The Best Natural and Non Toxic Laundry Detergent

If you’ve been slowly switching out your conventional products for natural options or you haven’t quite found the perfect natural laundry detergent, then I have a swap for you. Finding a Natural and Non Toxic Laundry Detergent is one of the most important swaps to make in my opinion. When it comes to replacing toxic items for safer ones, my number one rule is to start with the products that come into contact with you the most. This could mean deodorant, shampoos, hand soaps etc. But one of the most important items to focus on in my opinion is laundry detergent. Not only is it responsible for washing every single clothing item you wear and the linens you sleep in, but conventional laundry detergents are some of the most toxic items you can find on a store shelf.

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Many people are reacting to their laundry detergent without even knowing it. Skin conditions are some of the top side effects of toxic laundry detergents. If you have someone in your family who is suffering from psoriasis, eczema, acne, or even just unexplainable rashes, I would recommend looking into the detergent you’re using as part of the solution. This is not a topic that I’m new to as I grew up in a family who never used Tide. My Father and Brother both experienced allergies, asthma and eczema so my Mother eventually landed on switching laundry detergent for something less harsh and it alleviated many symptoms for them. Now that I have my own children, I want to make sure that I’m also using something that will not harm them (my son also has a tendency towards eczema) and I also need something that works to clean their clothing. We have a mud kitchen in our backyard so the cleaning part is important 🙂

That being said, finding a good non toxic laundry detergent that works for your clothing and family isn’t always as easy as it seems. Many of the options on the market fall short in certain areas such as how well they clean, how expensive they are or the condition they leave your clothing in. It can cost a lot of money to try all of the different options when many of them don’t work the way you would want them to. I have tried MANY different natural detergents over the years and only a handful of them passed my standards. Since I’ve done this leg work, I figured I would share a bit about my very favorite laundry detergent so you can save money, time and avoid trialing all the options out there. But first, I want to chat a bit about the reasons I steer clear of toxic conventional laundry detergents.

 

Toxic Ingredients to Avoid in Laundry Detergent

Toxic load refers to the accumulation of toxic exposure that your body handles on a day to day basis. It is no surprise that by reducing your toxic load, you will improve your overall health. Your body will not have to work as hard to counteract the affects of the toxins entering your system and can function properly. We are exposed to hazards all day in our environment but when they become too much of a burden, our bodies will fight back with symptoms. This can range for everyone but many experience issues with skin, tiredness, hormone imbalance, mental health issues, contracting chronic diseases or conditions like cancer, etc. This is our bodies way of responding to invaders that affects its ability to operate each day.

You are the gatekeeper of your home and by reducing the toxic load and burden on your body, you will increase overall well being. There are a number of common offenders hiding in your laundry detergent and causing health issues that you may not know about. This isn’t a comprehensive list but a good snapshot of the worst ingredients added to detergents that you purchase off store shelves.

Here are some of the ingredients you want to avoid when it comes to laundry detergents:

 

1. SLS/SLES (Sodium Lauryl Sulfate and Sodium Lauryl Ether Sulfate): are added as a foaming agent and very toxic. This can cause inflammation and irritation to the eyes, nose, throat, skin, lungs and damage to internal organs.
2. Phosphates: Linked to cardiovascular disease, osteoporosis, and death.
3. Formaldehyde: This is well known as the chemical used to preserve and embalm dead bodies. It is listed as a known carcinogen/proven to cause cancer.
4. Chlorine Bleach: Dangerous to the skin and eyes. Can cause severe respiratory issues.
5. Ammonium Sulfate: An oral, skin and respiratory toxin.
6. Dioxane (1,4 Dioxane): Liquid fumes are known to spontaneously combust. This is also a known carcinogen to humans. Can cause damage to the central nervous system as well as major organs.
7. Optical Brighteners: Optical brighteners or UV brighteners are an eye, skin and lung irritant.
8. Ammonium Quaternary Sanitizers (Quats/Synthesized Cationic Surfactants): are eye skin and lung irritants.
9. Fragrance (Unspecified/Parfum): Fragrance is an umbrella term and manufacturers are not required to list any of its contents. They can contain 1000’s of harmful ingredients under this single term and are major endocrine disruptors to humans (deeply affect hormones).
10. Nonylphenol Ethoxylates (Nonoxynol, NPE’s): Exposure to these fumes can be fatal. An eye. skin and lung irritant.
11. Dyes: Dyes cause cancer and are major endocrine disruptors (hormones). In addition to this, many individuals are allergic or sensitive to dyes.
12. Benzyl Acetate: Toxic to the central nervous system and major organs.
13. Dichlorobenzene (P-Dichlorobenzene/Benzene): Carcinogenic to humans

