laundry, the scent of “spring flowers” or “rain shower mist” wafting from the pile. What could be better or healthier for our families than this? Not surprisingly, many detergents and fabric softeners use potentially harsh and damaging chemicals to achieve the “baby’s breath” type scents that seem so pleasant. To be truly green, we should abandon those and use guaranteed natural detergents. You may lose the wonderfully strong smell – they generally have no aroma of any kind – but we know that the harsh chemicals are no longer present. This peace of mind more than makes up for the loss of that wonderful post-laundry-room smell.
I decided to try this out recently, in spite of being such a fan of great smelling clean laundry. I used Seventh Generation’s non-petroleum-based detergent for this little experiment. It is guaranteed to be non-toxic, biodegradable, hypoallergenic, free of phosphates and enzymes, safe for septic and grey water systems, not tested on animals, and, which is really a plus since my husband is Jewish, Kosher-certified!?
Results: two loads of clean, if scent-free laundry. The family didn’t notice the difference. This special detergent was $4 more costly than a “regular” detergent, and I had to shop at Whole Paycheck (otherwise known as Whole Foods) to find it. Net-net: a small price to pay for detergent that preserves our water table and protects our families. ]]>
