Use eco-friendly laundry detergent.

I have been using eco-friendly laundry detergent for years. I have tried multiple brands, but do not have a favorite. I am using one from Costco™ now.

There are many brands of eco-friendly detergent on the market. Be careful to read the labels though because some claim to be eco-friendly, but still contain sulfates which can be irritating to the skin and eyes. If you or a family member has sensitive skin, sulfates should definitely be avoided.

In 1994, all fifty states banned phosphorus from laundry detergent because it produced excess algae and plant life in the water. These excess plants took all the oxygen from the water life that lived in the water destroying the ecosystem. The phosphorus was doing more harm than good.

However, surfactants have not been banned from detergents, even though the EPA has stated that they disrupt the endocrine system in humans and animals. They help release the dirt from your clothes, but do not help the environment at all since they are toxic to it and aquatic life.

Around five years ago, a major laundry detergent manufacturer introduced a more eco-friendly version of their detergent. You would think it would have made me happy, but it actually made me the opposite. Why would you introduce a better laundry detergent for the customer and the environment, charge a few more dollars a bottle for it, and continue to keep your “bad for the environment” detergent out there? If you truly cared for either, you would have made a big deal about the new product focusing on how it helps out the environment and how it is better for the customer and discontinued making the other detergent. Now, when the public has to choose between bottles, they will choose based on the fact that is cheaper to just stick with the original version. Here again, a company is putting their bottom dollar ahead of the health of the environment and the humans that populate it. I am so thankful for the companies that ONLY produce products with these two very important things in mind. Those are the companies and brands I choose to support.

The next time your laundry detergent is low, start looking at what is available out there that could be better for you and the environment. Consider trying something new, even if it is a couple more dollars up front. Your skin might be happier for it, and I know the environment will be!