# 1 - Why should I buy homemade laundry soap?
Commercial laundry
detergents are not required to show ingredients on their labels and
surprisingly over 80% of them are never tested, and those that are, are tested
by their own manufacturers.
The fragrances in the
detergents on store shelves are often created by the carcinogen formaldehyde
which is known to cause skin irritations.
These fragrances have also been liked to causing asthma in children and
even affecting reproductive health.
Optical brighteners, those
components in the detergent used to make your clothes look brighter and whiter
are really just another layer of harmful chemicals on the clothes. They don’t actually clean your clothes to
make them brighter they leave molecules on the fabric that reflect ultraviolet
light and create the illusion that they are whiter.
These particular
substances are known skin irritants and have been linked to causing greater
photosensitivity of our skin. The actual part of the detergent that cleans our
clothes is a petrochemical known as nonylphenol ethoxylate (NPE).
“While Canada and the
European Union have banned NPEs, the United States continues their use.
One of the main ways your
body acquires nutrients, other than eating, is through the skin. Your skin is
your largest organ—22 square feet on average—and 60 percent of the substances
you put on it are eventually absorbed into the bloodstream. This semipermeable
membrane allows us to absorb vitamins and minerals, but, unfortunately, it
absorbs harmful chemicals we put on it, too.
#2 - Here are four chemicals
that we need to watch out for when buying soap:
Fragrance: If the
ingredient is vague, it’s probably hiding something. “Fragrance” could actually
be a cocktail of chemicals and you’d never know it. The FDA doesn’t require
companies to disclose the breakdown of a fragrance’s ingredients to consumers
because the chemicals that produce fragrance are considered “trade secrets.”
Most of the time, synthetic chemicals and cancer-causing toxins (like phthalates,
used to make fragrances last longer) are hiding under that one sneaky term.
Constant exposure to fragrances has been shown to negatively impact the central
nervous system and can trigger allergies, migraines and asthma symptoms.
Parabens: These ingredients
are estrogen mimickers—meaning that once applied to the skin, they enter the
bloodstream, and the body mistakes them for estrogen. When the body thinks
there is an abnormally high amount of estrogen present in the bloodstream due
to the presence of these hormone disrupters, it reacts in various ways:
decreasing muscle mass, increasing fat deposits, causing early onset of puberty
and spurring reproductive difficulties in both men and women.
Sulfates: These chemicals
are used to produce lather and bubbles in soap. Some common sulfates are SLS
(sodium lauryl sulfate) and SLES (sodium laureth sulfate). Sulfates strip the
skin of its natural oils and increase penetration of the skin’s surface. They
are also irritants for people with sensitive skin or eczema.
Triclosan: This chemical
is most often found in antibacterial soap. Recent studies have found that
triclosan actually promotes the emergence and growth of bacteria resistant to
antibiotic cleansers. It also creates dioxin. Dioxins have disruptive effects
on the endocrine system and negatively affect thyroid functions.
The FDA issued
a rule banning the use of triclosan, triclocarban and 17 other chemicals in
hand and body washes. which are marketed as being more effective than simple
soap. That goes in to effect in Sept. of this year… however they are still in
the market – they just cannot produce any more with that chemical in it.
Many companies have
replaced triclosan with one of three other chemicals — benzalkonium chloride,
benzethonium chloride or chloroxylenol, but the FDA has given companies another
year to provide more data on their safety, so we still have no idea what is
actually safe!
# 3 – WHY I’M NOT GOING TO BE USING FELS NAPATA OR
ZOTE SOAP
A.)
ZOTE soap contains an optical brightener which bleaches clothes without fading
their color. As stated earlier optical brighteners are the compounds providing
clothes with brightness and is just another layer of harmful chemicals… That
don’t actually clean your clothes to make them brighter they leave molecules on
the fabric that reflect ultraviolet light and create the illusion that they are
whiter.
B.)
FELS NAPATA soap contains 17 ingredients, one which is titatium dioxide which
contaminates oceans, lakes and is harmful to wildlife and is a known
carcinogen. This soap also contains fragrance which is not specified.
# 4 - THE 3 INGREDIENTS I
WILL CONTINUE TO USE –
A.) WASHING SODA –
I discovered that washing
soda is simply heated baking soda (you can even make your own by baking it in
the oven). Baking soda when heated, gives off water and carbon dioxide, leaving
dull, powdery washing soda behind.
Washing soda has high alkalinity and therefore
helps it act as a solvent to remove a range of stains. Washing soda also helps
detergent and soap to foam properly so that clothing will come out clean,
without any residue.
