Norwex Ultra Power Plus is a highly concentrated, superior
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Top Load Machines using hard water - 2 Tablespoons per load
(one bag = 40 loads of laundry)
Top Load Machines using soft water - 1 Tablespoon per load
(one bag = 80 loads of laundry)
Front Load Machines using hard water - 1 teaspoon per load
(one bag = 240 loads of laundry)
Front Load Machines using soft water - 1/2 teapspoon per
load (one bag = 480 loads of laundry)
Size: 2kg
Warranty: 60 day warranty
1) Sodium Laurel Sulfate
2) Dioxane3) Phenols
4) Nonylphenol Ethoxylate
5) Petroleum Distillates
6) Linear Alky Benzene Sulfonates
Also, many will resort to fabric softener/dryer sheets to
take care of "static cling" from the cold weather and of course, add
the harsh chemicals and synthetic fragrances to everyone's clothing/material
from commercial laundry detergents. This
is a disaster in the making!! Friends, WE HAVE WORK TO DO!!
Like a nicotine patch, anything we put against our skin can be absorbed. Take a few minutes to go through the list of chemicals from Dr. Mercola that you will find in commercial detergents and then decide if you are up to the challenge to educate others and offer a very affordable solution to this huge problem. I find that when I ask my customers to think of the purpose of a nicotine patch, and remind them that material we put up against our skin will do the same job (sleeping in sheets, sweating in tight clothing, drying off a clean "open poured" body, little kids sucking on the cloth in the bath, wiping kids’ mouths, and generally wearing material all ladened with these chemicals, we are inviting these harsh chemicals into our bodies 24/7.
See an article below that was on Dr. Mercola's website. (He
also had a great You Tube video to listen to as well about laundry detergent.)
WE HAVE AN INCREDIBLE LAUNDRY DETERGENT!
------------------------------------
DR. MERCOLA ARTICLE:
Yes, I’m talking about doing your laundry.
To help put this more in perspective, here are a few stats
on the staggering amounts of laundry washed and detergent used. An average family washes around 80 pounds (30
kg) of laundry every week
In the US alone, 35 billion loads of laundry are washed
every year. The average amount of detergent used per laundry load = ½ cup,
which means 17.5 billion cups of detergent are used each year in the US alone.
So, whatever liquid or powder you’re pouring into your
washing machine week after week, how do you know how safe any of these
detergents are… or are not?
I’m about to let you in on the shocking truth… and it’s not
pretty.
Let’s take a closer look at…
Potentially Toxic
Ingredients Found in Most Laundry Detergents
For several years now, I’ve been alerting and educating people on the dangers of laundry detergent ingredients.
And I can tell you most laundry detergents contain a potentially toxic stew of chemicals that can leave residues behind on your clothing and can be absorbed by your skin or released into the air you breathe.
Here are just some of the toxins found in typical detergent :
Sodium Lauryl Sulfate
(SLS) – Chemical foaming agent known as a surfactant. Studies have linked
use of this chemical to a variety of health issues from skin irritation to
organ toxicity.
Dioxane (1,4-dioxane)
– The majority of top laundry detergent brands contain this synthetic
petrochemical known as a carcinogen. This is a by-product contaminant of the
manufacturing process and is not required to be listed on product labels.
Linear Alky Benzene
Sulfonates (LAS) – Synthetic petrochemicals that biodegrade slowly making
them an environmental hazard. Benzene may cause cancer in humans and animals.
Nonylphenol
Ethoxylate (NPE) – Petrochemical surfactant banned in the EU and Canada. It may cause liver and kidney damage. It is biodegradable,
but biodegrades into more toxic substances.
Petroleum distillates
(aka napthas) – Derived from synthetic crude oil, linked to cancer, lung
and mucous membrane damage.
Phenols – Can
cause toxicity throughout the entire body.
Optical brighteners
– Can be toxic to fish and cause allergic reactions in humans.
Artificial fragrances
– Linked to various toxic effects on fish and mammals, and can cause allergies,
skin and eye irritation to humans.
