Seems everyone in my neighborhood does their laundry early on Saturday mornings. I was on my morning run and I noticed I couldn't run a hundred meters without being assaulted by the scent of "apple mango tango" or " fresh mountain breeze" or whatever they're called these days. It was enough to turn my sensitive morning stomach. It got me thinking to the days back when I had no idea how harmful these seemingly benign toxic chemical soups (or sheets) were. I stopped using them completely when I was pregnant and couldn't stand strong smells. While I was doing research on products safe and gentle enough to use on my babies I discovered the harsh truth about fabric softener. Needless to say, never again was a bottle or sheet of the stuff to cross the threshold of our house. These days for the most part I use nothing. When I throw some jeans in the dryer after they've been on the line, I use some dryer balls to beat the stiffness out of them. Our clothes usually come out of the laundry smelling mildly clean (we use Ecover laundry detergent and it has a very, very mild scent) and "outdoorsy" if they were line dried, but not much else.
If you're wondering if now is the time to ditch the softener, here's what you've got to lose (hint: they're harmful chemicals and their effect on the human body):- Benzyl acetate (linked to pancreatic cancer)
- Benzyl Alcohol (upper respiratory tract irritant)
- Ethanol: On the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) Hazardous Waste list and can cause central nervous system disorders
- Limonene: Known carcinogen
- A-Terpineol: Can cause respiratory problems, including fatal edema, and central nervous system damage
- Ethyl Acetate: A narcotic on the EPA's Hazardous Waste list
- Camphor: Causes central nervous system disorders
- Chloroform: Neurotoxic, anesthetic and carcinogenic
- Linalool: A narcotic that causes central nervous system disorders
- Pentane: A chemical known to be harmful if inhaled
(source: sixwise.com)
Go ahead, ditch the softener. Your body will thank you for it. So will the environment. So will this early morning runner.
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