Today marks 1 month of Sustainable Sundays! Can we celebrate with cake?! For the last month, I have been sharing sustainable tips and life hacks you can make in your home and lifestyle on my Instagram. We have been trying our best to live a cleaner, greener, non-toxic lifestyle in our home for the last 4 years, and personally I have been on this journey since 2012 when I moved into my first apartment. As part of our commitment to sustainability, considering professional plumbing services can also contribute to reducing water waste and environmental impact in our homes. If you need sewer inspections, you may consider hiring professional services like sewer scope inspection seattle wa.
Today I am sharing all about how to make easy, non-toxic changes in your laundry room! We will be covering dryer balls, using a drying rack, making diy linen spray, diy bleach, and non toxic laundry detergent. Let’s dive in!
The first ditch and switch laundry room item most start with are wool dryer balls. They are an all natural, chemical free alternative to dryer sheets, cut down drying time, eliminate static, and last up to 1,000 loads! PRO TIP: add 3-5 drops of essential oils to your dryer balls as you toss them into the dryer to create a naturally fresh, clean linen scent.
We have this beautiful drying rack in our tiny laundry room, and it has saved me coutless times from throwing my nicer clothes into the dryer! Drying racks save your nicer clothes and linens from getting too worn from too much forced heat in the dryer – and also save energy from working your dryer too often. PRO TIP: line dry anything with a delicate fabric, vintage, or bulky like rugs and blankets. Laundry room smelling weird? Hang dried lavender to freshen up any musty smells!
Linen spray is so easy to make, and is a great sustainable (and non-toxic) alternative to febreeze. Add 15–20 drops of your choice of essential oil(s) to 3 ounces water and 1 ounce witch hazel. Shake and spritz on clothing as it line dries, on bedsheets, pillows, and on upholstery. PRO TIP: room sprays make perfect little gifts to give! you can customize the scent based on the season too – like make a woodsy spiced room spray for the holidays, a cirtus one for spring, etc.
Bleach is a staple in many households, but it contains so many disrupting and harsh, toxic chemicals! And personally, the smell of it gives me such a headache/makes my nose irritated. Did you know that you can make your own diy bleach instead with items you most likely already have on hand? Here’s how to make a much safer, more natural, and equally as effective alternative to bleach:
Find a container for your bleach and grab your ingredients. I suggest making it pretty by finding an antique clear jug, or re-purposing a growler. Then combine the following ingredients into the container:
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3/4C Hydrogen Peroxide
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1/4C Lemon Juice
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15 drops Lemon Essential Oil*
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3/4C Baking Soda
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1/4C Thieves Household Cleaner*
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7C Water
*Young Living products. New to essential oils? comment below and I can answer any questions you have!
For laundry, use 1C of this natural bleach per load. For cleaning surfaces like bathtubs and sinks, use the amount as you would with regular bleach! PRO TIP: for using in the laundry, use baking soda and Epsom salts on colored clothing in place of Hydrogen Peroxide. Combine 1/4 cup of each and put in washer before putting in clothing. It’s best to trust a plumber to handle sink bubbles when toilet flushes.
Everything that you wash at home are normally items that come into direct and constant contact with your skin, so in theory that should make us be more mindful of what we use to wash with 😉 A great resource to find out what brands are “clean” or not is the Environmental Working Group’s (EWG) website where you can do a quick search to see where a product stands on a rating from A-F/0-10 (10 or an F is the highest for most toxic).
Many laundry detergents contain hormone-disrupting fragrance and fragrance binders (to make that scent last and last) that can wreck havoc on your endocrine system, and also cause skin issues. To limit the amount of toxic chemicals your skin comes into contact with, really evaluate every ingredient on the back of your laundry detergent and make the switch to a more eco friendly, clean version 🙂 Your skin absorbs 100% of what it comes into contact with, with no filter. Kind of makes you cringe right? I even apply this when going to my favorite Coco Laundry – Laundromat, Wash & Fold when I’m out of town, I think it truly makes a difference.
We love Young Living’s Thieves Laundry Detergent. It is completely non toxic, eco friendly, clean, and plant based. You can get 128 loads out of one jug of detergent, for the price of one bottle. Because it is so concentrated, you can divide it and dilute it with water to prolong the amount of washes you can get. You can also pre-treat stains with this same mixture! Here’s how to hack the detergent to make 2-3 jugs worth:
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Empty 1/2 of the Thieves Laundry Detergent into another bottle or mason jar (you can also divide it into thirds too)
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Add 3 capfulls of Thieves Household Cleaner and top with water. Use about 1/8 cup per medium to large load of laundry.
*If you don’t yet have essential oils, comment below and I can get you started on a cleaner lifestyle.
Some of the major harsh ingredients to avoid in detergent:
+ Diethanolamine: according to the CDC, this is known to cause cancer, have moderate allergic reactions, and contribute to kidney damage.
+ Formaldehyde: the IARC states this as a know human carcinogen.
+ Phthalates: these are found in the fragrance and are not required to be listed on the label. According to the IFRA, there are 3,059 materials that are used in fragrances! Phthalates are considered endocrine disruptors by the EWG.
+ Benzene: according to the EPA and EWG, it is linked to cancer, developmental problems, and endocrine disruption.
+ Formaldehyde: the IARC states this as a know human carcinogen.
+ Phthalates: these are found in the fragrance and are not required to be listed on the label. According to the IFRA, there are 3,059 materials that are used in fragrances! Phthalates are considered endocrine disruptors by the EWG.
+ Benzene: according to the EPA and EWG, it is linked to cancer, developmental problems, and endocrine disruption.
Hope you enjoyed these simple hacks! Which one do you want to do next in your laundry room?
Affordable Remediation and Emergency Services
Phone: (732) 540-7900
Url: https://affordableremediation.com/mold-testing-removal-remediation-in-toms-river/
1415 Hooper Ave
Toms River, NJ 08753
Great tips! I need to make the linen spray. A lot of the recipes I’ve seen use vodka or some other alcohol. Witch hazel is something I always have on hand.
Author
Yes vodka is what everyone seems to use! I use witch hazel too