my detergent and softeners I was amazed.
My Pediatrician (understandably) looked at me like I was silly with an incredulous “what would you expect? You are coating your child in CHEMICALS.”
Mommy to 3, I did hear that. Scary huh?
Sarah, Its safe on cloth diapers and much more healthy for the baby!
Great comments!
Toni
great advice. glad i found you!
I thought week 1 you discussed Nature’s Bright? Or does Scour Off work as bleach too? I’m intrigued…
Scour off worked WONDERS on my oven top this weekend! Love love love it!
Jennifer B.
Toni – I am seriously thinking about buying some of these products. If I just follow your link to your Shaklee website will you get credit for the sale? And do I have to be a member? Thanks!
Hi Delta456. Yes, I will get credit if you order through my website. You do not have to become a member. You can order as a guest. 🙂 Toni
I haven’t yet tried shaklee products – but this post has me intrigued for sure! thanks!!
Love the Numbers and the things that you are able to do with them. I had never heard of this item and so now I am hoping to win. Have all sorts of ideas how to use.