Why I Stopped Using Tide! And the 3 Best Laundry Detergents to use instead.

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), and other gross ingredients like optical brighteners.

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.

5 Reasons I Stopped Using Tide & Gain:

1) 1,4-DIOXANE
Tide has small amounts of 1,4 dioxane, which can cause cancer. “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.

2) Synthetic Blue Dyes
Tide is blue because it has synthetic blue dyes. Just why?! Why does there need to be a blue dye in my laundry detergent?

3) Plastic Jugs
700 million plastic laundry detergent jugs are made every year. Most of these end up in the landfill or, worse, the ocean. I want to stop single use plastics wherever I can. I switched to a new product that comes in paper packaging. I no longer contribute 17 big plastic jugs into the world.

4) Optical brighteners
Optical brighteners are synthetic chemicals that are added to liquid & powder laundry detergents. Tide & Gain add 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.

5) Dry & Itchy Skin
My skin isn’t sensitive. But my husband and my daughters have sensitive skin. Using Tide and Gain makes their skin dry & itchy. The synthetic fragrance and artificial dyes mean Tide isn’t hypoallergenic and these ingredients can cause skin to be dry & itchy.

Don’t detergent chemicals wash out?
No, I learned that the ingredients in your laundry detergent aren’t being washed out of your clothes. They’re 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.

3 Best Laundry Detergents to use Instead of Tide/Gain:

1. CLEAN PEOPLE Laundry Detergent

It’s important to pick the right laundry detergent. My pick is Clean People Laundry Sheets. The reason I love Clean People is simple: Clean People (1) is safe for you and your family and (2) it works! Safe means NO 1,4 dioxane, NO synthetic dyes, NO Optical Brighteners, NO Parabens, NO SLS/SLES. Safe means hypoallergenic. Oh and NO plastic jugs! That means it’s better for families and better for the environment.

Clean People works in all washing machines (including my front loading HE machine), hot and cold water, and works with septic tanks. And it just works! I use it to clean my husbands stinky gym clothes – the ultimate test! That’s why it has tons of 5 Star Reviews ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐. A bunch of reviews are people talking about how much they love Clean People and have been using it for more than a year. Lastly, Clean People has a Buy 1, Get 1 FREE promo going right now for New Customers.

2. Molly’s Suds

Molly’s Suds is #2 on my list. Like #1 Clean People, it is made from safe, natural, plant based ingredients. In my testing Molly’s Suds has good cleaning power and clean ingredients. NO 1,4 dioxane, NO synthetic dyes, NO Optical Brighteners, NO Parabens, NO SLS/SLES. There are only 4 ingredients in it. You just need one tablespoon and your clothes are clean! I also like that it’s founded by a mom who’s a pediatric nurse.

3. Seventh Generation

Seventh Generation comes in #3 on our list. Seventh Generation is now owned by Unilever. And I think over time Unilever has made the product worse and not as clean. Specifically, Seventh Generation now has traces of 1,4 dioxane (which can cause cancer). It also has SLS (sodium lauryl sulfate) which causes skin sensitivity. And Seventh Generation uses some preservatives I don’t like, methylisothiazolinone and benzisothiazolinone, which cause allergic reactions in humans. Seventh Generation does clean well. It has NO synthetic dyes, NO Optical Brighteners, NO Parabens.