Have you seen the latest laundry detergent commercials? My particular favorite (Note: sarcasm) is the one with the young couple with triplets who switched to a cheaper laundry detergent, but found themselves using more because their laundry wasn’t coming clean, so they switched back to Tide. O.M.G.! Give me an [effing] break! Laundry detergent is laundry detergent. Sure, some might contain more water, but they all contain the same principle ingredients, one of which is:P-E-T-R-O-L-E-U-M; yep, good ole Mr. Crude. Imagine? You’re washing your laundry with a petroleum-based product. Believe it or not, laundry detergent leaves a residue on your clothes, which in turn weighs down the fabric, causing it to appear dull. Back in the ‘80s or ‘90s (I cannot recall when) several companies started marketing ceramic disks that claim to clean your laundry without detergent. Turns out, the manufacturers figured out that there were enough detergent residues on your clothes, from previous washings, that you could literally wash your clothes again (even after wearing them) without the use of detergent.
Noodle on that for a bit…
People argue about cutting our dependence on foreign oil and yet are blithely unaware of how many products they use on a day-to-day basis that contains petroleum. To name a few: laundry detergent, fabric softer, lip gloss, lip balm, baby oil, Vaseline… the list goes on.
I have known people who dump more [pardon my French] shit in their washing machine believing it will make their clothes cleaner and fresher. If you are pouring anything other than white vinegar and washing soda, well then Sweetie, you are wasting your hard-earned dollars. Manufacturers of laundry detergents have bamboozled the American public into believing more detergent = cleaner clothes and fabric softener in its array of manufactured *scents* means our clothes smell as clean as they look. Wrong! Most people do not even know what clean laundry smells like. All they smell is the perfume they have dumped on their clothes during the rinse cycle.
Oh I can hear you now: “Ok Girrl-Earth, what should we wash our laundry with if detergent is a no-no.” Non vi preoccupare (don’t worry), I have the answer and it is: Charlie Soap. http://www.charliesoap.com/ I bought a container of Charlie Soap over a year ago and I’m still dipping into it. It comes with a measuring scoop so you only need a little bit. What about fabric softer and dryer sheets, you ask? Listen! Do me, you and Mother Earth a favor and STOP USING THAT SHIT!!!! In the words of Charlie Soap: “If you want perfume, buy flowers.”
Now, with all that said, there is a process to using Charlie Soap. First you have to remove the detergent residue from your washing machine, and then you will see the results of Charlie Soap. If you have the patience, it is worth it. My sheets, towels and clothes never looked or smelled better. Side Note: if you find your towels are a bit stiff, and you find yourself being drawn back to Mr. Fabric Softer, before you do, add a cup of white vinegar to the wash and your towels will turn out fluffy and soft — and then please step…away…from…the fabric softener!
And for those of you concerned about he washing machines, rilassare (relax), Charlie Soap is safe with all he machines.
And if you are wondering about Method laundry detergent, quite honestly, I have no idea if their detergent is petroleum-based or not. Since I have been using Charlie Soap I highly doubt I will waste $$$ on Method.
Here are the instructions for a first time user of Charlie Soap: http://www.charliesoap.com/images/b2b/fab_sheets/1stime.pdf or see below:
Are you a first time user of Charlie’s Soap for Laundry?
PLEASE READ THE FOLLOWING NSTRUCTIONS CAREFULLY
1) Run a large/heavy empty load with two (2) doses of Charlie’s Soap and a few old rags to clear your washing machine of any residue left by other detergents. (I used old towels). 2) Your garments may require several washings before you notice the lasting benefits of using Charlie’s Soap – low suds, softer clothes, clean scent, etc. For a good demo, wash the same load (bath towels, for instance) three (3) consecutive times. This simulates a month’s worth of doing laundry removing most residues. 3) If you have any questions, please call or email us at info@charliesoap.com.
In closing, I know there are a lot of people out there who don’t give a rat’s fuzzy you-know-what about the impact they are having on the planet. Their mindset is, I have the money, so I can afford to buy case-loads of laundry detergent, bottled water, convenience packaged foods for my kids, et-cetera, with nary a care. And there really isn’t anything I (or anyone else) can say or do to convince them otherwise. But past experience has proven that these very same people are the first to cry out when an injustice happens, asking, “Why didn’t someone do something about this?” as if they are exempt from the problem, when in fact, they are the problem. Big corporations slap pretty labels on everything to ease the guilt of consumers. They make their products *recyclable * which in turn, causes the consumer to think, It’s ok if my family churns through case load after case load of individual bottled water, the bottles can be recycled (whew!). Or I do eat meat but it’s grass fed or I only buy organic, free-range eggs. If you believe these labels, you are buying into the propaganda and quite honestly, it makes me sad. There is no such thing as *happy meat or eggs* and most convenience food packaging and empty bottles of water are never recycled – they wind up in landfills or the ocean. The next time you shop at Costco or BJs ask yourself, Do I really need this pre-packaged, individual servings of this product, or can I buy a large container and measure out portions in re-usable containers? As for water? Invest in a Zero water filter/pitcher and non-BPA water bottles and call it a day. Grazie.
Your’s truly,
GE
© 2012 GiRRL_Earth
Girl for Animal Liberation 