Scent-Free Dryer Sheets

I don’t use dryer sheets. I’m really not bothered by static cling, but for those of you who are and do not want to use toxic fragranced dryer sheets, here are some suggestions.

Several companies make fragrance-free dryer sheets. Seventh Generation is one of them.

Photo by Seventh Generation

Purecosheet is a non-disposable option. It is a reusable cloth dryer sheet that contains no chemicals. It is good for more than 500 loads.

Photo by Reuseit.com

Another option is to use a damp cloth in your dryer cycle. Also, a ¼ cup of white vinegar in the washer is known to reduce static. I use vinegar to freshen my laundry so I am also getting the anti-static benefits as well.

Chlorine Free Bleach

Don’t use chlorine bleach.  It’s toxic.

I’ve used Seventh Generation’s Free and Clear chlorine free bleach.  It is a non-toxic oxygen bleach, meaning it uses hydrogen peroxide.  There are no harmful fumes and won’t discolor clothing.

Seeing as this is a hydrogen based bleach, you can also hydrogen peroxide.  Vinegar and citrus acids, like lemon juice, are also effective alternatives.

Charlie’s Soap Laundry Powder

I found Charlie’s Soap laundry powder at Whole Foods and I really like it.  Most of the time I use Ecos Free & Clear laundry liquid but someone had recommended Charlie’s Soap to me so I wanted to give it a try.

Charlie’s Soap laundry powder is non-toxic, biodegradable, and truly scent-free.  You do not need fabric softeners with it.  In fact, they are not recommended.  It is HE machine safe, and one scoop per load means you get 80 loads out of a small 2.64 lb container.  Charlie’s soap also makes a liquid laundry detergent, as well as an array of other laundry and cleaning products.

Charlie’s Soap

Toxin Free Tampons

Conventional tampons contain pesticide-laden cotton, a very dangerous toxic chemical named dioxin that is result of chlorine bleaching and rayon, a fiber made from wood pulp that requires hundreds of chemicals to convert it from wood to rayon.

I recently made the switch to organic cotton tampons because I am always interested in reducing the amount of toxins I can avoid.  I purchased these boxes of Natracare Organic Cotton Tampons from Vitacost.  Both boxes contain 16 tampons with card applicator and each cost $4.87.  They are 100% organic cotton, perfume free, biodegradable and totally free of chlorine.  Seventh Generation also makes a line of organic tampons.

I found a very informative article online by Meghan Telpner.  Her site is MeghanTelpner.com and she writes about healthy nutrition.  Click here to read her research paper “Tampax Tampons: Toxic Death Sticks.”  Meghan also discusses several alternatives to conventional toxic tampons, one of them being the menstrual cup.  A menstrual cup is a small silicone cup that is inserted to collect fluid.  They are reusable and do not carry the risk of Toxic Shock Syndrome like tampons do.  I’ve been intrigued by this option for some time and I think I will be giving it a try some day.  But in the meantime I’ll stick with my organic cotton tampons.

Fragrance Free Wipes

Carrying baby wipes is essential for me. Most of the time I keep a little bottle of Dr. Bronner’s soap with me, but when for whatever reason I don’t have my bottle of soap, I have my fragrance-free baby wipes. Fragrance transfer is so easy and so unavoidable (just from opening doors, shopping carts, shaking hands, etc) that I have to be able to get the fragrance off my hands as soon as possible. I used to get the Kirkland brand of fragrance free baby wipes and those worked for me very well, until they changed the formula and added a masking fragrance. Even my fiancé, who is fragrance free, but not chemically sensitive, noticed the difference between the new box and the previous one.

So I switched to Seventh Generation. Seventh Generation Baby Wipes are free of chlorine, dyes and fragrances. I keep them in my car and in my bathroom. I use them for my hands and I sometimes even use them to remove my makeup.

Another brand I like is Wet Ones Sensitive Skin Formula. I get the boxes of 24 individually wrapped wipes so I can throw a few in my purse and know I always have a back up with me. They weren’t easy to find. I find them one day at Target and bought five boxes. I like to stock up.

Toxic Dryer Sheets

Photo Courtesy of Care2.com

Here’s a very informative article by Annie B. Bond about the dangers of dryer sheets and why they shouldn’t be used anymore.

Click Here

Green Cleaning Your Home

Because of my sensitivities to synthetic fragrances, I clean my home with natural ingredients. There are so many wonderful green cleaners on the market, like Seventh Generation. I use a lot of their products. But it’s also easy to make your own.

The four ingredients I use to clean anything in my home is water, baking soda, vinegar and castile soap. Baking soda has a multitude of uses (which I will be blogging about later). It is a great abrasive agent to scrub your hard surfaces such as your sinks, showers and bathtubs. I even use it as a toilet cleaner. Vinegar is a great disinfectant. I use it with water to clean up after my little yorkie’s “accidents” around the house. When I need a soap to get the job done, I use Dr. Bronners, another product I will be reviewing and blogging about later.