‘Bulking agents’ are not just for body builders and ‘fillers’ are not just for cracks. Unfortunately they are both polluting your laundry and effecting your health and chances are, you don't even realise. Unless you’ve looked further than the back of your laundry detergent box, you will be shocked to find out what they actually contain. I know I was. Not shocked actually. More like horrified.
Granular bulking agents and fillers are the shit (and not as in... ‘da shit’ but actual shit!!) that is added to laundry detergents to make their volume larger and give you the perception that you are getting more bang for your buck. They’re cheap, nasty and have no cleaning benefits what-so-ever. They can contain tiny pieces of plastic, crushed up concrete and other granular materials which don’t break down. They deteriorate and fade your clothes by aggressively grinding away at the fibres both during wash and wear and leave toxic chemicals behind. Once these chemicals are in the fibres – they are absorbed into the skin and can cause some people (especially babies and those with sensitive skin) to break out in rashes, crusty patches and initiate and/or exacerbate allergies and asthma. Did you know that after just 10 washes in chemical detergent your fabrics will have gained 2% of their weight in detergent residue?!!
Not being able to be dissolved or broken down means not only do these bulkers wreak havoc on our clothing, but they also cause corrosion and damage to our washing machines and they all eventually end up in our water ways.
Fillers and bulkers also mean that detergent packaging needs to be larger to accommodate the unnecessary volume = more unnecessary waste!
The answer? Buy soapberries. Then you won't have to even think about this any further, your skin, clothes and wallet will thank you and so will the environment.
End. Of. Story.