Guest column: Stop using liquid laundry detergent

Nov 11, 2023

Every week you have to lug out that bulky plastic bottle of detergent from your cupboard. You might not think much of it when pouring your detergent into the washing machine. It seems harmless, right? Wrong, it actually has a major impact on the environment and your own health. Per year, about 700 million plastic liquid laundry detergent jugs are thrown into landfills in the U.S. While some people think it's completely harmless, we need to stop using liquid laundry detergent altogether since we are putting ourselves and the environment at risk, and there is a healthier alternative.

While many people argue liquid detergent and pods are convenient and don't do much harm, this is inaccurate. There are many convenient — as well as eco-friendly — detergent products on the market to choose from. The majority of detergent products are heavily filled with toxins and covered in plastic. While companies might not explicitly tell you what is in their products, they still can contain harmful ingredients. According to the Citizens Campaign for the Environment, Tide, one of the most popular liquid laundry detergent brands, contains 14 parts per million of 1,4 Dioxane. 1,4 Dioxane is very hazardous and can cause cancer.

Many people are unaware that liquid laundry detergent can have a negative impact on their health. These cleaners are made with heavy amounts of chemicals that irritate the skin. The Environmental Protection Agency has clarified that even if dioxane isn't listed in the ingredients it is still commonly found in liquid detergent and that, "short-term inhalation exposure to high levels of 1,4-dioxane has caused vertigo, drowsiness, headache, anorexia, and irritation of the eyes, nose, throat, and lungs in humans. It may also irritate the skin." Harmful chemicals like dioxane are in about every liquid detergent on the market.

When clothes are washed with unhealthy detergent, those toxins rub against the skin. Dermatologist, Dendy Engelman, states that, "it's possible that you can be allergic to certain chemicals or fragrances in the detergent… there's often still residual product left on your clothes that can cause contact dermatitis." There are many other chemicals in liquid detergent including carcinogens.

Scented detergent is even more harmful because manufacturers have to make those fragrances with more chemicals. These smells and wonderful fragrances aren't made with flowers, they’re not the natural type of fragrance. They're made with hazardous chemicals that should be avoided. Most of these harmful chemicals are hidden from the public, and are only discovered from third-party tests and studies done to the detergent.

The environment is also at risk from liquid detergent because of all the plastic and chemicals. The toxins in liquid detergent can spill into bodies of water and poison the wildlife living in them. "Phosphates… are particularly damaging to the marine environment when dispersed in wastewater from your wash" (Impact Of Detergents On The Environment: What Are the Negative Effects?). After we finish washing our clothes the water has to go somewhere, so it goes into waterways and then reaches marine life. Detergent can also get into marine habitats from the residue on jugs that wash into the ocean.

Additionally, chemicals are slowly released into the air once laundry detergent jugs enter landfills. There are both chemicals in plastic as well as in detergent, so those toxins have to go somewhere. Plastic takes about 500 years, or sometimes more, to decompose, but it never fully degrades. All plastic that has been made is still on earth, but most is now microplastics that we can't always see. Microplastics are microscopic pieces of broken down plastic. When marine life eats these microplastics, it enters their systems, potentially blocking their intestinal organs, tricking the brain into thinking they are full, and leading to starvation. When humans or animals eat fish they could be eating that microplastic too.

You might think there is nothing to stop all this pollution, so why even bother? If people continue polluting the earth, it's gradually going to get worse. However, there is a type of laundry detergent that is much better for you and the environment: laundry sheets. Laundry sheets don't contain toxic chemicals and are completely biodegradable. Tru Earth states that 100 laundry load jugs is equal to 400 laundry loads of their strips in the amount of room they take up. Laundry strips weigh 94% less than the detergent needed for a load of laundry. This makes shipping easier since they can fit more product per truck. They also save space in your home, it's a lot easier to grab the box or biodegradable bag than it is a giant, heavy jug every time you need to do your laundry.

In addition, Tru Earth states their packing is 100% plastic free so it can decompose. The laundry sheet dissolves completely in the wash. They are pre-measured too, so all you have to do is rip off a piece and put it in the machine. They make your life a lot simpler and easier. "The smart hypoallergenic laundry detergent formulation effectively seeks out and dislodges dirt molecules and stains, keeping them in suspension until they are rinsed away. It makes your laundry washing chore easier, healthier, more economical, and much kinder to our planet," says Tru Earth. Tru Earth's laundry strips don't contain dyes, bleach, dioxane or paraben which makes them hypoallergenic, biodegradable and vegan. Most laundry strips have about the same qualities as other brands.

Thus far, Tru Earth has eliminated about 107,000 laundry detergent containers from ending up in landfills. Laundry detergent sheets typically come in biodegradable bags or boxes. Because of this, they won't be rotting in a landfill, slowly emitting toxic chemicals into the air and polluting the world. Some may argue that it is more expensive. While it is, the laundry sheets help animals and the world from pollution by not using plastic and harsh chemicals. Wouldn't you want to spend a few extra dollars to help save a marine animal's life? Wouldn't you want to spend a few extra dollars to help you and your family's health?

There are so many different detergent sheet brands to choose from just like with liquid and they all have about the same positive properties.

Liquid laundry detergent is very bad for us, other animals and the world. We should stop using it in our everyday lives and change our daily habits. Next time you do your laundry with your liquid laundry detergent, think about all the negative effects this regular behavior has on you and the environment. Make a difference, switch!

Sophie Sewvello is a seventh-grade student at Sheridan Junior High School. She wrote this argumentative piece as part of her literature and language class.