Does whiter whites mean cleaner clothes? Many of us have grown up with the idea that chlorine bleach is necessary to provide cleaner clothes, disinfected households and to solve every stain problem…but have we truly considered the impact that this product could have on our health? I hate how bleach leaves that horrible scent upon your fingers after use and makes me nauseous!
Chlorine is a respiratory irritant and when mixed with other common household products, it gives off a toxic gas. Chlorine exposure can cause irritation and nausea, and lead to long-term health effects such as tooth corrosion. Chlorine is also a highly corrosive substance, capable of damaging skin, eyes, and other membranes. Studies are beginning to show that it’s use can even double the risk of birth defects.
Products of special concern include: automatic dishwashing detergents, chlorine bleach, chlorinated disinfectant cleaners, mildew removers, and toilet bowl cleaners.
Better alternatives?
Oxygen Bleach- Non-polluting, 100% biodegradable, non-toxic, and 100% natural ingredients. Made of replenishable/sustainable ingredients. Color-safe: fabrics do not discolor as with other bleaches. Fragrance-free. Free of enzymes, phosphates, chlorine, DEA and petroleum ingredients. It is a wonderful alternative to chlorine bleach that can help solve those stain problems, be used as a laundry booster, clean tiles & grouts, mold & mildew, solve carpet stains and for outdoor use on decks, lawn furniture, etc.
It costs just pennies! I have tile counter-tops and a mixture of 2 scoops of oxygen bleach to 2 Tbsp of water helps disinfect and deal with dirt and mold that gets caught in the groves of the tile. The cheapest brand I have found is Sun Oxygen Cleaner. It was under $2 for 30 oz at my local Wal-Mart. Other brands include: Oxi Clean Laundry Stain Remover & Oxo-Brite.
Hydrogen Peroxide - another frugal natural bleach product that works well for carpet stains, tub & tile stains and the like. Replace the lid of your hydrogen peroxide container with a spray nossle and spray directly as needed! Especially good for blood stains. Spray on those cloth diaper stains as well or prior to putting into your laundry bucket. Spray one layer of peroxide followed by a layer of vinegar to thoroughly clean your tube and tile and remove stains.
Lemon juice – If you have spots on white clothes that won’t come out, moisten them with lemon juice and lay in the sun. Add a little more lemon juice prior to washing. Add 1/2 cup of lemon juice or some sliced lemons to hot or cool water, depending on fabric, to whiten whites. Soak and then launder as usual. Lemon juice and cream of tartar: Mix this into a paste and apply to hard-to-remove stains on white clothes. It even works on rust. More lemon tip uses here.
It works for me!
I bought 100% wool yarn at Hobby Lobby, unfelted. That is the only place I could find unfelted wool. One of the large skiens made 2 yarn balls. You just roll up a yarn ball like you would for a cat. But as tight as you can. You make a core first by wrapping one way a few times then the other its like a cross. Then just roll it up til its about 8 inches or so. I tied my ends around a couple other strands that were already wrapped so they'd stay. Then you put them in a lingerie bag or panty hose tied off between and wash them in HOT water, dry in a HOT dryer. You can do a couple washes if you want them more felted. Then just leave them in the dryer when you dry clothes. You will have to check the first few loads to see how much it cuts your dryer time. I love them!
You mentioned you made wool dryer balls. i am interested in making some. How do you make them?
Ammonia is just as toxic and damaging if not more so than chlorine bleach. It is extremely caustic. Check out the MSDS on amonnia. If you are trying to be safer and toxin free this is not an alternative! the vinegar is great in the laundry, so is lemon juice. I love the NOTHING smell! But I also was getting a funny smell, like industrial odor must be from my machine or dryer? So when I make my powdered laundry soap I either use scented 100% natural grated bar soap or I add some essential oils to the mix and that has worked perfect! I dont use vinegar in the rinse now that I have made wool dryer balls. They soften and reduce static while cutting dryer time by at least 25%.
Bleach does not actually kill the mold spores, it just bleaches them so you dont see them. Vinegar for sure will kill them, borax should, peroxide should too. I am not positive about borax or peroxide, but I know vinegar does kill mold. Another one that kills it for sure is vodka, if you dont have little ones to inhale the alcohol fumes and you open a window while you are in there its not bad.
I am having trouble keeping a few teeth shinier. Any advice on home teeth whitening ??
Great post! Many people think that green cleaning is not as effective as regular cleaning without realizing that its simply not true. You offer some great tips and I look forward to implementing your oxygen bleach tips to my green cleaning techniques. Keep up the good work.
I get oxygen bleach at our dollar store. Can’t beat the price!
I’m confused… what do you use for a disinfectant? We live in an old house and the bathroom gets moldy from time to time. I usually use bleach to kill the mold. You say that oxy clean is good for mold but does it kill it or just wipe it up? I’m willing to get rid of bleach because I can’t stand the smell but my husband thinks it’s the greatest disinfecting/cleaning product out there.
I just use the all-purpose spray along with oxygen bleach and hydrogen peroxide as needed. Oxygen bleach and vinegar should solve your mold problem. They are the natural alternatives to bleach and should actually kill the mold…but I have never had a mold problem so I cannot say from experience.
