Tips to detox your whole life
Hi all! Hope you’re doing OK and are settling into a ‘quarantine life routine’ that isn’t leaving you, frustrated, exhausted, bored or nearing insanity.
I’ve felt all of these emotions in the past few weeks, so I’m sure many of us are riding the same roller coaster! Overall though, I am counting my lucky blessings that my family, here and overseas, are all healthy and tucked safely away from harm.
My heart goes out to all of those people who are still leaving the security of their homes to go to their jobs, now more difficult than ever and I hope that we as a community do our bit to make this new life easier for everyone around us.
There’s one process in this series of detoxes I almost wasn’t going to write about, because my first attempt at making this product was far from easy. In fact, it was such a messy, time-consuming nightmare, that I vowed never to do it again. But, I’ve changed my mind and I’m hoping I might be able to get you to change the way you approach this product as well. So, what am I referring to? Can you guess? It’s laundry detergent! Specifically, making your own laundry detergent.
Last time I tried, I spent about 90 millionty hours (only a slight exaggeration) grating, yes grating, 4 bars of soap, to mix with a messy concoction of borax, washing soda and baking soda and some of my favourite fresh scented essential oils. The result? One exhausted, frustrated “housewife” and a gloopy concoction that never seemed to leave the dispenser of the washing machine properly. All in all, a total fail!
Since then, I’ve tried various natural products, all of which I liked but were quite expensive. I’ve been curious to try soap nuts or soap berries, but my research tells me they’re best for lightly soiled laundry. Given we’re a family that like our exercise and natural deodorants, I don’t think they’ll cut it! For now, I’m using a simple combination of 1 cup of washing soda, 1 cup of baking soda, ½ a cup of epsom salts and again, some essential oils such as eucalyptus or peppermint oils. Then I add white vinegar to the rinse cycle as a fabric softener which seems to do the trick.
But let’s go back to the beginning. Let me explain why I wanted to find a more natural laundry detergent in the first place. Here’s the thing, once you begin researching toxic chemicals in commonly used household products, you start to notice that the same names seem to pop up everywhere. And these harmful chemicals seem to be even more pronounced in laundry detergent. People may assume it’s not such a big deal if after all we’re not applying the products directly to our skin. But actually, if we’re wearing clothes that have been washed in these chemicals, with additional heat and moisture they may penetrate our skin. Plus, even the smells from most of these commercial products are toxic.
Let me throw some names at you. 1,4-Dioxane is added to most commercial laundry products as a solvent, i.e. it helps make a good sudsy lather. This ingredient has been identified as ‘likely to cause cancer’ and is potentially toxic to your lungs, kidneys, liver and central nervous system. Even short-term exposure to high levels of the stuff can cause headaches, vertigo and drowsiness.
Then there’s nonylphenol ethoxylate which again causes kidney and liver damage and is a hormone disrupter that causes growth deficiencies and potentially cancer.
SLS, or sodium lauryl sulfate when mixed with sulfur trioxide or chlorosulfonic acid is a corrosive chemical that can cause allergic skin reactions, organ toxicity and cellular changes.
Many detergents also contain high levels of phospates which are known to cause nausea, digestive issues and skin irritation.
And last, but certainly not least, there’s the fragrance. By now you’ll have realized that whenever we see fragrance, we must be suspicious of phthalates. These toxic chemicals are known endocrine (hormone) disrupters and if you can smell them, then you’re also being exposed to the side effects. And most likely, so are your kids and neighbours!
So, it really is worth looking for an alternative. Whether you wanna Google one of the thousand of DIY recipes online or seek out a referral for a good natural product, it’s worth doing your homework on this one.
The other thing that is worth considering is the environmental impact of your purchases. Many of these commercial washing powders are not only toxic to us, they’re also detrimental to our habitat and specifically sea-life. So, let’s do our bit to detox the environment at the same time huh? It’s a win-win!
