We love seeing the trend towards more natural alternatives in skincare, cosmetics, baby care and pet care.  More and more companies are choosing natural ingredients in their formulations, and this includes supermarket brands.  However it doesn’t seem to be happening in the laundry section of the supermarket.  The trend in this category is the addition of even more harsh chemicals that companies think are needed to get results – enzymes, bio-enzymes, optical brighteners, etc.  So why is the laundry just as important as the bathroom or kitchen when choosing natural?

The environment

Many of the chemicals contained in these products are not fully bio-degradable, meaning their impact is felt all through the environment, including sea life. Some of the worst offenders include:

• Linear alkyl sodium sulfonates (LAS): These synthetic surfactants are commonly listed as ‘anionic surfactants’ on labels, and are one of the most common surfactants in use. During their production process, carcinogenic and reproductive toxins such as benzene are released into the environment. They also biodegrade slowly, making them a hazard in the environment.
• Optical brighteners: These synthetic chemicals are designed to make your clothes appear whiter after washing, although do not actually make them cleaner. They’ve been found to be toxic to fish and to cause bacterial mutations.

Your health

The ingredients contained in these products can definitely irritate your skin and could be doing even greater damage to our long term health.  Here are some of the words you’ll find on the back of supermarket laundry products: Do not leave near children, use with dry hands, irritating to skin – are there for good reason. The synthetic chemicals contained in laundry can be very dangerous to your family’s health.  Some of the common laundry chemicals we avoid include:

• Synthetic Enzymes:  designed to break down the proteins in stains, residue left on clothes or linens close to the skin will do the very same thing to your skin.
• Synthetic fragrance:  we have written about this one many times.  You just don’t know what’s in it and what’s in it usually isn’t very nice, won’t bio-degrade easily and can cause skin and eye irritation.
• Optical brighteners:  optical brighteners work by staying on the clothes after washing, meaning clothes washed in them have this chemical residue which are often the cause of skin rashes or irritation.
• Sodium Lauryl Sulphate:  the foaming detergent in many laundry washes – it is a proven irritant.

Our Laundry Wash, Delicate Wash and Wool & Cashmere Wash are all sourced 100% from plants.  Both can be used for machine or hand washing, for front or top loaders.  The Delicate Wash is designed for natural fibres like silk that require a lower pH. The Laundry Wash is for everyday washing. The Wool & Cashmere Wash is for is designed for knitted fabrics like cotton, linen, wool, fleece and cashmere with added conditioning agents to keep them soft and fluffy.  Please do email us any questions you might have about ingredients or how to use our products.  hello@bondiwash.com.au