When it comes to washing our clothes, rarely do we stop and think about how our laundry impacts the environment – or even our health.  But, the reality is that commercial laundry detergents are often loaded with all kinds of chemicals that are, at the end of the day, problematic.  Good news is though, we can make better choices.  After all, there are laundry detergents on the market that’re made with environmentally friendly and safe ingredients.

Do Detergents Have a Real Impact on the Environment?

Every time you do a load of laundry, your detergent is getting released into the environment.  Laundry detergent, mixed with the water from your washing machine, makes its way into the sewage system, where it ends up in a sewage treatment plant before it goes into larger water sources.  Still, because water infrastructure is far from perfect, a good amount of that laundry detergent and water never makes it to a sewage treatment center, instead finding its way into soil, lakes, and streams.

This would all be fine and good if laundry detergent was always made with environmentally friendly ingredients.  But, that just isn’t the reality.  Laundry detergents often contain ingredients that the EPA (environmental protection agency) recognizes as harmful to the ecosystem.  These ingredients include:

• Nonylphenol Ethoxylates (NPEs): Refer to a group of surfactants found in many commercial laundry detergents, and are known to be extremely toxic to aquatic life.
• Synthetic Phosphates: These in laundry detergent products raise phosphorous levels in lakes and streams. Algae then consume this phosphorous, and as a result, release toxins into the water, which is harmful to aquatic life.
• Petroleum Derivatives: Found in laundry detergent are considered toxic to most species on the planet, and the process of extracting petroleum is, in and of itself, a major contributing factor to climate change.

Do Traditional Detergents Have a Harmful Effect on Your Health?

Now, let’s talk about the ingredients in traditional laundry detergents that are harmful to your own health.  These ingredients, like the ones above, should be avoided.

• Formaldehyde: A known carcinogen that is toxic to the human body, even in small amounts.
• Ammonium Sulfate: Another highly toxic ingredient, it’s classified as a category 3 toxin according to the EPA.
• Fragrances and Dyes: Commonly found in commercial laundry detergents are synthetic agents that’re associated with allergic reactions and other types of skin reactions. Many are also carcinogens and endocrine disruptors.

What Alternatives are There to Laundry Detergents that Harm the Environment?

As the general public becomes more and more aware of the reality of these harmful ingredients, demand for “clean” and eco-friendly household products is increasing.  And, thankfully, there are manufacturers that are providing environmentally friendly laundry detergent products, free of any of the ingredients listed above, to cause no harm to the environment or one’s health.

The EPA permits laundry detergent manufacturers to apply for certification, and the right to use the EPA logo on their label.  These products have undergone thorough analysis to verify that they are environmentally friendly, not only in their ingredients, but also their packaging. 

You can also look through the ingredients of a laundry detergent for yourself.  Just keep in mind that while the law requires that companies do not lie about the ingredients they use, they’re also not required to list all of them on a product’s label.  To get the more extensive ingredients list, you may have to get in contact with the company, or look through their website, where this information may have been made accessible.

What are the Most Environmentally Friendly Laundry Detergents?

If you want to know for certain that you’re buying an environmentally friendly laundry detergent product, we recommend the line of laundry products at Grab Green Home.  Our products are certified through the EPA to have no negative impact on the environment, as you can see through the EPA Safer Choice logo on the packaging.  Grab Green products are also cruelty-free, and free of ingredients known to cause harm to the human body.  We use almost 100% plant-derived ingredients, all of which have proven to be effective when it comes to your laundry-related needs, to offer the perfect alternative to commercial, chemical-laden products.

The average American does hundreds of loads of laundry every year, which’s why choosing eco-friendly products is all the more important.  With every load of laundry, you’re releasing the ingredients in that detergent into the environment.  Over time, this really accumulates, meaning that your impact is a lot bigger than you may realize.

Fortunately, our laundry products get the job done when it comes to cleaning your loads perfectly, and come in a wide variety of formulas so that you can find exactly what works for you.  From different fragrances derived from natural essential oils, to various forms including pods, powders, and liquids, we’ve got it all.

Choose Your Laundry Detergent Wisely

Nowadays, there’s really no excuse for laundry detergent brands to use ingredients known to harm the environment.  And, with so many eco-friendly alternatives available, to choose from. There’s no reason why consumers have to be stuck with products that are known to cause harm to the planet, along with the health of themselves and their families.

Grab Green Home is proud to deliver only eco-friendly, EPA-certified laundry detergents and other household essentials to make your home friendlier to the environment.  Our products are made with only the most carefully sourced ingredients, proven to be harmful to neither the ecosystem or our health.  We encourage you to look through our entire catalog to explore the variety of products that we offer, from our wide selection of laundry products to our air fresheners, dish detergents, hand soaps, household cleaners, and more, all of which are just as effective, with far superior ingredients.