How Everyday Laundry Products Could Be Ruining Your Clothes
Are Everyday Laundry Products Ruining Your Clothes?
Geoff Nudelman
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If you've recently noticed an uptick in the big laundry brands advertising "greener" or "plant-based" products, it's not just you.
While consumer education about laundry products is primarily driven by the way these detergents and cleansers impact the environment, there's actually a tangible connection between the harsh chemicals used in those same products and the life of your clothes and general health. The cleaning industry as a whole has started to take notice and is changing their products as demands shift.
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"Certain detergents are so aggressive that they can actually cause holes and other damage in clothes (over time)," says Andrew Slesinski, national sales manager for personal care brand Puracy, who previously spent five years developing a range of Puracy cleaners (including their laundry detergent) as one of its lead chemists.
Even as far back as 1994 (well before going green was in), studies were proving that everything from the synthetic fragrances to the optical whiteners were doing more harm than good.
"Optical brighteners are a marketing gimmick at the cost of human health," says Molly's Suds Founder Monica Leonard. "They absorb UV light and omit it as a blue light that creates an illusion that your clothing isn't dingy. It can even hide stains that the original detergent left behind."
In research uncovered by clean living site The Spruce, a 2011 European Ecolabel Commission report found that these brighteners could produce unknown metabolites as they degrade post-wash, meaning that their effects on the environment (and onto our skin) is not yet known. It's logical to think whatever the final effect is, it can't be good.
The chemicals used in common stain fighters aren't exempt either. According to Slesinski, regular detergents include synthetic surfactants that actually attack the stain and end up attacking the fabric too. While this sounds good in theory, the molecular action of this is so aggressive that it can end up damaging your clothes.
"Like with anything else, the harsher a chemical on any surface, the least likely it is to survive over a longer period of time," Leonard adds.
On the way to developing a fully non-toxic and biodegradable detergent, the Molly's Suds team also found that the mixture of these chemicals can tear through thinner materials. The same product you're using to prevent pilling in certain fabrics is likely putting that textile through unnecessary wear and tear.
How to Switch to Natural Laundry Detergent
So then the question becomes: What to do if you've been using traditional laundry detergent all this time?
Branch Basics Co-Founder Marilee Nelson often recommends to "sun" clothes first, which involves simply putting them out in the sun for awhile, no soaking required. This will help accelerate chemical removal and reduce washer wear and tear. If you wanted to, you could follow-up with a non-toxic detergent and vinegar wash to remove any remaining chemicals. Vinegar can also help garments retain their pigment better.
If that seems like too much work, the easiest option is to simply make the switch to something that's fully non-toxic and made with plant-based products. Once going down this road, it's important to look at the ingredients list and make sure everything is actually as it says or that chemicals and fragrances haven't been hidden away down the list.
There are a few brands that have made it their mission to produce high-quality detergents that perform as good as or better than the big guys, some inspired by tragic stories of health issues that originated from minor, everyday exposure to cleaning chemicals. Each work in a slightly different way, but are all highly effective:
Best Natural Laundry Detergent Brands
Branch Basics is a Texas-based company that was started in response to a serious illness that one of the founder's sons endured. Its flagship product is "The Concentrate," which can be diluted for a variety of household uses. In terms of laundry, the formula equals 64 regular loads per bottle and uses plant and mineral-based ingredients.
"Our formula was built through my experience with clients," Nelson says. "'Non-toxic' on the label isn't enough."
Molly's Suds
Molly's Suds began three years after Leonard suffered a stillbirth of her fourth child, Molly, and dove into the facts about the transfer of chemicals in everyday cleaners. The company has expanded to a variety of laundry products, including a formula specifically targeted towards smelly and athletic clothing. She's also launched The Refillery: a brick and mortar in her home base of St. Petersburg, FL where people can bring empty containers to fill (and refill) with a variety of non-toxic cleaners and soaps, including a range of Molly's Suds products.
Puracy is one of the larger all-natural brands readily available (it just entered Target stores in April). Co-founder Sean Busch came from a background in car detailing product R&D and saw firsthand how harsh chemicals were affecting various auto surfaces. He explains that their laundry detergent uses a cellulose-based enzyme to target and lift stains out of clothes rather than attack the fabric and stain together. Their formula is a 10x concentrate and Busch says it's the only liquid detergent on the market where the first ingredient isn't water.
"Detergents on the shelf today are mostly water," he says. "It's a complete waste of everything: fuel, space, carbon, etc."
With tons of greener cleaners available now, at a variety of price points, there are fewer and fewer reasons to stick with the same harsh chemicals and detergents that have been widely available for so long. Switching to a natural laundry detergent can save you coin, save your clothes and quite literally, save the world.
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