Brand Spotlight: Eco Nuts

Let’s talk about natural laundry detergents! Eco Nuts are a natural alternative to conventional detergents. Did you know that many conventional laundry detergents in Canada are not legally required to list their ingredients on the labels? While many of these chemicals are not listed, several studies have proven that they contain lethal toxins. These chemicals can stay on the clothes (via fragrance or otherwise) and may cause serious health related problems.

I personally cannot use liquid laundry detergents that have a lot of fragrance or dyes because I discovered that I have an adverse reaction to them. Not only does my asthma and psoriasis worsen, but I breakout into hives and rashes and my skin becomes red and raw. Soon after this discovery, I went to do a bit of research on the differences between various laundry detergents and why they vary so greatly. According to the David Suzuki Foundation, liquid laundry detergents contain many chemicals such as MEA (monoethanalomine), DEA (diethanolamine), TEA (triethanolamine), fragrance chemicals such as phthalates, NPEs (nonylphenol ethoxylates), phosphates, SLS (sodium lauryl sulfate), SLES (sodium laureth sulfate) and trisodium nitrilotriacetate to name a few.

So what do these long-winded names even mean? Many of the ones listed are irritants and can trigger allergies, migraines, and asthma symptoms. Others cause more serious health problems with extended use such as stimulate the growth of human breast cancer cells, or are endocrine disrupters associated with reproductive effects, including reduced sperm count in men.

Since learning all of this, I’ve changed my laundry detergent habits little by little to fragrance and dye free and recently discovered the brand Eco Nuts. Eco Nuts are soap nuts that contain saponin and are naturally occurring. Nut allergy safe, these organic soap nuts are derived from the Soap Berry tree (Sapindus mukorossi) in the Himalayas. These naturally containing saponin berries are able to penetrate the fibers of your clothes and helps to lift the stains from the fabric whereas the water rinses the suspended dirt away. For more information, check out their website!

I love the product so much that I’ve purchased a large quantity of Eco Nuts so I’m sure I’ll be able to keep my clothes clean for months to come! Because of the gentle cleansing properties, it’s ideal for baby clothes or your delicates. If you don’t like the idea of the whole soap berry form, Eco Nuts has liquid detergent as well as powdered detergent.

I’m glad I found Eco Nuts, a natural alternative to those harsh big name detergents because I refuse to live with rashes on my arms!

Have you tried alternative laundry detergents? What’s your take on them?