One of the best feelings is sliding into bed with freshly washed sheets. However, that fresh laundry smell can come at a cost. Many conventional detergents can contain many harmful chemicals. From fragrances (or parfums), optical brighteners, synthetic dyes, surfactants, phosphates and more. Laundry detergents leave a chemical residue that can be absorbed into our skin or inhaled into our lungs. So if you or your child have ever experienced itchy skin, eye irritation, eczema or rashes after wearing clean clothes, or jumping into bed with freshly washed sheets, the culprit may be in your washing liquid or powder. Some of the chemicals used in these products are also endocrine disruptors and possible carcinogens. But it’s not just about our health. We also have to think of the environment when we’re choosing laundry products as they can also end up in our waterways. Some ingredients are quite harmful to aquatic life and also aren’t biodegradable - meaning they don’t break down and stay in our waterways and oceans. Algae can also build up as a result which kills fish and plants. We know that many of these ingredients are harmful (see references in caption if you want to read more), yet they’re still somehow allowed in products that come into contact with our skin and our ecosystems and remain on the shelves at our local supermarkets. If you would like to make the swap to a healthier and more natural alternative, luckily, there’s quite a few great laundry detergent / powder brands available in both NZ and Australia to choose from. @a.glimpse.of.amelia and I have put together this list of trusted brands that use safe ingredients for both our health and the environment to make your search for better laundry liquid or powder a whole lot easier. If you find this type of content helpful, make sure you’re following Amelia @a.glimpse.of.amelia as she’s sharing some great education to help make living a low-tox life easier. We’re looking forward to sharing our next review (this one was highly requested) on bug repellent soon 🤗💥