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Overly-Scented Laundry: Not Just Obnoxious, It’s Toxic Too!
Smell is a potent wizard

that transports you across thousands of miles
and all the years you have lived.

Helen Keller

I have a sensitive schnoz. I can’t take most perfumes, I’m very very picky about lotions, shampoos, detergents. I can tolerate citrus-scented things if they’re not overpowering, but I prefer fragrance-free everything.

I think that since I started actively avoiding fragranced products, I’ve only become more sensitive. Whenever we go to a show or a place with crowds or lines, I’m careful to pack some Advil in my bag, because all too often I wind up too close to someone who got a little too enthusiastic with the perfume or hairspray. I’ll wind up with a headache so bad I can’t see— an awesome situation to be in when you’ve taken the kids somewhere “fun” and have a long drive home.

I always assumed this was just me being me, but apparently my sensitivity might have a scientific explanation.

A recent study researched 25 popular air fresheners, laundry products, household cleaners and personal care products containing “fragrance”— a thoroughly unregulated term; the chemicals that make up a “fragrance” aren’t legally required to be disclosed— and found that:
- the 25 emitted 133 different volatile organic compounds (VOCs), averaging 17 VOCs per product;
- a quarter of those are classified as toxic or hazardous under federal laws,
- some are classified by the EPA as probable carcinogens, with no safe level of exposure, and
- each item tested gave off at least one of these chemicals.
And yes, some of the items tested were labelled green or all-natural.

A second study captured the fumes from dryer vents. When a load of clothing washed in an undisclosed scented laundry detergent (my money is on that headache in a jar, Gain) was put into a dryer with scented dryer sheets, the captured emissions contained 25 VOCs, including seven hazardous air pollutants. Two of those – acetaldehyde and benzene – are classified as carcinogens with no determined safe level of exposure.

The researchers estimate that in the Seattle area, where the study was conducted, acetaldehyde emissions from this brand of laundry detergent would be equivalent to 3 percent of the total acetaldehyde emissions coming from automobiles. Emissions from the top five brands, they estimate, would constitute about 6 percent of automobiles’ acetaldehyde emissions.

It’s not a killer all on its own, but it’s one more way we’re slowly poisoning our air, our water and our bodies, and it’s totally unnecessary.

Just switch to fragrance-free or unscented, or demand that companies disclose what constitutes “fragrance” in their products.

Add a little vinegar to your wash for softening (the smell dissipates upon drying), or try some of those dryer balls to keep fabrics cozy.

Make sure your dryer vents outside and not into your house, or even better, line dry.

I like Sun & Earth detergent, especially since I can refill at the local co-op, and I line dry or use dryer balls (mine are the typical spiky blue ones you get at Target, but when I went to find a link I saw that they can start staining when they degrade, so I’m recommending these felted wool organic ones instead). They’re pretty good about cutting down dryer time and our clothes are reasonably fluffy and static-free— although, to be honest, I don’t recall ever having a static problem.

Anyone else sensitive to fragrances?
What’re your fave laundry products?
August 27, 2011
Fashion Friday: Back to School Shoes (yes, my kids wear Crocs)
Give a girl the correct footwear
and she can conquer the world.

-Bette Midler

Speaking generally, I don’t do back to school clothes shopping. 12 years of brown plaid uniforms made me cynical about the marketing hype surrounding brand-new wardrobes, dictated by the start of the school year. Why buy new stuff when last year’s duds still do?

I’ll wait until the season changes and we can assess what the kids actually need (and since their choices are sure to be swayed by what the other kids are wearing, we may as well see what’s on the hit list this year).

The exception is the shoes. I don’t think my kids wear closed toe shoes at all over the summer months, and every year as August draws to a close they attempt to stuff their soles into sneaks that have miraculously gone at least two sizes too small.

It’s all that fresh air and sunshine, I guess. And giantess genes.

