Bed Sheets and Laundry Detergent

The Pro and Cons of Using Conventional Laundry Detergent to Wash Bed Sheets

When someone has a pile of dirty laundry to do, they often have speed and efficiency in mind as they grab a bottle of conventional laundry detergent. If this same person has added all the dirty bedsheets in the house to a pile of laundry, he or she will have the same objective: to get done as fast as possible.

Many people are unaware that washing bed sheets in hot water is a bad idea because the heat adversely affects the fabric, causing the sheets to wear out much sooner. But most people do not give a lot of thought to the laundry detergent they choose, besides whether they like the way it smells. Here are a few important things to consider.

The Pros of Using Conventional Laundry Detergent:

• It is easy to find. Grocery stores, stores like Target and Walmart as well as the local Walgreen’s, and even convenience stores carry it.
• It comes in a variety of formulae. It’s not hard to find detergent designed for washing in cold water, or for tough stain removal like wine or blood stains
• There are an infinite number of “scents” for detergents such as Tide’s Spring Meadow Scent or a detergent that is Fragrance Free
• Detergents are available as liquids, powders, and single-use packs or pods

This all sounds great, variety and specificity all in a single bottle but there are some downsides to conventional laundry detergents.

The Cons of Using Conventional Laundry Detergent:

Recently there has been discussion regarding the safety of the ingredients used in most conventional laundry soaps.

The undergroundhealthreporter.com writes, “Clean, fresh…and cancerous? It sounds extreme, but the truth is your laundry detergent most likely contains carcinogens. You are using toxic laundry detergent to clean your family’s clothes! According to studies, a full 1/3 of all scented detergents contain at least 1 chemical flagged by the EPA as potentially causing cancer.”

Here is the list of toxic ingredients found in most detergents:

• Ammonia
• Bleach
• Phenols
• Phosphates
• 1, 4 dioxane (carcinogen also known to cause liver, brain and kidney diseases in addition to cancer as well as respiratory problems, immune malfunction and hormone imbalance)

In addition to these pretty serious cons for laundry soaps, there are also skin irritations and issues with picking a detergent that really does the job it claims to do. Even smooth, silky bamboo sheets can become a source of irritation. And even an all-purpose detergent is not necessarily going to get out all stains.

Make sure to look for detergents that are fragrance free and without added bleach or dyes. Bonuses are also ones made with biodegradable products and plant-based enzymes. Many people find that switching bleach out for vinegar to wash bed sheets does wonders for removing stains and whitening sheets that become discolored from sweat.

A person spends so much time wrapped up in bedsheets, it is worth being reassured that the sheets are only aiding in proper, restorative sleeping, not adding to the possibility of developing serious illness.