What are the best nontoxic laundry products for washing and drying? Do you make your own laundry soap? What about a safe product for static in the dryer? Thanks!

You want to be conscious of a couple of things with your laundry detergent. Most conventional detergents are made from petroleum - and use a non-renewable resource. So they aren't very green. Plus, many have artificial dyes and fragrances. The fragrances can contain phthalates, which are believed to be hormone disruptors, meaning they interfere with the body's endocrine and hormone signaling system. Conventional detergents may also contain nonylphenol ethoxylates (aka nonoxynols), also believed to be endocrine disruptors and estrogen mimics (though not widley used in US laundry detergents), or phosphates, which are bad for the environment.

So, what can you do? You may want to make your own. You can use a castile liquid soap. Just use 1/4 cup baking soda (up to 1/2 cup baking soda if you have hard water), but generally is to add the baking soda to the laundry first for 10 minutes, followed by the addition of soap. And you should wash the laundry first with vinegar to ensure no yellowing as you switch from detergent.... Read More

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