The Seventh Generation Laundry Challenge Continues....(and giveaway!)

The laundry challenge continues...and it has been hampered (ha!  pun intended) by my oh so productive, but not yet all that green in practice husband of mine.  When I asked him to put my portable clothesline back outside, before I ran off to work (he is a freelance photographer and stay at home daddy), he said, "Hey, I didn't sign up for the challenge."  Nice.  Real support.  

So.  There has been some laundry done and dried in the dryer while I have been off teaching school.  But NO laundry I have done has been in the dryer-- and all of it has been cold water washed with non-toxic detergent.  To his credit, he also washes in cold with the same earth friendly Seventh Gen detergent.  

The girls and I hung a HUGE load of their clothes together in the blazing sun.  We had fun doing it, and I like that they help. It is developing their sense of perseverance (a word I use with them often), connection to renewable energy and the earth.  I'll admit, it is harder to keep up with line drying, but now that it is summer, it is mostly manageable.  By putting the portable clothesline in our basement, I can dry without worries about afternoon thunderstorms. 

And with our ancient dryer, I am saving loads of energy (notice I didn't say we). What is wrong with regular laundry detergent, you ask?  

Loads (oh, the puns just keep coming)!  Just check out this information from Seventh Generation:

Masking Agents: What Are They Hiding?

·       Truly fragrance free products have a scent. If there is no scent, it is likely that the product contains a masking agent.

·       Masking agents are actually synthetic fragrances that neutralize the scents so that there is no appreciable odor in a product.

·       Masking agents have similar effects to fragrances – some people have skin and respiratory sensitivity to them.

·       If a product does not contain fragrance it may still contain a masking agent – “no masking agents” claims indicate to consumers with sensitivities to fragrance that there are no fragrances present.

Optical Brighteners: Not a Brilliant Idea

·       Optical brighteners are chemicals that make fabrics seem brighter or whiter than they are.

·       They remain behind on clean laundry as a coating and when invisible ultraviolet light hits this coating; they convert it into visible light to create an optical illusion that tricks the eye into thinking our clothes are super clean.

·       Optical brighteners are designed to remain behind on clothes/laundry which means they come in direct contact with skin.

·       They can cause allergic reactions in some people.

·       Some are poisonous to fish and other aquatic life.

·       Many are not biodegradable and remain in waterways.

Why Seventh Generation Laundry Products are Different

·       Plant-based laundry detergents are are non-toxic and biodegradable

·       Hypo-allergenic

·       Free of phosphates and optical brighteners

·       Safe for septic and greywater systems

·       Not tested on animals and are Kosher certified

And do you want your own Seventh Generation laundry kit?  It includes a portable clothesline, non-toxic laundry basket, Seventh Generation laundry detergent, clothespins and a flip video camera!  Just leave a comment on this post.  One person will be picked at random to receive this sweet prize.  Contest closes July 3rd.  Remember to leave your email address in a spam unfriendly way in the comments.  Good luck, readers!