Untitled Document
What are the best kinds of dishwasher and laundry
soaps for the environment?
The average North American produces between 60 and 150
gallons of wastewater every day, much of it a result of dishwashing and
laundry. Municipal water-treatment facilities do their best to filter out
the synthetic chemicals common in most mainstream dishwasher and laundry
soaps, but some of these pollutants inevitably get into rivers, lakes, and
coastal areas, where they can cause a wide range of problems.
Phosphates, perhaps the most worrisome of these
pollutants, can cause large buildups of algae and bacteria that rob water
bodies of oxygen and thus choke out other life forms. In response to just
such a problem in Lakes Ontario and Erie in the late 1960s and early 1970s,
the U.S. and Canada signed the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement in 1972.
The agreement, which banned the use of phosphates in laundry detergents and
dish soaps used in the region, resulted in a significant decrease in algae
blooms throughout the Great Lakes. Despite the success of the agreement, phosphates and
other synthetic chemicals continue to be widely used in laundry and dish
soaps throughout the world. Aside from their effect on water bodies, these
ingredients also trigger allergies, irritate the skin and eyes, and carry
other health risks. Fortunately, consumers now have more environmentally
friendly choices than ever. Companies such as Seventh Generation, Ecover,
Bioshield, and Naturally Yours make safer dishwasher and laundry soaps that
do not contain phosphates or other harmful synthetic chemicals. Many of
these greener options are available at retail stores such as Whole Foods
and Wild Oats, as well as online from Web sites like Kokopelli’s
Green Market and a host of others. According to Seventh Generation president and
corporate-responsibility officer Jeffrey Hollender, consumers interested in
doing the right thing for the environment should look at ingredients, not
slogans. “Just because a product says it is natural doesn’t
mean it is nontoxic,” he says. Environmentally friendly ingredients
to look for include grain alcohol, coconut or other plant oils, rosemary,
and sage. Synthetic ingredients to avoid include butyl cellosolve,
petroleum, triclosan, and phosphates. It is also best to avoid detergents
that employ fragrances, as they can contain chemicals known as phthalates
that have been linked to cancer. Although household cleaning chores can often be
accomplished with nontoxic homemade alternatives — such as water
mixed with borax, lemon juice, baking soda, vinegar, or washing soda
— laundry and automatic dishwashing soaps are not so easily replaced
with home concoctions. However, Emily Main, senior editor at The Green Guide, recommends
adding a quarter-cup of baking soda or white vinegar to clothes washes to
act as a fabric softener, and for stain removal she suggests soaking
fabrics in water mixed with borax, lemon juice, hydrogen peroxide, or white
vinegar. As for home recipes for dishwashing, some hardcore homesteaders
recommend an equal mix of borax and baking soda, but this is probably best
used only in a pinch, because the abrasiveness of such a mixture can
scratch glassware over time.
For more information:
Ecover, www.ecover.com; Seventh Generation, www.seventhgeneration.com;
Kokopelli’s Green Market, www.kokogm.com; The Green Guide,
www.thegreenguide.com.
Send questions to Earth Talk, care of E/The Environmental Magazine,
P.O. Box 5098, Westport, CT 06881 or e-mail earthtalk@emagazine.com.
This article appears in Aug 30 – Sep 5, 2007.
