natural alternative
Ecological detergents
Unplugged clothing or surfaces can hide dangerous substances. Only ecological detergents respect health and nature at the same time. Examples of detergent substitutes can be found at www.marinamorenaloja.com/substitute-for-laundry-detergent/.
With current cleaning products, floors, tiles or cabinets are shiny; the glasses, transparent, and the clothes, white and scented. The problem is that some of its ingredients are not harmless to the body or to nature.
In contrast, detergents made with ecological criteria use raw materials of plant origin that are much safer for health and do not affect water purity as much.
THE HARMFUL HABITUAL SUBSTANCES
Before the Second World War, domestic cleaning was done with soap and water made by hand from animal or vegetable fat that was mixed with caustic soda. An example was Marseille soap or Castile soap, which are still appreciated today.
In the mid-twentieth century the chemical industry revolutionized the world of cleaning with a mixture of ingredients as novel and effective as contaminants.
Surfactants or surfactants are active cleaning substances because they increase the ability of water to dissolve grease and all kinds of dirt. First, benzene derivatives were used that were not biodegradable and produced very harmful effects. They were replaced by linear alkylsulfonates, which are less toxic and break down more easily, but are also not completely safe.
The protagonists of the current "anti-fat miracle" have their origin in the petrochemical industry and when released in the environment are toxic to plants and animals. They even enter our food chain, since the sludges from the municipal treatment plants where they accumulate become agricultural fertilizers.
The first industrial detergents contained many phosphates, compounds that increase the ability of water to penetrate the spots, but that when they reach rivers or the sea cause uncontrolled growth of algae. This phenomenon is known as eutrophication and culminates with the so-called red or green tides.
Phosphates have been disappearing from laundry formulations, but they are still used in dishwashers and other cleaning products. They are often substituted with other phosphorus-based compounds that are also a problem for the environment.
In addition to surfactants and phosphates, current detergents contain other compounds that reinforce their effect, such as carbonates and perborates, enzymes, bleaching agents, foaming agents, dyes, preservatives, aromas ... Almost all of these substances have small or large inconveniences.
For example, chlorine-based optical bleaches are toxic and accumulate in the body and ecosystems. Enzymes can irritate the eyes and skin, especially sensitive people.
Antibacterial agents such as triclosan do not serve in practice at all - they do not reduce the risk of infection more than washing with another product -, however they favor the emergence of bacteria resistant to antibiotics and therefore pose a major health threat .
Perfumes and other additives such as preservatives and dyes can cause allergies, alter the hormonal system or sensitize the nervous system, as happens to people suffering from multiple chemical sensitivity syndrome.
The authorities have been reducing the maximum allowed of some ingredients, but the current detergents are far from being healthy or harmless.
THE NATURAL ALTERNATIVE
The alternative is ecological detergents that are made from renewable raw materials.
Surfactants that are obtained from vegetable fats and sugars degrade better and are less toxic than those obtained from petroleum. They do not contain phosphates, other phosphorus derivatives, optical bleaches, aromas, preservatives or synthetic dyes.
Peter Malaise, chief technology officer of Ecover, a Belgian pioneer of organic detergents, says that no product manufactured by them produces a known persistent effect on the environment or human health. They are not completely harmless - they cannot be drunk or eaten! - but the wash water, after a time of decantation, could be used to irrigate.
In addition, committed manufacturers do not cease to refine the production process to avoid substances and techniques that imply any presence of contaminating residues in the product or their release in nature.
It is often said that organic detergents are not as effective as conventional detergents. It could have been that way decades ago with the first generation of organic products, but independent analyzes indicate that, although they produce less foam, they remove stains with the same efficiency.
If it seems that they do not get such pure white in their clothes, it is because we are used to the effect of bleaching agents with fluorescent properties that increase the reflections of bluish light on the garments. But that is not cleanliness but an optical illusion.
TWO TYPES OF CERTIFICATION
Ecocert offers two levels of guarantees. The first, "Natural Detergents", guarantees the use of truly biodegradable ingredients and allows the use of some synthetic ingredients up to 5% of the composition. The second, "Natural Detergents made with Organic Ingredients", requires that at least 10% of ingredients come from organic farming.
In addition to choosing the detergent well, it is necessary to rethink what we use so many cleaning products for or why we wash our clothes so often, when it could simply be aerated or brushed.
There is also no reason to use a program with hot water and more detergent than recommended. Simply modify the cleaning habits to avoid environmental and health problems, as well as save money, energy and natural resources.
Gallery
