If you want a healthy life, one of your biggest steps will be switching whatever you get in the store for toxin-free laundry products.
Laundry detergents have serious hormonal disruptors which pollute your homes air, outdoor air, and then hang in your closet seeping out into your breathing air while you sleep.
So, yeah…pretty serious.
Synthetics Out!
While you are cleansing your home from synthetic fragrance, add these to your got-to-go list:
air fresheners
candles (yes, even soy and other “special” ones)
wall plug-ins
wax melts
fake, store bought essential oils (yes, those are synthetic!)
room sprays
Why is it so important to completely rid your home of synthetic smells?
Our homes are 3-5 times more toxic (AKA carcinogenic, hormone disrupting, respiratory debilitating, developmentally harmful, environmentally harmful) than the outdoor pollution because of toxins in our homes. Synthetic fragrance is a HUGE contributor!
Laundry Detergent
Option 1: Simple and Awesome DIY Recipe!
You’ll want to bookmark this amazing DIY detergent recipe that has been our family’s go-to for a while now.
Keep in mind that the only one you can actually count on is the Young Living option.
Young Living’s Thieves Laundry Detergent: Click HERE
More great news?
With your wholesale discount, dilution of this seriously concentrated product, and utilizing the Essential Rewards program, you will come out far less expensive than in-store and way healthier, too.
Reminder…
There’s a serious misconception that fragrance is somehow natural when it’s labeled as something we commonly use (i.e. grapefruit, lavender, eucalyptus).
The truth is that unless it discloses that Young Living is supplying its oils to create a fragrance, you’re getting synthetic fragrance, which means you’re messing with your body’s hormones, increasing your cancer risk, etc.
Real Life Use
As a mom running every which way, I must say I really don’t mind the five minutes it takes to make the DIY detergent.
The links in the recipe lead to buying in bulk, which means I have all the ingredients I need to make this about once a month for a little over $3 per month, saving me lots without much trouble.
Fabric Softener
One of the worst offenders when it comes to our home’s air quality is fabric softener and dryer sheets.
They release fragrance that sticks to your clothes and whose chemicals enter into your blood stream through your largest organ-your skin.
Some reports have even linked it to seizures in children.
Thankfully, there is a great answer so you can avoid static.
Mixing two ingredients together once a month for a few bucks and reusing our dryer balls whenever we want a little extra fragrance is my personal choice because it’s just too easy not to!
Final Thoughts…
Just by removing all air fresheners from your home and switching to toxin-free laundry, you have created a much cleaner and safer environment for your family!
While the idea of pulling all the toxins from your home can be daunting, please remember that what you’re doing is making a huge difference and to give yourself grace through this process.
You will get there, and I do so wish I would’ve done it this way instead of the panicky, scrambled way I learned.
Please feel free to message me on my Facebook page or to post your own thoughts and questions, so we can all work together toward a better, cleaner, and safer future!
Make it Even Simpler
If you’d like to find out how to get the simplest form of this amazing toxin-free life, click here.
Pour 1/3 C then pour into your washing machine or detergent drawer.
If you see some of it settling over time, that’s okay! Just stir before use. It will break up in the wash. We have used this successfully in both a regular washer as well as an HE.
Grateful
Wasn’t it odd that something in the store made to smell great made me nauseous?
I guess because of this, I wasn’t too surprised to find how dangerous they are.
The worst part?
Some of the most common brands that scored an “F” on the ewg.org scale are made for babies.
Babies!
Brand new respiratory systems, hearts, brains all developing while snuggled in toxins.
The cherry on top? They charge an unsightly amount for 90 loads, call it “Free and Clear,” and even concentrate it to give it to us in tiny little bottles.(You’ll find Fabric Softener does the same thing).
Top Offenders
Like me, you’ll probably find your detergent doesn’t fit into your healthy lifestyle, either. Check it out:
Take Babyganics for instance. The word “baby” is right in it!
Fragrance Free? White bottle? Well played, Babyganics.
And how about Dreft!?
The detergent we’re supposed to wash all our newborn clothes in before the baby arrives to avoid allergic reactions to detergents that also scored an “F”…what??
Even the words “Green” lead the consumer to be confused thinking we’re paying extra for something great, when in fact, we simply are not.
Option 1: Top Pick
The top pick outside of DIY is the only brand I can always trust.
Thieves Laundry Detergent packs a serious punch with the amazing power of Thieves essential oil blend!
Option 2: My Favorite DIY
If you’ve got five minutes (yes, it literally takes only five minutes…or less!), you can have chemical-free laundry detergent that works great and leaves your clothes feeling good, too.
For only around $3 per month!
At a fraction of the cost, this is a quick and easy way to not only save on the budget, but also save your family from breathing in toxins. (Find the companion Fabric Softener here).
Get Essential Oils to Jumpstart Toxin-Free Living!
You’ll find Young Living products all over this blog because I believe in them and the quality that only Young Living offers.
I know their products will not be altered in a way that will ever harm my family, and we love what the oils have done for our family’s health.
While we were busy making everything we have smell so fresh and so clean-clean we were actually covering them in some pretty sketchy chemicals. Chemicals that mess with your air quality and harm your family from the inside out.
The ewg.org website rates dryer sheets and other household items with an “A-F” rating.
Take a look to see how the dryer sheets in your home measure up.
You can also read here about what exactly makes dryer sheets such a problem when it comes to the air quality in your home.
I think I was most let down by Babyganics.
I mean, I knew the smell in the fabric softener I had used in the past was not a natural smell, and it had to come from something synthetic to be that strong, but, et tu, Babyganics?
You mixed the word “Baby” with “organics,” and you got me.
But not anymore.
DIY Fabric Softener
If you’ve got two or three minutes and are looking for a quick, easy recipe that works and is toxin-free, you’re going to love this!
We have been using this in place of fabric softeners after trying some fairly horrible recipes.
Our clothes have smelled like vinegar, been so electrically charged we have shocked each other in passing, and grumbled through folding as we endured multiple zaps.
Finally we agreed on this.
I use this softener with these wool dryer balls to help combat static. We love it! Even in the winter, when static is tough to fight, we have found success!
Fill your container 3/4 of the way full with epsom salts and 1/4 of the way with baking soda.
Stir to incorporate and break up any clumps.
Use 1/2 cup with large loads and 1/4 cup for small loads. Pour right into your washer with the detergent! 🙂
When it’s time to switch over to the dryer: add essential oils (we like Citrus Fresh or Purification for our laundry) to dryer balls like these .
How to Get the Oils that Save Your Extra Stinky Laundry
Citrus Fresh is a part of something called the Premium Starter Kit that gives you a big discount on every product you buy with Young Living.
Read this post to learn what all comes in this crazy-good deal and learn more about all you can replacement buy with Young Living as a brand you know you can trust here.
Final Thoughts
Something I really love about non-toxic laundry detergent and fabric softeners is that our boys like to help with the wash.
I love that their tiny hands can hold on to a measuring cup full of something that isn’t harming them if they spill a little here and there.
It’s a great feeling to have soft, fresh laundry that you know is not only safe but effective, too!
You don’t have to sacrifice your health or your wallet for products that work.
 (great way to get more use from what you bought if you made the  
