Let’s enjoy the clean environment – now, and in the future

You might wonder: how should I go about choosing an ecological laundry detergent? One way is to choose a detergent equipped with the Nordic Swan, which is the official sustainability ecolabel by the Nordic countries. It might not be the most cost-effective choice, though. The Nordic Swan-label is quite expensive for the manufacturer to obtain, and that will reflect in the product’s price. That’s why some manufacturers haven’t applied for the label – even though their products do qualify for it, they don’t want the consumer to have to pay for it. That’s why the cost-effective choice is to carefully acquaint yourself with the denominations of harmful chemicals such as perfumes, synthetic dyes, optical brighteners and preservatives. When equipped with this knowledge, you can choose a product that doesn’t contain them.

Why concentrate is a good choice?

Another thing worth remembering is to prefer concentrates. A concentrate in this case denotes a laundry detergent that is either a powder or liquid that contains a smaller dose of more efficient dirt-removing substances. Concentrates can be considered as the eco-friendly choice, since they use substances that burden the wastewater less, and when dosed correctly, the amount of chemicals that end up in nature is significantly lower. When using concentrates, it’s important to remember to follow the dosing guides, so the benefits of using a concentrate are revealed. Laundry detergents are often dosed excessively, just in case. Concentrates are more plentiful – you will spare nature from additional packaging-waste and the emissions from the transport of the detergents, while also sparing your wallet. When buying laundry detergents, it’s important to remember that liquid detergents include added water. Preservatives are also often found in liquid form detergents. Washing powders are denser than their liquid counterparts, by favoring powders you won’t have to spend your money on water.

The denominations of harmful substances

When picking environmentally friendly detergents, you should avoid the following substances:

• Zeolite – a mineral that is insoluble in water, notorious for clogging washing machines and causing health issues, such as asthma. If your laundry is dusty, this is the reason why.
• DASC-4 and disodium distyrylbiphenyl disulphonate (Tinopal CBS-X) – and other optical brighteners aren’t allergy-friendly.
• Sodium perborate – a substance often used in bleaches which burdens the environment outside of the wastewater network. When purchasing bleach, Sodium percarbonate is a preferable substance due to it being more environmentally friendly.

Choose your environmentally friendly laundry detergents that are free of zeolites, coloring substances, chemical perfumes, preservatives, or optical brighteners Like Allegro Plus and Allegro Eko.

Use a detergent that doesn’t contain bleach, or a product where the bleach (wash power booster) comes separately. In this manner, you can use your laundry detergent with a clear conscience and minimize the impact it has on nature. When you can ration the bleach for your white or your stained colored laundry yourself, you won’t needlessly discolor your dark laundry.

Finally..

Now you know how you, by choosing the right laundry detergent, can protect nature and rejoice it with a clear conscience, together with your family for the coming decades.

With sunny regards,

Anu Kiiski