Phosphates – Used
to prevent dirt from settling back into clothes after being washed. It can stimulate growth of marine plants that
trigger unbalanced ecosystems.
Ethylene diamine
tetraacetic acid (EDTA) – Group of compounds used as an alternative to
phosphates. Found to cause reproductive and developmental effects in lab
animals and does not readily biodegrade.
Sodium Hypochlorite
(household bleach) – Chemical precursor to chlorine, which is extremely
toxic. Skin contact can produce caustic irritation or burns. Mixing with other
cleaning products can create hazardous fumes.
These are just some of the toxic chemicals found in typical
laundry detergents that can not only cause you harm, but raise havoc in the
environment as well. These harsh chemicals can build up in your clothes and
eventually penetrate your skin.
Detergent makers are not required by law to list these
ingredients.
Well, I’m going to focus on four of the most toxic detergent
chemicals… so you can keep a closer eye out for them and learn how to best
avoid them altogether. I consider the four worst offenders in laundry detergent
to be sodium lauryl sulfate (SLS), 1,4-dioxane, nonylphenol ethoxylate (NPE),
and phosphates.
Sodium Lauryl Sulfate – Anything But Natural!
Sodium lauryl sulfate (SLS) is a surfactant, detergent, and
emulsifier used in thousands of industrial cleaners and cosmetic products.
SLS is pervasive in nearly all shampoos, scalp treatments,
hair color and bleaching agents, toothpastes, body washes and cleansers,
make-up foundations, liquid hand soaps, and yes… laundry detergents.
Why?
Because SLS is a very inexpensive foaming agent.
Although SLS originates from coconuts, the chemical is anything but natural.
SLS is the sodium salt of lauryl sulfate and is classified
by the Environmental Working Group (EWG) Cosmetics Database as a
"denaturant, surfactant cleansing agent, emulsifier and foamer,"
rated "moderate hazard."
Similar to SLS is sodium laureth sulfate (short for sodium
lauryl ether sulfate, or SLES), a yellow detergent with higher foaming ability.
SLES is considered to be slightly less irritating than SLS.
One of the most confusing and deceptive issues with SLS is
how it goes by many other names, including…
Sodium dodecyl sulfate
Sulfuric acid, monododecyl ester, sodium salt
Sodium salt sulfuric acid
Monododecyl ester sodium salt sulfuric acid
A13-00356
Akyposal SDS
Aquarex ME
Aquarex methyl
So, even if laundry detergent manufacturers were to list
this ingredient on their product label, they could disguise SLS by using other
chemical names.
But what are the potential hazards of SLS…why is it so
important to avoid this cleansing agent?
How Could 16,000 Studies
Possibly Get it WRONG?
When it comes to raising any sort of ‘red flag’ on anything
health-related, I’m always careful not to take a single study or research
finding as the ‘gospel’ truth.
But with SLS, there are 15,965 studies in the PubMed science
library relating to the potential risks.
How could almost 16,000 studies be wrong?
According to the Environmental Working Group (EWG), research
studies on SLS have shown potential links to…
Irritation of eyes
Organ toxicity
Developmental/reproductive toxicity
Neurotoxicity, endocrine disruption, ecotoxicology, and
cellular changes
Possible mutations and cancer
Plus, a number of studies report SLS being potentially
damaging to oral mucosa and skin. This is not at all surprising since SLS is
actually used as a skin irritant during studies where medical treatments for
skin irritation require first using an intentionally irritating agent.
Avoiding SLS in your laundry detergent, as well as other
personal care products, is a must.
Wouldn’t you agree?
The question remainimg is how you can avoid it when laundry detergent
manufacturers don’t need to list it on their labels?
Well, hang in there… and I’ll show you the best approach on
how to avoid this and other toxic laundry detergent chemicals as well.
Why is the Environmental
Protection Agency So Concerned About NPE?
When the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) starts
getting concerned about a consumer product, we all need to pay attention.
And such is the case with nonylphenol ethoxylate (NPE) found
in many laundry detergents. The EPA recently released an action plan to address
both NPE and nonylphenol (NP), whose main use is the manufacture of NPE.
