Nontoxic Bleach Alternatives for You and your Family

Yesterday i stained a new creamy white top i had with black, i was frustrated when i saw what had happened to my favorite clothing while doing laundry; so i soaked it and went to the store after work the next day to see if i could find a good nontoxic bleach alternative that is Eco-friendly as well as health friendly. While at the walmart bleach aisle i was bombarded and overwhelmed with many different brands and ingredients and to be frank i didn't have any clues what the ingredients are or what it will do to my cloth or my health. So basically, i know to avoid common brands containing chlorine everyone is used to buying, but for the rest of the other products i had to trust the company marketing label if i were planning on purchasing any one of them. Now in my busy life going through each product ingredient label is inconvenient and time consuming although it is worth it, i was not too keen on spending my time starring hard into tiny product ingredient label so i ended getting baking soda and running onto my computer straight to the internet to see if i could find any idea concerning bleach alternative, and sure enough i found a ton of ideas.

I took the advice, i tried seventh generation bleach alternative commonly found at HEB store in Texas and the result i got inspired me to write a little about nontoxic laundry bleach alternatives.

But before that i asked myself this question. So what is wrong with regular chlorine bleach products am used to again? And are the Alternative nontoxic brands better--effective--will it do the job i need? well in my head i heard......"if your goal is to live healthier and to prevent carcinogenic problems invading your life you are probably going need to find "the nontoxic alternatives"; so keep reading to see what is up in this sleeves.

Another question, 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…ironically, it is quite the opposite or should i say a fine line laundry myth.

Chlorine in my experience has been quite irritating, has a stinky chemical egg or ammonia like smell that has caused me nausea and dizzy feeling. If you have ever been swimming at a chlorinated pool which most places have, you will know this smell and feeling very well by how your skin, hair and clothing smell like chlorine days after you get out of the swimming pool. Unfortunately, this is not a good swimming deal for you because chlorine is hazard to your health. Long time exposure to Chlorine can cause skin irritation or burn and even nervous system damage. It can cause inflammation and aggravate allergies and Asthma.  Chlorine bleach releases dioxin, furans and other organochlorines into the air that is unfavorable to your lungs and overall health. Long exposure to chlorine detergent or the chemical chlorine itself can cause sore throats, coughs, wheezing, shortness of breath, fluid in the lungs and studies have shown a relationship between dioxin exposure and cancer, birth defects, and developmental/reproductive disorders. It is a respiratory irritant and when mixed with other common household products. Chlorine is also a highly corrosive substance, capable of damaging skin, eyes, tooth and other membranes and may poss a health risk to pregnant women and birth defect to their un-born baby.

Many products on the laundry shelf of your local stores contain this toxic ingredient chlorine. For example, automatic dish washing detergents, chlorine bleach, chlorinated disinfectant cleaners, mildew removers, and toilet bowl cleaners. And i hate to say it, accidents caused by having these types of highly toxic cleaning products are one of the number one problem people with very young children encounter (if you have young children below the age of 12, it is really unwise to keep toxic chemicals in the laundry room with the exception if you have a locked up cupboard you put them in for safety. Treat chemical cleaning ingredients in your family like you treat your aspirins and other medical drugs----safely kept out of the reach from your babies/children).

Anyway, if you are looking for alternatives to toxic laundry detergents, you can use any one of the following nontoxic alternatives below to keep your whites looking bright, your family healthier and your environment (outdoor and in-door living space clean).

                                               Better alternatives?

Seventh Generation Chlorine Free Bleach – Is color safe, non-toxic, biodegradable, phosphate-free, safe for septic systems and is not tested on animals. Consists of natural oxygen safe bleach, oxygen bleach stabilizer, deionized water.

Oxygen Bleach- Non-polluting, 100% biodegradable, non-toxic, and 100% natural ingredients. Made with 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 clean alternative to chlorine bleach that can help solve those stain problems. it can be used to clean tiles & grouts, mold & mildew, solve carpet stains, laundry and for outdoor furniture etc. Sun Oxygen Cleaner is under $ 2 for 30 oz at my local Wal-Mart.

Earth Friendly Oxi Clean Laundry Stain Remover and Oxo Brite Non-Chlorine Bleach – Ingredients are sodium percarbonate and sodium carbonate. Free of enzymes, phosphates, chlorine, DEA and petroleum ingredients.

Bi-O-Kleen Oxygen Bleach Plus – No chemical cold-water activators or optical brighteners, no metasilicates, borax, or caustics, this is chlorine and borine free.

Ecover Non-Chlorine Bleach – No chlorine or optical brighteners, completely biodegradable, not tested on animals and is even approved by the Vegan Society. Consists of 100% percarbonate, which is composed of salt, limestone and oxygenated water.

Enviro-One Brand, Vermont soap Organics brands Contains:

NO Ammonia NO Ammonium NO Animal Products NO Artificial Ingredients NO Chlorine NO Citric Acid

NO Dyes or Colors NO Harmful Detergents NO Hydrochloric Acid NO Hydrofluoric Acid NO Isopropyl Alcohol NO Lauryl Sulfate

 Hydrogen Peroxide is another inexpensive natural bleach product that works well for light stains, carpet stains, tub & tile stains, on wall algae mildew stain, and for cleaning out pet ear wax. It is effective for cleaning up blood stains and stains on baby diaper. For bathroom tubes and title, hydrogen peroxide, a little vinegar and baking soda makes a good stain remover. Hydrogen peroxide sounds dangerous but it is actually safe because it breaks down into water and oxygen in the waste water but it is not safe enough for your mouth or drinking cups. Hydrogen peroxide can be used on minor cuts, scrapes to reduce risk of infection (do not use it on deep puncture wound, animal bite or deep burn). It can used for getting ride of common phlegm, mucus, other secretions associated with sore throat. You can use hydrogen peroxide to whiten your arm pit. It cost less than a $ 1 for a 32 fl oz bottle of hydrogen peroxide, you can find this at your health or drug stores. In my next article, i will be talking more about hydrogen peroxide, stay connected

Lemon juice – If you have spots on white clothes that won’t come out, moisten them with lemon juice and hang it in the sun. Lemon and baking soda is effective on certain clothing and rust.

Plus with all of the above made available to you for your convenience from your convenient stores DIY enthusiast have taken great deal of time to teach you how easy it is to make your own bleach at home that you can use to disinfect your bathrooms, clean your toilets, and whiten your clothes naturally the nontoxic way.

EASY HOME-MADE BLEACH RECIPE:
- 1 ½ cup 3% hydrogen peroxide
- ½ cup white vinegar or lemon juice or lemongrass oil
Baking soda any amount you feel is needed but i would stick with one or 2 cups depending on the laundry load.
Add all these above to a bowl of warm water.

• soak the clothing you want to whiten in it for something to give it time to fade the stains out then wash, rinse and dry; you can sun dry the clothing if more whitening is desire (sunlight outdoor drying without drying using machine, it's not ghetto or a poor thing to do if you spread it at your own private back yard, you know).

In summary, the following ingredients can be used in varying amounts to whiten and clean your clothes: vinegar, lemon juice, hydrogen peroxide, baking soda, sodium hydrosulfite (salt & water) etc. Do not combine them all together…. Before you purchase your next cleaning detergent you should consider looking at the product ingredient or at least do some research on the internet to see what alternative options are available to you like i did.
Author
 Onyinye A is a freelance writer who specializes in nontoxic self improvement, green & Eco-friendly living, nontoxic lifestyle (preventing cancer, illness and toxicity) and everything related to organic living and the art of life. Her work has been published by nontoxiclifestyle.org, Ezine.com, and other online and print publications.