Ecology
The chemicals in detergents are a huge burden on the environment. They eutrophicate waterways and accumulate in organisms. 🦠 In addition to the environmental burden, they are also dangerous for us humans.
We are exposed to chemicals everywhere and in many different ways.🧪 They are absorbed into our bodies through the skin, through breathing, and through digestion (e.g. from drinking water), causing a variety of problems.
Disinfectant detergents kill bacteria that are beneficial to our bodies, and some chemicals (e.g. phthalates and parabens) affect our hormonal function and immune system.
Besides, disinfection is completely unnecessary in everyday cleaning. Places that need disinfection are epidemic areas, i.e. if there is a real disease raging at home, it is appropriate to disinfect, for example, door handles, water taps and other places that are touched a lot with hands.🧼
Since there are alternatives, the question arises: why would we even use chemicals anymore when we know how harmful they are?
Many harmful substances include dyes, fragrances, fillers, preservatives, and optical brighteners.
All of these are completely replaceable with natural, biodegradable alternatives. 🌿🌍 And besides, how important is color in a cleaning product?🤔
Ecology pays off
LaraGreen detergents are fully biodegradable.🌱 So what does that mean? All of our detergents decompose in nature and do not accumulate harmful ingredients.
If and when chemicals migrate from wastewater to lakes and groundwater and through them to our drinking water, biodegradable natural detergents will not do this.
So you can rest assured that your cleaning will not burden nature, yourself or your family members.🌞
What are the benefits of lemon for cleaning?
Lemon has a million good properties. It does good both internally and externally.
Lemon not only cleanses our bodies but also our environment. Its scent is cheerful and uplifting. The scent of lemon is also said to improve work efficiency, so it is perfect for cleaning!🍋
Essential oils are extracted from lemon peel, which are like concentrated lemon – even a small drop makes a big impact.
Citric acid, on the other hand, is, as its name suggests, isolated from lemons and is very acidic. Citric acid is used for many things, but in cleaning it is good for removing and preventing limescale deposits on water points.🚿
Our cleaning spray contains both – essential oiland citric acid. In addition, it contains a small amount of coconut soap to remove grease.🥥
What effect does tea tree oil have?
Tea tree oil, like lemon, has many known benefits. ✨
In addition to being used to repel mosquitoes due to its strong scent, it has been used as a medicinal oil, for example to eliminate fungi and bacteria.🦠
Despite its name, tea tree oil is manufactured from the leaves of the paperbark myrtle . Due to its antiseptic effect, tea tree oil has been chosen as one of the ingredients in our cleaning spray.
It simultaneously acts as a preservative, preventing fungi and bacteria from multiplying, and as a cleaning agent on household surfaces.🧽
Some people think the smell is horrible, but others love it.
Laundry vinegar or fabric softener?
If you've already used laundry vinegar, you won't even think about the answer... But if you haven't yet, I can tell you why you should choose laundry vinegar instead.
You know those slimy fabric softener deposits in your washing machine? Vinegar doesn't leave them.
Vinegar does everything else that fabric softener does, except soften the laundry. 🧥 It doesn't do that as effectively as fabric softener, but laundry vinegar freshens, brightens colors, and removes static.⚡🌈
In addition, it effectively cleans your washing machine of all residue and slime.
Your machine will never smell musty again, and you won't need to clean the compartments. Except for the detergent, of course, which you can also clean with vinegar from time to time.
Check out our DIY Laundry Vinegar Tea Tree-Lavender-Lemon.
All LaraGreen laundry vinegars use Finnish Rajamäki spirit vinegar..
Water has been added to them so that the scent of the essential oils can be better revealed. 🪻 However, there is less than 10% water, so not too much at all.
So what are these "bad guys"?
Parabens
Parabens are used as preservatives in cosmetics. Parabens are known to mix with estrogen in the body and thereby disrupt hormonal function.
Studies have linked hormonal disruption, and parabens in particular, to breast cancer.
Identify in the ingredient list, for example: methylparaben (E218), ethylparaben (E214), propylparaben (E216) and butylparaben.
Synthetic fragrances
Synthetic fragrances can contain many different ingredients, as there is no obligation for the manufacturer to list them all.
Still, for example phthalates are commonly known to be used in synthetic fragrances.
Phthalates, on the other hand, have been shown to affect our hormonal function, just like parabens, and can therefore cause a variety of problems and diseases in the body.
There's no way you can check this from the ingredients list of the products, but one thing is for sure: essential oils do not contain phthalates.
Synthetic dyes
Synthetic dyes are also used in detergents. Are they necessary? Well, no, but some people think they're nice.
However, there are problems with some dyes. For example, Brilliant Blue (in the package FD&C blue 1or Indigo Carmine Red (in the package D&C red 27) are derived from crude oil and both of these dyes have been directly linked to cancer.
Both of these are prohibited in the EU, but consumers should still always be careful about what products they buy in stores.
Triclosan
An antibacterial agent commonly used in hand soaps. Studies have shown that it accumulates in the body, causes cancer, and disrupts hormones.
In water bodies, triclosan also accumulates in organisms and kills algae, among other things. Phthalates, on the other hand, have been studied to affect our hormonal function, just like parabens, and can thereby cause a variety of problems and diseases in the body.
There's no way you can check this from the ingredients list of the products, but one thing is for sure: essential oils do not contain phthalates.
Cocamidopropyl betaine
A surfactant that was named Allergen of the Year in 2004. Causes severe allergic reactions in many people. Look for the following in the ingredients list: CADG, Cocamidopropyl betaine, Cocamidopropyl dimethyl glycine.
SLS/SLES Sulfates
Industrially produced sulfates are often used as surfactants, such as SLS and SLES (Sodium Laureth Sulphate ja Sodium Lauryl Sulphate).
These are known to irritate the skin, lungs, and eyes. They are also toxic to fish and other aquatic organisms.