The action plan was to gain support for ongoing voluntary
phase-out of NPEs in laundry detergent.
Why is the EPA so concerned about these chemicals?
When the EPA gets involved, it usually means there is strong
evidence hazardous chemicals are showing up in the environment… which means NPE
and NP either do not biodegrade very well or biodegrade into something even
more toxic.
NPE is already banned in Canada and Europe. And even
Wal-Mart has listed NPE as one of the chemicals they’re asking suppliers to
phase-out. Plus, the Sierra Club has further petitioned the EPA to regulate
NPE.
With NPE and NP being found in environmental samples from
freshwater, to saltwater, to
groundwater, sediment, and soil, you can understand why the EPA is taking
action.
Although NPE and NP are not yet banned in the US and don’t
require listing on product labels, there is a very simple way you can avoid
these synthetic petrochemicals in your laundry detergent. I’ll show you how to
do this coming up.
1,4-Dioxane – Synthetic Chemical Found in Most Laundry
Detergents
In 2007, over concerns raised about a synthetic chemical
called “1,4-dioxane,” the Green Patriot Working Group (GPWG) embarked on a
study to determine how much of this toxic chemical was found in laundry
detergent.
The results…
About two-thirds of the laundry detergents tested contained
1,4-dioxane
13 popular brands contained 1,4-dioxane with one brand as
high as 55 parts per million (ppm)
Even the so-called
natural brands weren’t totally free from 1,4-dioxane – 2 out of 7 did contain
the toxin
Why so much concern over 1,4-dioxane in the first place?
Deadly Threat to YOU
and the Environment
Synthetic 1,4-dioxance is created when laundry detergents,
and other cleaning products, are cheaply manufactured using ethoxylation (a
short-cut industrial process in which ethylene oxide is added to fatty acid
alcohols to give them detergent properties).
And since 1,4-dioxane is considered a byproduct, it’s
technically recognized as a contaminant and doesn’t require listing on the
product label. Sound familiar?
Is considered a carcinogen by the State of California
Has been found to be potentially toxic to your brain and
nervous system (according to the CDC)
Potentially causes issues with your kidneys, liver, and
respiratory system (based on info from the CDC)
Plus, due to its lack of effective biodegradability, it’s an
increasing threat to waterways.
Like other detergent toxins I’ve already talked about,
1,4-dioxane goes by other names as well. Look for the following suffixes in
detergent ingredients…
"Myreth," "oleth," "laureth,"
"ceteareth," any other "eth"
"PEG"
"Polyethylene," "polyethylene glycol,"
or "polyoxyethylene"
"Oxynol"
Plus, you need to be aware that SLS is often contaminated
with 1,4-dioxane.
So, this is one harsh chemical you want to avoid being
exposed to and avoid exposing the environment to as well.
Most Laundry Detergents Have Removed This – Why Not All?
Detergents are available with or without phosphates—so you
have a choice!
As of March 2008, 25 states have issued phosphate detergent
bans, and the list continues to grow. Fifteen new states joined the cause in
July of 2010--that’s a total of 40 states who issued bans.
So what are the issues with phosphates?
Phosphates are the main cleaning ingredient in many laundry
detergents (and other household cleaners) because they break down dirt
particles and remove stains by softening the water and allowing suds to form.
This process enhances the cleaning power of the detergent.
However, there are human health problems, as well as major
environmental hazards associated with phosphates.
Phosphate residues left behind on items cleaned with
phosphate-containing detergents have been known to potentially cause…
Nausea
Diarrhea
Skin irritations
Acts as a fertilizer in the water choking off rivers and
lakes
Suffocates salmon and other aquatic life
Releases toxins that deplete waterways of oxygen once the
algae die
And, the scary thing is phosphates remain active even after
wastewater treatments.
The bottom line… you do have a choice. And finding
phosphate-free laundry detergent is quite easy. Unlike other potentially
dangerous toxins, most detergent manufacturers list the fact the detergent is
phosphate-free right on the label.
Why You Should Avoid
Fabric Softeners and Dryer Sheets Like
the Plague?
