Did you ever think that making small changes in the way you do laundry could benefit your children for a lifetime? One of the most significant things you can do for your children is to "green" your laundry. Most people don't realize that laundry detergents are full of chemicals that can create allergic reactions. Along with those chemicals, there are all the fragrances that are added to the detergents, fabric softeners and dryer sheets. These fragrances can create sensitivities to smells that can last a lifetime. Everyone loves a sweet smelling laundry, but remember - the real smell of clean doesn't have a smell.
Along with using fragrances, we also add chemicals and oils to our laundry to make it feel better. If the detergents we are using were rinsing totally out of our clothes, we wouldn't need to use fabric softeners. Fabric softeners are needed because there's a buildup of detergent residue in our clothes that makes them feel stiff and harsh. Our clothes don't come home from the store feeling like they need to be softened. Once we've laundered them a few times, we realize that they don't feel soft, like when they were new. That's when we turn to fabric softeners. The stiffness in our clothes along with static cling are the result of a detergent buildup in our clothes. We need to look for ways to clean our clothes so that they are totally clean and free from anything being left in them from being laundered.
Here are three ideas for making some green changes to your laundry.
1. Try making your own laundry soap like the ones our great grandmothers used to use. Just mix some soap flakes with baking soda, borax and washing soda. This combination will rinse totally out of your children's' clothing, leaving them just plain clean.
2. Look for a green alternative to chlorine bleach. Chlorine based bleach is very harsh on both clothes and skin. Instead, try using an oxygen bleach or even hydrogen peroxide. Either of these will leave the clothes clean and bright.
3. Buy a green laundry soap being made by a green company. Two manufactures that have good laundry soaps are Charlie's Soap and Grab Green. Charlie's Soap is an all natural laundry soap that has been recommended by mom's groups all over the country. Their product rinses totally out of clothes and leaves nothing but the smell of clean. Grab Green makes a gentle laundry soap that comes in scents based on essential oils. They have recently added a line of scent-free laundry soap to answer the demand from their customers.
Here are some recipes from The Joy of Green Cleaning which is a recipe book to make your own cleaners. You can see more about the book and get more free recipes at http://www.thejoyofgreencleaning.com
Great-Grandma's Laundry Soap
2 cups soap flakes*
1 cup baking soda or soda crystals*
1 cup borax
1 cup washing soda
Mix all the ingredients thoroughly, and then place in plastic or glass container with a lid. This soap works best with hot water.
For top loading washing machines- use ½ to 1 cup, 2 cups for very heavily soiled clothing.
For front loading and HE machines, use 2 tablespoons.
Laundry Bleach
¼ cup borax
¼ cup vinegar
¼ cup hydrogen peroxide
Heat the vinegar in the microwave for 30 seconds. Dissolve the borax into the vinegar, and then add the peroxide right before adding to the wash. The peroxide will not stay active for very long so you add it to the mixture right before using it.
Hailed as the "Martha Stewart Of Green Cleaning", Leslie Reichert is a cleaning expert that uses her sparkling personality, great sense of humor and contagious passion to engage her fans and followers. Leslie Reichert is known as a Green Cleaning Coach and she is changing the world - "one spray bottle at a time". She is an author and spokesperson for the green cleaning industry and is a teacher of green homekeeping. She is a national lecturer, a contributor to a The Daily Green, Deepak Choppa and Woman's Day; a frequent homekeeping expert on Martha Stewart Living Radio; and author of the book: The Joy Of Green Cleaning- a handbook for DIY cleaners. Find out more about her at www.greencleaningcoach.com and www.thejoyofgreencleaning.com.
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