Clean Sudzy Swaps.
Since the skin is the body’s largest organ, ditching & switching toxic laundry detergent is a BIG win for the body & huge step in creating a cleaner (as in greener) home for your family. Unfortunately, so many laundry detergents on the market (even some that are marketed as being clean) are full of harmful chemicals, such as sodium laurel sulfate, phosphates, optimal brighteners & fragrance…just to name a few. These chemicals along with some others have a long laundry list of potential harm causing side effects, symptoms, some big and some small. However, I’m not here to write a post that goes into the details on this matter, I simply want to air the dirty (& by dirty, I mean clean) laundry on my laundry situation. Offering a few safer, non-toxic, plant based (& believe it or not) less expensive options.
I also want to mention that there are two people with super sensitive skin in “da houuuuse”. Ryder and I, our skin does not fair well with fragrances, or this & that chemical. We get itchy, rash-y, irritated & unhappy on all of the levels. …Which is why I have always been tuned into the less toxic options when it comes to laundry detergent specifically. Twenty plus years ago, I based this quest on the fact that I didn’t want my skin to revolt. Now, not only do I not want my skin to revolt, I also don’t want my body to revolt, or be inundated with unnecessary exposure to harmful stuff. Cleary, my body was sending me a message, even back then. “This (fill in blank with popular detergent on the market) is not good for you!”
Clothes on your body, bed sheets, bath towels all in contact with your skin, all day long, every damn day. High exposure. This is why the ditch & switch on the laundry detergent front is a big…win!!!
We use Thieves Laundry Soap, probably not a surprise, because if you’ve been following me for awhile, you know that I love a good YL product. Well, this one is legit. It works so well!!! I feel like the clean-ish detergent option that I used prior, was good, but not great. I never really felt like my clothes were truly clean, or they never really smelled super clean anyway. It just worked well enough that I didn’t have to worry about getting an itchy rash that always ended with a trip to the dermatologist. Really. I was actually hesitant to even try the Thieves Laundry Soap because I didn’t want to risk disrupting my skin & cause a flare up. But after reading & researching & hearing so much buzz, I pulled the trigger. Ordered it, washed our clothes in it and waited for the itch. Literally, was like, okay, here we go skin, buckle up….
One year later, still no itch, no rash, no stale smelling clothes. Just fresh smelling, non-toxic, clean laundry! Even my husband, whom I never thought that I would get off of his popular laundry soap of choice (that smelled like a perfumed April Breeze) is into the Thieves. I’ve heard him dishing the scoop on how much better it is to friends & family on more than one account. I kind of love it.
Non-toxic,
Plant-based
…& It actually works!
Okay, so not only do we use the Thieves Laundry Soap, but I do this hack with it - which turns a highly concentrated 32oz bottle into 96oz!!! It takes 5 minutes to make, lasts 5+ months (we are a family of 4) & costs less than $0.15 a load! (*I am not receiving a commission on the amazon links below, just sharing what we use)
Thieves Laundry Soap Hack
✨Equally divide Thieves Laundry Soap into three (32oz) pump bottles.
✨Add 1-2 capfuls of Thieves Household Cleaner
✨Add 10 drops of Lemon EO & 10 drops of Lavender EO to each bottle. (Or EO of choice)
✨Fill the remainder of the bottle with water
✨I use 4-5 pumps for a large load, but I think Rob uses more.
✨ Wa-la, you just gave your laundry & your bod a big clean glow up!
Next, come the Wool Dryer Balls, because dryer sheets might be even more frightening to me than the majority of the detergents out there. Again, loaded with not so good stuff, not so good for your body & totally not necessary for fresh clean scents or softening. Take of couple of wool dryer balls and add a few drops of EO to each ball, add to dryer with laundry and dry. You can use them over & over & over again! Simple, simple, plant-based, non-toxic so fresh and so clean. We like to use Seedlings Calm EO, for a subtle, clean & comforting vibe.
Not to back track, but if fabric softer is also part of your laundry jam, you can use white distilled vinegar. Simple as that. I don’t find the need for a softener often, but when I do, I use distilled white vinegar;) It is safe & hypoallergenic. Just add one-half cup to the final rinse cycle.
& Lastly, Rob likes to add Molly’s Suds to his gym clothes, for a little extra, extra on the freshening if you know what I’m saying.
I’ve created a custom Clean & Sudzy Laundry Bundle below, making it easy to get started with the YL products that I’ve mentioned above. This would also unlock the 24% discount for any products that you may wish to purchase in the future, if you should choose to. No pressure, or minimums ever. Just savings, if you’re into it.
Connecting about clean swaps & all things health and wellness is my favorite. So please, if you have questions, let’s chat!
In the meantime, enjoy your weekend! I’m headed to the basement for load number 1 of 5. (I’m one of those who saves it all for the weekend - Do not recommend). What is your laundry style? Loads throughout the week? Or, Save it all for Saturday?….
xo. e.