Phosphates

By now, you have probably heard that phosphates are not good for the environment, BUT do you know how that really applies to your day to day life?

When too much phosphorus exists in a waterway (think stream, river, ocean) it makes the growth of green algae overgrow.

Think about it like this the phosphorus is naturally occurring in nature but too much works like a miracle grow for the algae and then that chokes out all the natural growth, killing natural plants, fish, crabs etc.

In fact, just one-pound pf phosphates can produce between 400 and 700 pounds of green algae!

That massive growth not only turns the water green (like pea soup), but it also changes the ecosystem.  Algae blocks the sunlight, killing the plants below the surface, and the natural oxygen production.  Then as the algae dies, it consumes massive amounts of oxygen when decomposing.  Now you have stagnant, non-oxygenated water and the animals (fish, frogs, crabs what ever was living there) die.

Now we know phosphates are bad for the water and the ecosystem; and yet are used by many companies in their dishwashing, dishwasher, washer, and other soap products. The reason they continue to use it is because they are cheap and effective and what they are used to.

Many of those companies use trickster advertising on the package, but you can outsmart them.

Easiest thing is do not buy products with phosphates on the label (remember they do not have to list on the label all of the ingredients, so if you are not sure of the company be very wary) you do NOT have to use phosphates for effective cleaning, and natural alternatives do not have to make the products more expensive.

If you see a label (this is an actual example from Cascade auto-dishwasher soap) that says “contains just 4.5% phosphorus in the form of phosphates, equal to 1 gram of phosphorus per tablespoon”

you might think hmm not much

What that MEANS however is the 4.5% represents just the amount of phosphorus and NOT the total amount of phosphates.  This is important because a phosphate molecule is MORE THAN just phosphorus atoms; it also contains sodium and oxygen atoms.  So even though the phosphorus content is 4.5% the actual amount of total phosphate (the whole phosphate molecule, not just the phosphorous atoms) is approximately 18% or nearly 4 grams of phosphates per tablespoon.

Here is to reducing YOUR footprints on the planet!

doing the laundry

Last time you tossed some smelly socks, a t-shirt or bath towels in the washing machine did you think about your impact on your body? the environment?

Perhaps you are now thinking I am talking about, “make sure and wash a full load to save water”; well of course, that makes sense but no, I am talking about more then that. I am thinking more along the lines of the containers of detergents and brighteners and what is IN them; what you will add to the load to “clean” your favorite sheets and your new jeans.

First of all as stewards of the planet we all know that when we throw something “away” it actually goes somewhere; away from you, yes, but to a new place. It is obvious that we want to buy things that we can reuse and or things that will last longer.

Have you ever had the experience with laundry soap that you wash your clothes in it, then put on the clothes and it itches like crazy on your skin, some people even break out into a rash. Well there are a few reasons for that obviously the largest is that what you “washed” your clothes in actually stayed IN the fabric.

In fact because of the harsh nature of grocery store laundry products clothing is generally given a life expectancy of just 50 washings.(1) Has your favorite little black dress become more a of a little grey dress? How about your favorite white team t-shirt, looking a bit grey? I am going to cover some of the main reasons for both of those problems, and why they contribute to why clothes are not lasting after many wash loads.

First most detergents rely on alkaline formulas to remove stains. Now that is an effective way to remove stains but it also causes a break down in the fabric, making your clothing wear out and fade faster. That graying of your whites, there is a name for that - redeposition, which simply means that while the stains are broken down they swirl around in the water and are then redeposited on the clothes! That often leads a person to grab for the old stand by bleach; and we KNOW the dangers of bleach. However, did you know that household bleaches, which claim to disinfect, are classified as pesticides under the Federal Hazardous Substances Act.

Meanwhile we are using water to “clean” our laundry and it is going down the drain taking it with it alkaline chemicals, the other fillers and chemicals and pesticides. While some is staying on the fabrics, you wear and sleep on and bath with or let a pet sleep on.

By now we all know the dangers that phosphates and bleach have caused to the water supply, and yet few people think they are contributing to the problem. After all, we need to have clean fresh smelling clothes and they would not sell it at the store if it wasn’t safe, right? Wrong in fact here in the United States the law instead is we will assume things are safe (innocent) and will not hurt you – until proven to be a safety hazard (guilty) so in fact consumers are the test market for many dangerous chemicals. We do know that the U.S. Federal Code of Regulations exempts manufacturers from full labeling of products if used for personal, family or household care.(2) According to the Consumer Protection Agency, 150 chemicals found in the home have been connected to allergies, birth defects, cancer and psychological disorders.

Now add to that many of the products you purchase contain soda ash and other fillers, which are there to add volume to the box, most of which goes straight down the drain; adding to the strain on waterways and treatment plants.

Think about it do you really think that they are all washed out of the fabrics you are washing; or is some of it the residue in the materials?

How about a couple of fun experiments, where we will see the story of your laundry detergent, and if it is ph balanced or alkaline?

Take a glass jar with a lid and fill it 2/3 full of water, add 1/2 scoop of your laundry detergent (or 1/2 of the liquid band) and then put the lid on and shake and shake and shake. If there are no fillers in the detergent then it will completely dissolve. However if there are fillers no matter how long or how hard you shake it will not.

To see if you have an alkaline formula put some of the detergent directly in your hand and then add a bit of water. If it is getting hotter in your hand, it is alkaline and SOME products are so alkaline that simply holding the product you will notice the heat. If there is no temperature change then it is pH balanced.

What SHOULD you be looking for in a laundry product? Well first pH balance and those that use organic surfactants, natural and biodegradable ingredients and enzymes to release the dirt from the fibers.

I hope you learned something new and found value in this article, it will not change the world BUT it could change part of your impact on it.

(1) Textile Industry affairs: label Talk Alert, Summer 1999, “Home Laundry Facts” www.textileaffairs.com/al2q99.htm

(2) USA FCR: Section 1910.1200C, Title 29, Section 1500.82 2Q1A