I use Melaleuca products in my home. Have you ever heard of their stuff or tried it before? I used to use very nasty, toxic products in my house and we were all sick all the time (sinus infections and such). I LOVE my products and they are safe to use.
I have heard good reviews of Melaleuca products but have not used them personally. I have just gone with the cheapest natural alternatives for our home. Good to hear they have worked for you.
Thanks Lindsay!
I use a mixture of white vinegar and water (half and half) to clean most surfaces in my house except wood. It doesn’t leave any smell and cleans very well.
I’ve been checking alot into frugal cleaning alternatives to save money and to get rid of toxins in our home – what I have found is that washing clothing with vinegar softens them quite nicely and removes any soap residue left from previous washing. I also discovered that when you wash with vinegar that our clothing & bedding had absolutely NO SMELL – which is very strange considering we were so used to smelling bleach or laundry detergent. It was really nice to crawl into bed and smell just NOTHING.
Another thing – Bleach alternative – Apparently Ammonia does the same thing bleach does in your wash – but does not eat away at clothing… This I read from a womans post whose husband is a chemist and told her that so she has used ammonia for over 20 years instead of bleach. I tried that also and thought the fumes would bother me – but they did not at all. So, now we wash our towels with ammonia. Hope this helps.
I add a cup of vinegar to my rinse cycle when I’m washing whites.
Great post! Bleach was the hardest thing for me to give up, as I am very germophobic. It took a lot of research to convince me that I could kill germs with other, less toxic household items.
It’s nice to have a post like this that puts out some of the best options concisely; I’ll likely be linking back to this post in the future!
good post. thanks!
Lindsay:
Just out of curriosity, do you have a dishwasher? If so what brand of soap do you use?
Cammie
Yes, I have dishwasher. I use my homemade version, which is a combination of borax and baking soda (half and half). I am actually going to try switching to using baking soda and oxygen bleach next, as borax is still on the mildly toxic list. We’ll see how that goes, but the borax/baking soda works great!
OH good!!!! I just ran out of Cascade last nite, and I didn’t want to go to the store or 7-11 just for Cascade. I’m usually on top of things, but it’s crazy here! We leave for Florida in a week, and packing, and getting a house sitter is crazy!
After you mix the borax and baking soda, how much do you use in your dishwasher? The same amount as regular dishwasher detergent? Does this also save money? Have you been pleased with the end-product (clean dishes)? Thanks!!
I’m about to try it. I’m going to try and fill them both up (both reservoirs) w/the baking soda and borax. I never tried it before.
I’ll post tomorrow and let you know how it turned out.
the baking soda I buy it usually around 50 cents (in sale), and the box of Borax I had, I think I paid $4 or less for it. A box of Cascade ran about $5.99 (I buy the big box).
I just use about 1 Tbsp of the mixture for the dishwasher. Others have recommended the addition of citric acid to help remove the skim that sometimes will be present on your glasses. I sometimes rotate washing my glasses by hand. That is the only problem that has been present. I have found it to be a money saver personally. No chlorine fumes floating through my house is the most important thing!
i love oxygen bleach and bac-out! works wonderfully on my cloth dipes and they are never stinky! we also use oxybleach for our carpet cleaner and works wonders!
Thanks for the info about oxygen bleach – I’ve been considering using it because I’d gone back to having a bottle of chlorine beach around for the occasional high potency whitening need! I didn’t like having it around, but didn’t really find anything “natural” that worked the same for emergencies. I appreciate the post!
Best,
Sarah
Is the oxegen bleach like oxi clean? Or does oxi clean have something toxic?Just wondering…Cammie.
Oxi-clean is a brand of oxygen bleach, so no it has nothing toxic in it. Just more expensive than the simple Sun brand of oxygen bleach.
What do you know about bluing agents used in white clothing? Is it safe?
Tea Tree oil can be a good alternative as well. It is a natural disinfectant and good for laundry, bathroom cleaning, etc.
I think I’ve read before that you use BumGenius diapers. I only use those at night and use my prefolds and covers during the day. My microfiber inserts can get pretty stinky after awhile and I had read online the best way to get rid of the smell is to use bleach. Do you have this problem and what do you use?
I have not really had any smell issues, but in the past I have used BioKleen’s Bac-out. It is a natural non-toxic odor and stain remover. Now I am starting to use hydrogen peroxide or oxygen bleach as described above.
I use Bum Genius, and I have read on Cotton Babies
(the manufacturer) website not to use bleach. I
just strip them every once and a while using regular
Dawn dish soap. I do this with clean, dry diapers.
Use about a tablespoon of dawn and then rinse rinse
rinse. It gets rid of all the stinkies. But I
switched to Charlie’s soap and haven’t had any stinky
problems since.
I, too, use BumGenius diapers and have had to deal with the “stinkyess”. The official website for the diapers states that you can OCCASIONALLY use about a 1/4 cup of bleach. I’m definitely going to give the oxygen bleach a try though. I CANNOT stand the smell of bleach!!! I think I think I may even have a slight allergy to the fumes. Thanks so much for the info!