I wouldn’t be thorough in my analysis of laundry dangers if
I didn’t address fabric softeners and dryer sheets.
Even though they may make your clothes feel soft and smell
fresh, fabric softeners and dryer sheets are some of the most toxic products
used in the laundering process.
Here’s a list of some of the contaminants found in fabric
softener and dryer sheets, and the potential health impacts…
Benzyl acetate – Linked to pancreatic cancer
Limonene – Known carcinogen
A-Terpineol – Can cause respiratory and nervous system
problems.
Ethyl Acetate – A narcotic on the EPA's Hazardous Waste
list.
Camphor – May causes potential central nervous system
disorders
Chloroform -- Neurotoxin, anesthetic and carcinogenic
Pentane – A chemical known to be harmful if inhaled
Plus, some fabric softeners and dryer sheets even contain
ethanol, an alternative fuel derived from corn, grain, or even agricultural
waste. Any wonder it’s on the EPA’s Hazardous Waste list?
Your choices are clear here--just don’t use fabric softener
and dryer sheets. What really causes
static in your clothes is the filler in your laundry products and drying them
too long. With Norwex dryer balls, your
dry time is reduced drastically, saving energy and using safe products only.
But what can you do in the meantime to minimize your exposure
and help shrink your ecological footprint?
Here’s a helpful list for ‘greener’ laundering…
Buy concentrated detergents – These types of detergents have
reduced packaging and a smaller carbon footprint (requiring less space and fuel
for shipping).
Wear it more than once – Instead of washing your clothes
after wearing them only once, if they’re really not dirty, washing them less
often saves energy and extends the life of your clothes as well.
Wash and rinse in cold water – You’ll save a bundle on electricity
by not heating water because 90 percent of the energy required for washing lies
in heating up the water.
Wash only full loads of laundry – Washing small loads of
laundry is very inefficient and wastes water and energy.
Hang it out to dry – There are about 88 million dryers in
the US alone, each emitting a ton or more of carbon dioxide every year. Because
they use so much energy, anything you can do to cut back on dryer use can make
a real difference. If possible, put up a clothesline--your clothes will last
longer and smell fresher as well.
Try making your own detergent – One of the greenest ways to
go is do-it-yourself laundry detergent. You’ll only need a few ingredients and
will certainly know what’s going in your formula (to avoid exposure to all the contaminants
discussed above). There are many options available online.
Avoid dry cleaning – Traditional dry cleaning is not a
‘green’ process by any stretch of the imagination. It is a toxic process which
uses harsh, carcinogenic chemicals, such as perchloroethylene (aka ‘perc’). If
you must dry clean certain clothes, look for an eco-friendly ‘green’ dry
cleaner in your area.
In addition to all this, I would strongly recommend you take
the time to highly scrutinize any laundry detergent you buy. There are natural
laundry detergents out there that do list some of their ingredients, and even
more importantly, list what they o not contain.
Here’s…
What to Look for in a Top Notch Natural Laundry Detergent
100% Non-Toxic and 100% Biodegradable – Helps protect the
environment--particularly, lakes and streams.
Uses 100 percent natural and eco-certified ingredients – All
natural ingredients plus testing by an independent agency that certain
ingredients used are indeed ‘green.’
Uses only plant-based enzymes – Avoid animal-based enzymes
and other animal ingredients (which can lead to unnecessary animal testing). I have more on the importance of enzymes
coming up.
Phosphates and Sulfates Free – Free from phosphates and
SLS/SLES (and other derivatives).
Petrochemical Free – Free from 1,4-dioxane (and all its
derivative names) and NPE. You already know the health risks associated with
these.
Free from bleach, dyes, fragrances, optical brighteners, and
masking agents – Only natural oils and food-grade ‘cleaning’ sources used.
Derived from plants, vegetables, and natural food sources –
Contains only natural food-grade ingredients.
Includes a plant-based fabric softener – No need for a
separate softener.
Performs ideally in cold water and is safe for delicate
fabrics and colors –Saves energy over hot water. Performs well regardless of
fabric material and colors.
It is very important to chose right product..We need to chose products which last long and easy to clean..
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