DID YOU KNOW? 🌏 – Optical Brighteners

There are some ingredients that product manufacturers are not required to list on their labels. One of these is optical brighteners, which are often included in conventional laundry detergents.
What are Optical Brighteners?
Optical brighteners are chemicals that conventional product manufacturers use in their detergent formulations to make laundry look whiter and brighter. They do this by absorbing UV rays from the sun and radiating them back to the human eye. They don’t actually remove discoloration or stains or help the cleaning process at all—they just cover them up by enhancing the whiteness of the laundry.
The problems with optical brighteners.
Optical brighteners pose a number of potential environmental and health problems, and the long-term effects of these chemicals are still unknown. Some of the concerns are:

1. They can cause skin sensitization & allergies. Over time, people can develop skin sensitivity to the synthetic dyes and optical brighteners, causing skin irritation, rashes, and other allergies.
2. They are bad for the environment. Optical brighteners are not easily biodegradable – meaning they go from your washing machine into our rivers and oceans where they are toxic to aquatic life.
   What can I do?
   Like conventional detergents, natural detergent products clean your clothes—but unlike conventional detergents, they do it without using toxins or harmful chemicals. Look for all-natural, plant-based formulations that deliver the same cleaning strength as conventional detergents—but without toxins or other harmful substances.
3. To cut back on plastic packaging, consider reusing your plastic containers by visiting places like The Replenish Refillery in Dover or We Fill Good in Kittery to purchase your laundry detergent. You can also consider using all natural laundry detergent strips.
   Sources: Dirtylabs.com, Cleanpeople.com, European Ecolabel Commission
   Brought to you by the IWMAC Committee