 

“Our Data demonstrate that laundry detergents, even at a very high dilution, and rinse residue show significant cell-toxic and directly disruptive effects on the TJ barrier integrity of HBEC’s without affecting the epigenome and TJ gene expression.” (human bronchial epithelial cells) – Wang., M., Et. al, 2019)

 

Best Natural and Non Toxic Laundry Detergent: Truly Free

As I mentioned above, I have tried them all. It’s taken over a decade of trial and error (and a lot of wasted money) to finally stumble upon the BEST natural laundry detergent I have ever used. It hits ALL of my requirements above and probably more. I will be honest, after years of trialing different detergents I was certain I was going to have to settle slightly. But I now know different. My favorite natural and non toxic laundry detergent is  Truly Free Laundry Detergent and what I now use. I will never go back to any other option before this. It is incredible, and I’ll explain what makes it better than the rest on the market.

When I’m looking for a good natural  laundry detergent, I have a few requirements in mind:

• Cleans Well
• Leaves Clothing SOFT and not stiff
• Smells Nice (without use of synthetic fragrance)
• Affordable
• Doesn’t Irritate Skin

Obviously at bare minimum we would want the detergent to clean the clothing well. You would be surprised at how many natural detergents left behind foul musty odors and didn’t leave my clothing feeling refreshed. There are a good handful of natural detergents that I’ve found hit this mark, but I prefer to keep the bar set a bit higher for something I use daily. Truly Free cleans clothing, towels and linens like a dream. I don’t have any leftover musty smells. just fresh and warm laundry coming out of the dryer each time.

Another thing I noticed with natural detergents is that many of them do not leave my clothing feeling soft. Rather, they come out stiff and have lost their cozy factor. I haven’t quite figured out what it is about these detergents that causes this effect but I have managed to find one that does not cause this. Truly Free’s detergent leaves my clothing feeling oh so soft. They maintain their “new clothing texture” longer than with using other detergents and are still so comfortable to wear. A lot of other natural laundry detergents I had used in the past left my clothing feeling like they were 100 years old as they didn’t retain the bright colors or softness new clothing offers. I am happy to report that this is not the case anymore.

My #1 goal in using natural laundry detergents is to avoid any negative health impacts from toxic ingredients. One of the most common complaints when it comes to using toxic detergents are the skin irritations that come along with them. I have a son who is more prone to eczema and so I want to ensure these detergents aren’t causing him any added grief. This can be due to many different ingredients but one major offender for the skin is SYNTHETIC FRAGRANCE. As I explained above, this single word on an ingredient list can actually encompass thousands of ingredients. It is an umbrella term and there is very little regulation when it comes to manufacturing products with synthetic fragrances.

I certainly will not compromise mine or my families health by using a product for scent, but I do miss a good fresh smell of newly laundered clothing sometimes. That alone is one of the biggest reasons I fell in love with Truly Free Laundry Detergent. They have somehow managed to create the perfect blend of essential oils that smell just like that fresh tide scent (but slightly less offensive). Your clothing comes out smelling fresh and beautiful. The scent doesn’t wash away completely after drying as it typically does with most natural detergents. I also love slipping into bed with freshly washed linens using Truly Free because I can tell they’ve just come out of the wash from the soft refreshing smell. It’s so comforting and it SMELLS AMAZING! For those who prefer no scent at all there is an un-scented option but I fell head over heels with this detergent when I realized it’s the only one on the market to retain it’s scent after washing without using synthetic fragrance. It’s magical.

