Genius: Why you should use vinegar when you wash your clothes

Laundry detergents are meant to make our clothes clean and fresh. And of course, as far as that goes, they do their job. But what not everyone may know is that detergents aren’t healthy at all.

Hidden poison

Detergents contain unhealthy chemicals that break down the elasticity of clothes, and perfume in particular is one such toxin, writes Expressen.

Phthalates, a substance found in detergent to make clothes smell good is in fact a hormone-releasing agent. This is harmful to young children and can cause allergic reactions.

In addition, such chemicals are harmful to nature once they are emptied into our waters.

Why Vinegar

A much better alternative to detergent is vinegar. It gives the same softening effect but without being harmful. It’s not only good for your clothes, it’s also good for your washing machine as it will help keep it clean.

Vinegar neutralizes bad smells in clothes — and, not to mention, is very cheap! A bottle of vinegar normally costs much less than the equivalent laundry detergent. And, using just one tenth of a cup per wash is enough for 48 washes,

To make your clothes smell extra nice, add a few drops of lavender essential oil — guaranteed to make your clothes smell heavenly.

Recipe for natural detergent:

Here is a good recipe for natural detergent that I use:

4 cups of boiled, cooled down water
1.5 cups vinegar
About 10 drops of essential lavender oil

Instructions:

Simply mix the vinegar, lavender oil and water in a bottle. Then shake it and pour the same amount you would where your traditional detergent would go.

I had no idea that vinegar was so great for washing. Moving forward, I’m dropping my store-bought detergent and going to use this instead! Please share this article to tell your friends about this smart trick, too!