Laundry is something that we've all had to do. Whether it be from kids playing sports or a long day at work, clothes ALWAYS need cleaning. To get rid of those stinky socks and sweaty shirts, we use laundry detergent while washing them. The question is, do you use a harmful commercial detergent or reTHink's safe and powerful laundry powder?
Chances are, you use commercial detergents such as Tide or other big brands. Unfortunately, these companies use many harmful ingredients in their products. For example, the first ingredient listed in Tide's official ingredient list is acrylamide. According to the National Cancer Institute, "acrylamide exposure increases the risk for several kinds of cancer", and it is anticipated to be a human carcinogen. If just the first ingredient can have such harmful effects, think about what the other hundred or so ingredients can do as well!
Many other common ingredients in laundry detergents are sulfates, formaldehyde, chlorine bleach, fragrances, and dyes. Sulfates and bleach are eye, skin, and lung irritants, while formaldehyde is a toxic chemical used to preserve dead bodies and can lead to cancer.
The countless amount of harmful chemicals and toxins in laundry detergent can not only harm your own health, but the planet's as well. Since we use laundry detergent to wash clothes, it inevitably ends up in our water supply. Unfortunately, water treatment plants can only do so much to purify water, meaning that our tap water can have traces of the aforementioned harmful chemicals. Another issue is that phosphates, another common detergent ingredient, can lead to algal blooms in water ecosystems. Algal blooms are catastrophic to aquatic life because the algae use up all the dissolved oxygen, leaving the other organisms to slowly die out.
Another major issue with laundry detergents is that they are packaged in plastic bottles. As you may well know, plastic is TERRIBLE for the environment. It is created from oil, a fossil fuel, is produced in mass numbers, and isn't biodegradable. Unfortunately, most laundry detergents come in plastic bottles or jugs. In North America alone, 900 MILLION laundry jugs are used per year, and 630 MILLION of those jugs end up in landfills.
reTHink's Zero-Waste Store is countering all of these harmful effects through our own brand of laundry powder. Made with 5 or less natural ingredients, our laundry powder will effectively and safely clean all of your clothes. In addition, our laundry powder comes in reusable and compostable packaging, so no waste will ever end up in landfills or the ocean. You can either compost the packaging yourself, or simply bring it back to us the next time that you are buying laundry powder or just stopping by the store. reTHink Laundry Powder currently comes in unscented, peppermint, and lavender forms. And for those of you who are a little hesitant to try our powder, we provide FREE samples so that you can see the amazing benefits of switching to our brand.
To buy reTHink Laundry Powder, you can come visit the Zero-Waste Store or our online shop. We are located at 608 N. 13th St. Terre Haute, IN, 47807, and we are open from 11am-6pm Monday through Thursday. And while you are at the store, you can try out our other laundry related products, such as stain sticks and dryer balls. In addition to that, we have a large variety of other natural and sustainable products to make both you and our planet healthy!