Truly Free is plant based, cruelty free, natural and non toxic.  The company is family owned and operated and all of their products are made directly in the US. Not to mention, they use portions of their profits to provide support to many charities around the globe. In addition to this, not only does Truly Free clean out dirt and scum from your clothes and linens but it also:

• Helps detox away harmful chemicals
• Wash out stained bacteria & trapped germs
• Can purify immune-impacting toxins we make contact with

Plus it’s…

• A Powerful stain remover yet natural & non-toxic
• Safe for babies and children
• Gentle on skin: Suitable for even the most sensitive individuals.
• Delightful scent derived from plant & essential oils (distinct but not overpowering)
• Uses Milled salts and Plant-Based Cleansing Ingredients (100% Vegan Patented Quadra-salt Technology)
• 50 loads per jug: Provides long-lasting cleaning power.
• Free of harmful chemicals like Chlorine bleach, phosphates, nonylphenol ethoxylate, and 1,4-dioxane.
• Free of all Thickeners, Dyes, Optical Brighteners
• Environmental sustainability: Receive 1 forever jug & mix refills with your water at home
• Works on HE & standard machines
• Effective in cold water
• Septic safe
• Helps Washer Clean More Efficiently

 

 

How to Use The Laundry Concentrate

Truly Free Laundry Detergent comes with a reusable jug and the detergent concentrate on your first purchase. Following this, you simply purchase just concentrated refills for your jug each time you need more detergent. This helps to avoid more plastic ending up in landfills. This also makes shipping less expensive as the refill concentrate is much lighter than the fully prepared detergent in the jug itself. By adding water at home to a concentrate, the packet that ships to your home is compact and light making shipping fees MUCH less expensive.

To make detergent from your concentrated refill packets, you simply remove the spout and cap, fill the jug with warm water to the specified fill line, add the concentrate, place cap and spout back on and shake till the contents are all mixed together. Then you use the cap to measure out your detergent for each load of laundry. The graphic below shows just how simple it is to refill your laundry detergent each time you purchase more:

 

Where to Buy Truly Free Laundry Detergent

 

Truly Free has their own website and I will be honest, it looks like an archaic shop website from the 90’s or early 2000’s lol. Thankfully, it IS legitimate. Purchasing their products is quite easy and they ship and arrive super quickly (even across the border to Canada). The best part about their products are their affordability! They almost always have some sort of bundle deal running where you can typically stack my discount code on top for additional savings. Otherwise, you can shop as normal with the discount code they graciously offered to Holistic Vanity readers (find it down below). As you’ve discovered, I LOVE their signature scent natural laundry detergent. But they have many more products you can check out. I’ll share the ones I have used and loved most personally:

• Their Softening Rinse is a liquid laundry softener that you add to your load if you want that extra but of fluffiness out of your dryer. It has the same incredible signature scent as the detergent. This isn’t a necessity but a humble laundering luxury for those who want that extra softness that is natural and non toxic.
• Their Oxy Booster is a natural alternative to oxy clean to get the brightest whites and most vibrant colors out of your clothing after the wash. The booster dos this without damaging fabrics or risking exposure to harmful bleach & other alternatives. This product is more versatile than just a laundry product, however, as it can be used to clean around the entire home. It can also be used for an extra squeaky cleaning for toilets, bath tubs, sinks and more.
• Their Stain Stick is one of my favorite products aside from their Detergent. I have used so many natural stains sticks before and they always feel waxy and never deliver results. This stick smells like key lime pie and suds up beautifully so you can lather on those pesky spots on your clothes or linens. This has gotten red marinara sauce AND blood out of clothing for us. I always have one of these on hand.

If you want to grab some natural and non toxic Laundry Detergent or any of their amazing cleaning products, head over to their website HERE and don’t forget to use my discount code: HOLISTICVANITY at checkout to save.

Note: Some of their deals require you to sign up for a subscription to receive the deal. If you prefer not to have the subscription, you are able to cancel it immediately. Just wait for the confirmation email to come through to log in to your truly free account and follow the prompts to adjust or cancel your subscription. Locking into a subscription guarantees you the same deal you signed on with but you can certainly buy it once and cancel right away if you prefer to shop as needed. This is what I do and it’s easy peasy. 

Hope you enjoy the gorgeous natural and non toxic scent and that fresh clothing feel as much as I do!

 

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