It used to be a common sight, rows of clothing and sheets flapping in the wind along clothes lines. But as electric and gas dryers became more popular fewer and fewer families used the wind to dry their clothes. And unfortunately more and more areas decided that the environmentally friendly clothes lines were more a nuisance than anything.
According to an article in the LA Times however line drying your clothing may be becoming popular again. And with celebrities such as Olivia Newton-John and Rachel Bilson doing it too using a clothes line might stand a chance of making a real comeback. With the stats on just how much power using electric clothes driers takes up, it’s really no wonder that more and more families are looking for a environmentally safer alternative.
[read the full article...]
Did you realize that while you’re trying to make your family’s clothes snuggly-soft and static-free you may be doing more harm than good?
It’s true: many commercial dryer sheets are loaded with chemicals and fragrances that can be absorbed into the skin and have nasty side effects.
You won’t find a list of ‘ingredients’ on the package of most dryer sheets; but, according to SixWise.com, here are some chemicals that have been found in dryer sheets and mainstream fabric softeners:
- Benzyl Acetate: Linked to pancreatic cancer
- Benzly Alcohol: Upper respiratory tract irritant
- Ethanol: Can cause central nervous system damage
- A-Terpineol: Can cause respiratory problems and central nervous system damage
- Ethyl Acetate: A narcotic on the EPA’s Hazardous Waste list
- Camphor: Causes central nervous system disorders
- Chloroform: Neurotoxic, anesthetic and carcinogenic
- Linalool: Narcotic that casues central nervous system disorders
- Pentane: A chemical known to be harmful if inhaled
[read the full article...]
by Jennifer Lance on December 26, 2007 · 0 comments
I do a lot of laundry; I mean a lot of laundry! My mother always jokes that the washing machine never turns off at my house. Furthermore, we have a greywater system on our house, so I am particular about the laundry soap we use. Recently, I was given dropps Liquid Laundry Pacs to try.
I buy in bulk, and laundry detergent is no exception. A humongous jug of liquid laundry detergent sits atop my front-loading washing machine, and inevitably, dribbles of soap spill everywhere when I use it. dropps eliminates this mess! These convenient little packets are just tossed into your washing machine with no measuring or spills. They are lightweight and easy to use. A 20 load package of dropps weighs 10 ounces, whereas the equivalent amount in a liquid laundry detergent weighs 80 ounces. Furthermore, dropps is concentrated in addition to the lightweight packaging, thus “saving water, plastic, trees, and fuel.” [read the full article...]
