HPA Goes Oily~ Laundry Day!

I'm super pumped about this new series! I've blogged a bit about my journey with essential oils over the last few months, but with the new year I'll be rolling out bi-weekly oily posts! You may already be an essential oil user (and if you are then you're obsessed like I am), you may be curious, or you may be a total doubter. (Don't worry, I was too!)

Over the next few weeks, we'll be diving in to essential oils, but we're also going to be talking about using more environmentally friendly, and toxic less items in your house. I'm not sure about you, but when I had Gretchen (almost 8 years ago- gasp!) I instantly started to worry about what she was exposed to. We slowly began living a cleaner, greener lifestyle, and let me be 100% honest with you. It is HARD! We are not perfect. No way. It's a challenge every single day. But, as we learn better, we do better. It may not be your passion, but hopefully over the next few weeks you can pick up some tips to help you be a little bit greener.

So, today, we're talking laundry. I know, we're getting right down to the nitty gritty. Getting the dirty out of the way. 

We already know that laundry pods are crazy dangerous. But, what you may not know is that there are also toxic chemicals in your laundry detergent. "When scented laundry detergents and fabric softeners are used, dryer vents emit more than 25 volatile organic compounds per load." (source) I'm not sure about you, but I'm thinking those volatile organic compounds may stick around on our clothes, which we wear, and since those chemicals are sticking around, and we're wearing our clothes, I'm certain that our skin is absorbing some of those chemicals. Are skin is the largest organ on our body, and it covers all the other organs.... so guess where those chemicals are going. 

In preparation for this post, I googled "laundry detergent and toxic chemicals" and came up with a slew of articles! I'd encourage you to do some research too. 

So, now that I've learned better, I'm determined to do better. When we used cloth diapers on the little girls, we used Rockin' Green detergent because it was highly recommended. We slowly switched to All Free & Clear because it was the next best thing I could find and a little more affordable for our budget. 

As I continued to learn more, I realized that I still wasn't making a big impact on our family's health. Once I began using Young Living essential oils, I began to look in to the other products the company offers. I came across their Thieves Laundry Soap, and knew that I had to give it a try. 

Thieves Laundry Soap has a plant based formula. It's free from Sodium Lauryl Sulfate, dyes, petrochemicals, formaldehyde, phosphates, synthetic perfumes, and optimal brighteners. The bottle lasts through 64 loads, and because it's so highly concentrated, I only have to use 1/4 of a capful in my laundry. 

Thieves Laundry Soap contains the essential oils of Thieves, Jade Lemon, and Bergamot. And, it smells super yummy without using synthetic fragrances!

Now, before we switched our laundry soap, I was super quick to drop our dryer sheets and switch to wool dryer balls. If you're wondering why I said good-bye to our dryer sheets, then check out this article. 

We use 3 wool dryer balls per load and add an essential oil of our choice. Typically, it's purification. Lavender is another great oil of choice, or even orange, or lemon. 

I add 3 drops of oil to each wool dryer ball, and allow it to cycle through 3-4 loads before I feel like more oil needs to be added. Our towels have never felt or smelled more fresh than they do now. 

You can always use a wet wash cloth with a few drops of essential oil too: 

I'd love to challenge you to think about making one little change, and for me, the laundry room was a super easy place to start. It's literally throwing out two products: Laundry Soap and Dryer Sheets. (PS: we never used fabric softener, so I don't count the need to throw it out since we never used it)

If you're interested in learning more about Young Living and essential oils or their other products, shoot me an email or leave me a comment below (be sure to leave your email address!) When you sign up as a wholesale member through Young Living, you'll also receive a 24% discount on all of their products! Making the switch even more affordable! But hold the phone, if you're not fully ready to dive in then I can order the laundry detergent and a bottle of your choice of essential oil (purification, lemon, or thieves.) If you are ready to dive in a, then email me right away, because each of those oils come in your premium starter kit (PSK), and I'll send you a set of 3 wool dryer balls for FREE!) 

If you order your PSK my enroller/sponsor number is 2996311. Leave your email below and I'll send you full ordering instructions.