In the process of going green, people need to be informed properly; about available products and which product will suit there needs best. Before making use of your greywater for irrigation purposes, how do you go about making sure that the water being used in the garden will not be harmful to any plants or your lawn? Many atimes, when installing our Garden Rhapsody System, the questions are being raised about what laundry detergent to use and where it is distributed? Even if laundry water is not uses onto your garden, shouldn’t it be our responsibility to switch to the greener option for a healthier lifestyle and making a difference to the environment…..?
Why not use conventional laundry detergents?
It is made from synthetic petrochemicals that are hard on the environment, and can leave chemical residues on clothing, so the ingredients constantly brush agains our skin, potentially causing rashes and other reactions. Bleaches are made from chlorine, a known carcinogen. Fabric softeners contains chemicals that can cause allergic reactions. Optical brighteners are chemicals that make your clothes appear brighter by leaving a residue that converts UV light into a blue-white light. They have nothing to do with how clean your clothes are, but have been linked to developmental and reproductive problems as well as causing skin irritations. The same counts for synthetic fragrances; its more like covering up the evidence than proof of anything being clean.
What to look for?
There is really only one way to know if a detergent is eco-friendly, and that’s to look at the list of ingredients on the label or box. Look for products that are made with renewable, plantbased ingredients, that is bio-degradable and environmentally friendly, which means that the washing powder and additives are broken down rapidly by natural processes into harmless substances. Ingredients like: plant-essential oils, sodium laureth sulphate and plant-derived alcohol ethoxylates, sodium carbonates, -bicarbonates, enzymes and plantbased ehtanol, hydrogen peroxide or sodium percarbonate should be listed. Should ingredients not be declared on the packaging, rather try out one that does, its to important to ignore. For environmental purposes, detergents should not contain sulfates or phosphates.
Greener detergents are available in both liquids and powders. Powders may be more concentrated than liquids, using smaller packaging. Liquids contain water that adds unnecessary weight, but to the eye; adds more value for your money. Whichever one you might prefer, poor performance of some green products did give green products a bad name in the past, but the modern products now on offer are as good if not better than conventional options. Also being concentrated, many of our locally-produced green products work out to be cheaper load for load.
While thinking green, also consider the packaging you purchase. Is it recyclable or made from recycled content? Try to leave out plastic or foil packaging, rather buy products in cardboard boxes and products that proclaim that the box, the plastic bag and the scoop are recyclable. Every bit helps!
Alternatives for detergents are also available naming Soap Nuts and the Biowashball. 
Soap Nuts contain large quantities of saponin in their shells that acts as a natural, gentle detergent when it comes into contact with water. A few nuts are placed in a small mulin bag that goes together with your laundry load. The nuts can be used 4-5 times, then just thrown onto your compost pile.
The biowashball is a plastic sphere filled with eight different types of ceramic balls that interact with water molecules to improve penetration and cleaning. The pH of about 8-9 weakens the adherence of dirt on fabrics so that it can be easily removed without use of detergent.
Going and thinking green in your household, does have certain effects on your lifestyle. It does mean that a few adjustments need to be made, but we have to become more and more aware that what we all do now on a daily basis is certainly going to have an effect on the world as a whole, but to make it more personal; an effect on what we leave our own children and their children. Try to change your brands to being more eco-friendly, to help create the demand for green products in South Africa, for increased supply of local products, which also result in increase of availability and cost-effectiveness.
Websites for more information:
Information from Simply Green Magazine
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