Everybody wants to save money. However, you shouldn’t do it for laundry. You may pick cheap detergent from the market and stain clothes.
Does cheap detergent ruin clothes?
Most cheap detergents contain harsh chemicals like chlorine bleach, artificial fragrances, and phosphates. These elements may discolor fabrics, reduce lifespan, and reduce the absorbing power of fabrics. So, one should be careful when using them. Moreover, they may pose a great threat to the environment and health.
In this article, I’m going to cover the cons of using cheap detergent on clothes and give you the recipe to prepare homemade detergent.
Does it sound fun to you? Then, follow me!
Table of Contents
Effect of Cheap Detergent on Clothes
Fade clothes
In most cases, cheap detergent may contain chlorine bleach. Generally, chlorine is toxic and can be harmful to clothes and skin. Moreover,
- The high amount of chlorine may fade garments a bit.
- Leave stains on the surface.
- Most shockingly, it reduces the lifespan of a particular fabric and makes it weak.
- Cause damage to your skin and hair.
So, prepare a homemade safe detergent that doesn’t contain a high level of chlorine.
Shorten lifespan
Most of the cheap detergents contain artificial fragrances. You may love the new smell of your garments. However, these hazardous elements can shorten the lifespan of your favorite dresses. Moreover, this fragrance may be a combination of a staggering 3000 chemicals.
Therefore, avoid using these harmful fragrances. Instead, use essential oils to freshen up your clothes. They are cheap and always suitable for your garments and health.
Reduce absorbing power
Because of flexibility and comfort, polyester and spandex are widely used in yoga, sports, and swim dresses. These fabrics can easily absorb sweat to give you more scope to concentrate on your sports.
However, if you use cheap detergent for washing them, their absorbing power may be hampered. So, buy detergents that aren’t harmful to these fabrics. Moreover, you can use homemade detergent or vinegar to wash clothes.
Odd smell
Many of you use detergent to remove bad odors from your clothes. Who loves the smell of sweat in garments?
However, using cheap detergent may not solve this problem entirely. Sometimes you may feel a weird smell after washing. You may be in big trouble if you have an allergy. In such scenarios, use chemical-free detergents.
Leaves white residue
Using cheap detergent may be ok for dark-colored clothes. However, you should be more careful if you want to use it for your bright-coloured fabrics.
In worst cases, it may leave a white residue on the surface of garments. The main reason is that the detergent isn’t dissolved properly. That means you need to wash your clothes again.
By the way, these detergents require more time to process. So, if you aren’t a busy person and do laundry not very frequently, it’s ok for you. However, if you lead a busy life, buy eco-friendly detergents. They are fast and work great on all fabrics.
Environmental and Health Hazards of Cheap Detergent
Cheap detergents may contain toxic chemicals like phosphate, formaldehyde, 1, 4-dioxane, synthetic fragrance, Benzene, and so on.
These elements may brighten up your fabrics. You may look damn smart. However, it can pose a great danger to the environment. Most of these chemicals aren’t biodegradable.
So, they may remain in the open air for a longer period and cause a huge threat to all living species. Some elements like phosphate have been banned in the US and many European countries.
Moreover, these elements like 1, and 4-dioxane can cause both malignant and benign tumors in your body. Other elements like bleach and formaldehyde can trigger allergic situations.
Therefore, you should avoid using such elements. Always check the ingredients of detergents before buying them. Save the environment!
So, what should you do to solve this problem? Luckily, you can prepare simple laundry at your home that works great. Moreover, it’s pretty cheap. Are you curious? Just read the recipe in the section below.
DIY: Homemade Laundry Detergent
Ingredients
- Castile soap (one piece)
- Baking soda (two cups)
- Essential oil
Instructions
- First of all, you need to heat baking soda in an oven. Heat the oven to 450-475 degrees Fahrenheit for approximately an hour.
- Now, take a grater to slice the soap into small pieces.
- After an hour, remove the baking soda from the oven and mix it with sliced soap. Keep this mixture in a jar.
Now, use this mixture when you’re going to wash your clothes. For fresh clothes, you can use essential oil. Pick one that suits you better. I prefer to use lavender essential oil.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does it matter what kind of laundry detergent I use?
It matters what kind of laundry detergent you use for washing purposes. It would be best if you buy eco-friendly detergents. They don’t contain any harsh chemicals. They-
- Remove all wrinkles perfectly.
- Work faster than harsh detergents.
- Never fade garments.
- Don’t hurt the lifespan of garments.
So, use them without any doubt. Moreover, delicate detergents aren’t that expensive. In contrast, cheap detergents may discolor some fabrics like polyester and cotton. Moreover, they aren’t safer for your health and the environment.
Do I need laundry detergent?
Using a washer without any detergent may not provide you with the best results. Some stains and dirt may be removed because of the rough movements inside the washer. However, you should add a small amount of detergent. Otherwise, you can’t remove dirt, stains, and body oils from garments.
Instead of buying detergents from the market, prepare homemade detergent with normal castile soap and baking soda. You can add essential oil to freshen up your garments a bit. Most importantly, it works perfectly on every fabric.
Lastly, if you prefer to use detergent, don’t use more than two teaspoons for larger loads. In contrast, a single teaspoon is enough for a normal load.
Final Thought
Everyone should think about their safety and biodiversity. Replacing cheap detergent with a homemade one can save you from a lot of hassle.
So, why are you wasting money on buying detergents? Instead, prepare detergent at home and save some for the future!
