Wash It Right! What to Know About Detergents

*updated January 2024*

You've read our last article about plastics in clothing and replaced your entire wardrobe with organic alternatives and feel pretty good about yourself. You've even changed your diet and started a new exercise routine. "You 2.0" has just booted up and you're ready to take on all of life's challenges as a healthier (and happier!) person.

However, there's something that might have slipped your mind. Something that you haven't thought about that could make all of your other efforts fruitless.

Detergent. Yes, you read that right. Even if your clothes are organic, a bad washing detergent could contaminate them with harmful plastics and other chemical substances you thought had got rid of.

Your skin soaks up the chemicals in detergent

Chemical laundry detergents leave chemical traces in our clothing that are easily absorbed by our skin - and you inhale them too! Many of them contain chemicals such as EDTA, benzene, petroleum distillates and countless others. Using detergents with such chemicals on a regular basis may trigger a number of symptoms, such as:

irritated skin
itchy eyes
eczema
rashes
endocrine disruption

Most people spend quite a few hours each day wearing clothes. Imagine how much exposure our skin gets to the nasty chemicals then, especially considering how often we wash our clothes.

But if you switch to an organic detergent you can enjoy clean and healthy clothes daily.

Aizome's recommendations

Here are some of the natural, hypoallergenic detergents that we at Aizome recommend:

Branch Basics – recommended by nontoxic expert, Andrea Dahr of Switch.Natural, this laundry detergent cleans well and is gentle on skin. There is no added fragrance, and the clothes smell naturally clean.
Salveo Indian Soap Nuts – this unconventional but incredibly natural detergent grows on trees! But you can still use it in washing machines instead of that nasty chemical stuff

For something different altogether, we recommend the Ozone cleaning (for example this one: O3 Pure Professional Eco Laundry Ozone Washer). It enables you to wash your clothes WITHOUT soap or detergents and is perfect for people with sensitive skin. It is a promising technology that will eventually allow washing without chemicals. The current commercially available versions, however, still require some installation skills. We tested it, and we love it!

Animal and plant-friendly

The massive amounts of chemicals of various sorts that make up the ingredient list of laundry detergents aren't just bad for you, they're terrible for the environment as well - plants, trees and animals.

In other words, use natural detergents and you can fall asleep with a clean bill of health and a clean conscience.

Speaking of falling asleep...

Aizome is at the forefront of green companies that care as much about your health as that of our environment. Our luxury organic bedding is made from natural plant dyes and organic cotton, a treat for body and Mother Nature alike. When it's time to wash, we highly recommend using natural detergents such as the ones mentioned above.

For a more in-depth breakdown of the toxic chemicals foudn in laundry detergents, which to avoid, and which to choose, check out this article on Laundry Detergents or Why You Should Avoid Fragrances In Personal Care Products & Cleaners from our friends at Switch.Natural.

Wash It Right! What to Know About Detergents

Your skin soaks up the chemicals in detergent

Aizome's recommendations

Animal and plant-friendly

Speaking of falling asleep...

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