4 reasons to ditch the store bought fabric softener
I have a confession to make… When I first started my low tox journey I was devastated to think about getting rid of my store bought fabric softener. I was thinking “but my clothes smell so good when I’ve used it” and “my sheets will never be soft again” but fear not, I have a solution and once you find out what fabric softener actually does you will be running to the laundry to toss it!
STORE BOUGHT FABIRC SOFTENERS ACTUALLY STAIN YOUR CLOTHES
EEK! The way they are designed is to coat your clothes and make them feel ‘soft’, but this leaves a waxy build up on them and over time this can cause yellowing, especially on your luxurious white sheets.
FRAGRANCE IN FABRIC SOFTENER CONTAINS PHTHALATES
These nasty chemicals can cause a range of serious health issues including endocrine disruption aka interfering with our hormones, damage to the male reproductive system and sperm, behavioural and cognitive issues in infants and children, asthma and cancer just to name a few. Scary right!
THESE PROBLEM CAUSING FRAGRANCE PARTICLES HAVE BEEN KNOWN TO STAY ON OUR CLOTHES FOR UP TO 8 YEARS!
What the!? That is the reason they put phthalates in fragrances as they are specifically designed to stick to things and keep it smelling ‘fresh’ and ‘yummy’ for as long as possible, meanwhile we are breathing this into our lounges and absorbing them through our skin.
THEY ARE TOXIC TO MARINE LIFE
Not only do the range of chemicals in fabric softener impact our health but they also unsafe for Nemo and his fishy friends, and that is just mean!
So you can see why its just soo not worth that delicious smell and ‘soft’ (more like stained) feel. But don’t worry, I’ve got your back girl, there is a much safer option!
Try adding half a cup of white vinegar to your fabric softener department, combined with a few drops of your favourite essential oils and you’ve got soft, fresh smelling washing again!
The vinegar works to neutralize any odours, remove residue and prevent static which means less lint and pet hair stuck to your clothes - YAY! It is also much more cost effective leaving you more coin to shop for clothes not waste it on washing them! Double bonus! And I promise it wont leave your clothes smelling like vinegar. You won’t even miss it…
Source: saferchemicals.org