Good news: this year, the transition from summer to fall doesn’t mean putting away summer comfort, at least for kids. Crocs has released a new line of “school approved” kicks, suitable for the gymnasium and playground. The Crocs Back to School kids’ line is school-approved on the outside (meaning close-toed and close-heeled), but have the same comfort in the inside. And they’re super-cute, with 13 new high-top and low-top styles for kids (boys and girls) from K-8.

I ordered Cass the metallic-purple-on-black argyle version of this one. ARGYLE, people. I love it.

For me, this means:
- no more having to buy rain boots for the kids to slog to the bus stop in, only to have them change shoes as the bus pulls into sight.
- No more having to wash sneakers after playing in the mud, and then going to bed to the thump, thump, thump of shoes in the dryer.
- No more days on end traveling from shoe store to shoe store trying to find something comfortable for all-day, everyday wear for my big-footed children (two with abnormally long, narrow feet; one with square, wide feet).
Confession: I’m a recent Croc convert; I thought they were ugly as sin when they first arrived on the scene. But I truly love their wash-and-wearability so I can allow the kids to play outside and get dirty with abandon. And after purchasing a pair of my own for gardening and latenight dogwalking, I can’t deny the comfort factor. (Mine are the toning Skylar flats.)

AND, here’s where they fit into my eco-sensibility: not only does one pair do the job of three pairs of shoes for younger kids (rain shoes, dress shoes, and mucking-about shoes), but they are easily recyclable. Some Crocs retail stores will take them off your hands directly, or you can send them to Soles4Souls, who will clean them and give them a “second life” by donating to people in need of shoes throughout the world.

Given that just about every kid around has a pair, consider setting up a donation drive at your school or community center!

One more thing.

Not only is Crocs keeping summertime comfort in your shoes all year long, they’re giving away a 4-day, 3-night “summer break” for 4 people to San Diego. The prize includes round-trip airfare, a stay at an oceanside family-friendly hotel, tickets to local attractions, car rental and $200 fun money. You can enter to win on the Crocs Back to School microsite but frankly I’d prefer you just cross your fingers and toes that I win 🙂

Check out the line-up in this video: click on any of the shoes and you’ll be taken to the shoe’s page on the website. There’s a hidden “Easter egg”— find it, click on it and see what happens. Here’s a clue:

Your turn.

How do you handle back to school shopping?

Have you gone to the Croc side?

Thank you to Crocs for sponsoring this blog post. Please click here to learn more about Crocs’ new Back to School line. I was selected for this sponsorship by the Clever Girls Collective. All opinions expressed here are my own.
August 26, 2011
Stressed Out Students (The Kids Are Not All Right): Infographic
They say that we are better educated than our parents’ generation.

What they mean is that we go to school longer.

It is not the same thing.

-Richard Yates

We’re counting down the last few days until the start of the new school year, and already Jake and his father are haggling over grades and rewards/punishments.

I still maintain that the most “important” lessons kids learn in the school system is how to sit down and shut up, how to regurgitate facts, how to live by a bell. That’s not education, that’s indoctrination. I fear for this generation when they grow up. Who will be the fearless leaders, the free thinkers?

Is all this pressure and stress we put on our kids to excel in a flawed system really necessary? Is it worth it in the long run?

Success in life is not measured by a report card. Long-term happiness is not determined by a pop-quiz grade.

Education doesn’t always happen in front of a blackboard.

The infographic below is based on a survey of college freshman, but teaching kids good stress-relieving habits now will help them later:
1. Give your kids time to be kids. Schedule it in if you have to, it’s important.
2. Encourage them to ask for help when they need it. Be there to support them.
3. Make sure they get time for exercise, free play, and the things they love to do.
4. Feed them well. Let them sleep.
5. Make sure they understand that 1-4 are priorities, not luxuries. You need them.
How do you help your kids ward off stress?
Are you modeling good habits yourself?

Created by: Online College Classes
August 24, 2011