We ALL try hard as parents to make the best and healthiest choices for our families right?
The Naturally Healthy Mamma blog is one woman's story of the many ways I have slowly, over time, conquered a toxin-free home through educating myself, and putting that education into action.
I have learned so much over the last 8 years about how to stop buying products that will increase illness in our family and instead replace them with natural alternatives.
It did not happen overnight.
Instead it was more like pushing a big ball uphill, sweating and stressing
(but no cussing because we just don't need one more thing to feel guilty over,
am I right?)
Basic understanding of how Dryer sheets work?
Simple.
Those boxes of prettiness contain demonic sheets of destruction coated with chemicals that DON'T RUB OFF until your skin absorbs it from the clothing while wearing.
As in...wash it quite a few times and STILL be rubbing off on your skin.
What do some of those chemicals do or are known for: (click here to read it yourself)
Br prepared though to do some serious freaking out...because...yeah most of us have been using these with NO IDEA of what it was doing to us.....
1. Alpha-Terpineol causes central nervous system disorders. Can also cause loss of muscular coordination, central nervous system depression, and headache.
2. Benzyl Alcohol causes central nervous system disorders, headaches, nausea, vomiting, dizziness, central nervous system depression, and, in severe cases, death.
3. Camphor on the US EPA’s Hazardous Waste list. Synthetic Camphor is a central nervous system stimulant, causes dizziness, confusion, nausea, twitching muscles, and convulsions.
4. Chloroform on the EPA’s Hazardous Waste list. Neurotoxic and carcinogenic.
5. Ethyl Acetate on the EPA’s Hazardous Waste list. Narcotic. May cause headaches and narcosis (stupor).
6. Synthetic Linalool causes central nervous system disorders. Narcotic. In studies of animals, it caused ataxic gait (loss of muscular coordination), reduced spontaneous motor activity, and depression.
7. Pentane causes headaches, nausea, vomiting, dizziness, drowsiness, and loss of consciousness. Repeated inhalation of vapors causes central nervous system depression.
A fabulously written article that started our journey: "Dont Get Slimed" by Rebecca Sutton, PhD
Okay, so enough negative. We are all becoming more aware of what is around us, and the blinders are falling off more and more every year as we become empowered by the information revealed around us.
So you don't want crunchy jeans, static cling, or rough towels, right?
Let get some serious solutions.
- Add vinegar to the final cycle on your machine. It does a good job of softening your clothing. And the scent disappears.
- Let your clothing air dry, and then run it on the low, wrinkle remover setting. Works awesome for towels. Works not so awesome during winter months or if you live where it routinely rains a LOT.
- Add 1/2 cup baking soda to your washer with your detergent. This is a natural softener.
- Use 100% Wool Dryer balls. We scent ours with Lavender, Peppermint, or Idaho Blue Spruce. The trick to using wool balls is less drying time to avoid static, and using 6 at a time. Even in the super cold weather here we do not struggle with static because of those tips, and due to the natural lanolin in the balls. Attaching a couple plain metal safety pins to them also helps...and so does recharging your wool dryer balls every once in a while (read about that here)
- Partially dry clothing, then finish drying on racks. Over drying can cause huge static issues.
- Make a ball of aluminum foil and throw in dryer. Not only does it eliminate static, it also separates clothing to speed up drying, much like the dryer balls.
- Slowly transition to clothing that is non-synthetic materials. Cotton and cotton blends dry much faster, and are better for your skin. If you cant do that, then separate out cotton and synthetics and dry them in different loads. The combining of the two is what causes lots of static issues for people.
Hope that helps!
~Heather
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