Why I Quit Tide and What Laundry Detergent I Use Now!

Tide is the best selling laundry detergent in the United States. And it used to be the #1 in my house. After talking with a dermatologist, oncologist, and chemist who specialized in Laundry – I quit Tide.

Tide is FULL of Toxic Chemicals that aren’t needed. Chemicals like 1,4-DIOXANE (which causes cancer), synthetic dyes (that’s why it’s blue), optical brighteners, phthalates, phosphates, parabens, and other GROSS INGREDIENTS.

In a hurry?
I quit Tide because of these Toxic, Gross Ingredients. And replaced Tide with a brand that is Plastic Free, uses plant based ingredients, and uses No Parabens, Phosphates, Dyes, or other Gross Ingredients. It’s Vegan & Cruelty Free too! The brand is Clean People and they have a BOGO sale right now. Use Coupon Code BOGO when you buy a 96 pack, you’ll get a 32 Pack FREE!

Here’s my story:
I do 10+ loads of laundry a week. I am a full time mom, and that isn’t even my day job! I try to limit processed foods in my home, but my kids still love & eat macaroni and cheese twice a week. On the journey to having a cleaner home I realized there are some easy things to do and some harder things to do. Tide scores an F with the EWG  Refusing to buy big box brand laundry detergent was a VERY easy thing to do.

Reasons Why I Quit Tide

1) Surfactants

A surfactant is a fancy name for a cleaning agent. Yes, a couple are good but more is not better! Unless you are rolling around in grease, oil, and scrubbing green grass all over your clothing the strength of tide is unnecessary and you are exposing yourself to extra chemicals and damaging the fabric of your clothing. I have a sweaty husband, rambunctious kids, and a smelly dog so I thought I needed all of the cleaning power I could get – that is a myth that has perpetuated from fantastic advertisements. What I really want is simple ingredients for everyday cleaning so I am not exposing my family to industrial strength chemicals. 

2) 1,4-DIOXANE
“Exposure to 1,4-dioxane occurs from breathing contaminated air, ingestion of contaminated food and drinking water, and dermal contact with products such as cosmetics that may contain small amounts of 1,4-dioxane. Exposure to high levels of 1,4-dioxane in the air can result in nasal cavity, liver, and kidney damage” I don’t think I need to say anything more about that.

3) Optical brighteners
Optical brighteners are synthetic chemicals that are added to liquid & powder laundry detergents. Big Box laundry adds this (unnecessary) chemical for the sole purpose of making clothing appear whiter and brighter. This makes clothing appear cleaner but not necessarily cleaner! It also damages your color clothing.

4) Plastic
I do 10 loads a week so that means I am cutting 17 plastic bottles from my old brand out of the landfill and stopping the cycle. If everyone in Los Angeles stopped using plastic jugged laundry detergent that would be 66 MILLION plastic jugs stopped from the landfill. (My new brand uses ZERO plastic! Yes you heard that right. See how they do that here!

5) Dyes
Just why?! Why does there need to be a blue dye in my laundry detergent? 

Don’t detergent chemicals wash out?
I never really thought about the chemicals in my laundry because they are being washed. Washed into rivers, lakes, and oceans…… I also learned that they aren’t being washed off the toxic ingredients in laundry detergent are intentionally meant to last so we can experience that “clean” aroma. So that means when we sleep in our sheets, when we pull on our favorite hoodie, and when we get our kids dressed in the morning they are coming repeatedly in contact with these chemicals.

What I Use Now: Laundry Detergents with Clean Ingredients

I now use Clean People Laundry Detergent Strips. They are mailed straight to my door, have ingredients I agree with, and have absolutely ZERO plastic packaging. To say I love this brand and product would be an understatement. 

#1 Clean People Laundry Detergent

#2 Molly’s Suds Laundry Detergent