B.) BORAX:
Borax, also known as
sodium tetraborate, it is a boron mineral and salt that’s mined directly from
the ground.
Borax is not boric acid!
That’s where the majority
of the online confusion appears. With no surprise; at least half of the studies
I’ve found and citations I’ve read have listed their testing matter as “either
sodium borate or boric acid.”
The difference between the
two is: Boric acid is produced when borax is reacted with another acid (like
sulfuric or hydrochloric acid).
Borax: My Personal
Thoughts
Borax is wholly natural.
It doesn’t cause cancer, accumulate in the body, or absorb through the skin. It
is not harmful to the environment. In fact, the largest borax (borate) mine in
the world – found in Boron, California – is considered by many to be the most
ecologically sound and environmentally sustainable mine in the United States.
This is also the mine where 20 Mule Team comes from.
So, I choose to continue
to use it in my laundry powder. I
A word of
caution – although I would say that Borax is safe for ‘most’ uses, however, it
may not be wise to use it to wash cloth diapers (where there is a risk of
irritating baby’s sensitive skin) or wash table napkins (where there is a risk
or ingesting residue).
C.) BAKING SODA:
This helps to give you
sharper whites and brighter brights. The baking soda also softens the water, so
you can actually use less detergent, and odor-free clothing.
Baking soda can be very
effective at removing stains formed by age. Because it is a natural cleaner,
your you can even trust that your older linens will be whitened and brightened
rather than damaged.
# 5 – There are many recipes now espousing to use
Epson salt…
I advise against using Epsom salts
because the minerals in Epsom salts actually make the water harder rather than
softer and will make your soap ineffective at cleaning. I have heard that aquarium
enthusiasts use Epsom salts to harden their soft water.
From what I have read, if
you have hard water, you can add coarse Kosher salt to your mix. But the amount
will depend on how hard your water is.
# 6 – What bar soap I am now using…
Dr. Bronner’s pure-Castile
soap and Kirk’s original castile soap.
3 of each – I chose Dr.
B’s with Tea Tree essential oil for its natural anti-bacterial properties.
#7 - THE NEW RECIPE:
6 bars of grated castile soap; which is about 8 cups
of grated soap.
2 Boxes Washing Soda; which is about 13 cups total (1
box-6.88)
1 Box of Borax; I’m cutting the amount in half from my
previous recipe. If I find I need more I can add it later.
1 Box Baking Soda, minus 2 cups. (there are 8 cups in a
4lb. box we need 6 cups.)
Alternatives to Borax:
By adding sea salt into
the homemade laundry mixture, you can get the same great results as a detergent
containing borax.
1 bar soap
1 c. washing soda
½ cup baking soda
½ cup citric acid
¼ cup kosher course sea
salt
~ ~ ~ ~
Devotional:
1 John 1:9 says,
"If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins
and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness."
No matter how dirty we
are, no matter what filth we've gotten ourselves into, no matter how long it's
been since the last time we bathed, when get in the shower we can get completely clean. A bar of soap, and ta-da!
We're clean again—as clean as we ever were.
We don’t rush from mirror
to mirror, making sure the cleansing succeeded.
We can be clean
spiritually, also.
God promises to make us
completely clean on the inside. Psalm 51:7 (KJV) says, "Purge me with
hyssop, and I shall be clean: wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow."
When we can ask God to
make us clean and He does!
It doesn't matter what
we've done, God's cleansing is thorough.
We don't always feel
clean, though… Often we remember what we've done and feel guilty. So that feeling
shame and the guilt often keep us from believing the sins are gone.
Sometimes we even start to
think of things or ways we can make it up to God for the things we’ve done
wrong. Our guilt can even sometimes keep us from coming before the Throne of
God to ask for forgiveness.
But God's cleansing is
thorough. As our verse today tells us: 1 John 1:9 "If we confess our sins,
He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all
unrighteousness."
"All" is what it
says. It doesn't say "some," it doesn't say "certain sins,"
it doesn't say "except for the below mentioned actions."
Even if others haven't
forgiven us, even if we haven't forgiven ourselves, even if we are still living
with the consequences of what we've done...
God's forgiveness is
thorough.
Jesus Christ and His death
on the cross paid the whole price for our sin.
Because of Him, we can be
as completely clean on the inside as we are on the outside.
I WANT TO
REMIND YOU… LIFE HAPPENS, LET’S ENJOY IT!
And remember all we need
to do is tell God we're sorry for what we've done and ask Him to forgive us. He
is waiting to make us clean again.
In part by CBN Spiritual
Life
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