gray water and soap

GreenMoms — Sat, 30 Aug 2008 19:27:11 -0500

Sorry about my slow response getting back to comment. I have been on a trip and offline...
That is a great idea to have a label indicating gray water safe on products that meet the criteria! I wish this was in place.
I would hope they could specify that on biodegradable products and products that don't contain the 1,4-dioxane contaminants, but I guess just having it on biodegradable products alone would be a big step in itself.

Melinda
www.greenmomscoastside.com

GreenMoms, Melinda & Janice

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gray water safe

Mary Clare Hunt — Mon, 25 Aug 2008 12:29:45 -0500

Someone a while ago said to me, "there should be a big sign that says gray water safe." Those would make the first cut for me.

The Soap Dilemma (1,4-dioxane)

GreenMoms — Mon, 25 Aug 2008 12:08:00 -0500

How do I choose a chemical free soap? Which soap is eco-friendly even after I send it down the drain? A few months back, the Organic Consumers Association, reported they tested several detergents and body care products for 1,4-dioxane. They found different levels of this chemical in many natural products and products that report to contain some organic ingredients. 1,4-dioxane has been shown to cause cancer. The concerning part is that the FDA acknowledges this and does not identify any safe level for use.

One of my tried and true eco-friendly brands, Seventh Generation, contains it in very low levels, but just the same....it still goes down the drain and back into our water supply eventually. And how do we know what is considered a harmless level when the FDA does not have a guideline for it? See Seventh Generation response here:
http://www.seventhgeneration.com/learn/blog/seventh-generations-response...

Who do you trust these days? Most detergents contain the 1,4-dioxane contaminants. Here is the Organic Consumers Association report with lists of those products that tested free of this chemical and those that did not. (Unfortunately, there are not many products that do not contain 1,4-dioxane):
http://www.organicconsumers.org/bodycare/DioxaneAlert080314.pdf

All the soaps I choose are mostly organic with simple plant based ingredients, and they are 1,4-dioxane free! Here are my recommendations:

I use Dr. Bronners for all sink and shower soaps. It comes in soap bars and concentrated liquid form. I get the liquid one gallon jug that lasts more than a year. You can dilute it 1 part soap to 10 parts water. It is a very simple castile soap and comes in several essential oil smells. My favorite is almond. I think you can get unscented and add your own essential oil.

For face and hair, I really like Aubrey Organics. You can go to their website www.aubrey-organics.com/ and choose your skin type for product recommendations.

For laundry soap and dish soap, I am still using Seventh Generation, but I have started to try Soap Nuts www.maggiespureland.com/ . They are pure nuts that have nothing else added to them. They work pretty well. For added grease cutting, I am thinking about adding a little Oxy Clean or Oxygen Pro which are supposed to contain only calcium salts and they are biodegradable.

For dish soap, I may go back to Dr.Bronners, although I stopped using it before because the oil in it caused a dirt film on my sink. Oh well, better than a cancer causing chemical on my hands. My sink cleans up well with BonAmi. Now, what to do about the dish washer detergent? That's my next step.....

Melinda
www.GreenMomsCoastside.com

BlogHer - The Soap Dilemma (1,4-dioxane) - Comments

gray water and soap

gray water safe

The Soap Dilemma (1,4-dioxane)