Why My Laundry Obsession is a Metaphor For Life: With 2020 Eco Updates

Psst...I have a dirty little secret to share. I love doing laundry. I really mean I love it! I look so forward to laundry day and am disappointed when I don't have enough for a full load and have to patiently wait for something to get soiled.

My laundry rituals have certainly changed though over the years and have made the most radical changes since this blog post was first published in 2016 (this is a late 2020 update, almost 2021) with lots of healthier, eco-friendly and sustainable laundry ritual ideas for you to adopt. 

Ways to Make Your Laundry Ritual Non-Toxic

I care even moreso about the quality of my laundry, in a healthy non-toxic way, in 2020. I will not use toxic chemicals in my laundry room nor in my house anywhere. I have switched to fragrance-free, natural detergent (because the word "fragrance" can be used as a catch all for 10,000 chemicals that manufacturing companies do not need to disclose to you, the consumer).

Why Should You Care about Synthetic Fragrances?

The fragrances in detergents can trigger allergic reactions, things like skin rashes, headaches, fatigue, and more critically they can cause hormone disruption. Synthetic fragrances contain phthalates, petroleum based chemicals, which are hormone disruptors called xenoestrogens and can also affect all hormones including testosterone. They pass from the skin into the blood which is why reading labels and being careful about all things that you put on your skin including personal care products such as skin care, hair care, makeup, laundry products, and cleaning/chemicals is so vital to your health.

Think of the Environment in your Laundry Ritual

The second major change I have made to my laundry ritual is to always consider the environmental impacts of the choices I make in my laundry room and in my whole home by choosing sustainable laundry options such as bottle-less laundry detergent. I am now a huge fan of the Tru-Earth laundry strips and have bought a years' supply for my family to use. It works great and I feel like we are doing our part by keeping plastic laundry detergent jugs out of landfills.

I banned fabric softeners from our home years ago, also because of the phthalates and other toxic chemicals, in lieu of some eco-friendly wool dryer balls which I adore! The only issue with these is that when my teen daughters do their laundry they gather up all my wool dryer balls and I have to go searching for them to get them back.

If you also have teens that do their own laundry, you may want to invest in about twelve of these wool dryer balls like I have. It's a small price to pay for having a healthy, sustainable, eco-friendly solution in my laundry ritual. 

Now I do know that not every woman or man sees laundry in this positive fashion, in fact many think I'm a tad nuts because they detest doing laundry, but here is why after a lot of introspection I have come to understand my laundry lovin' obsession and encourage you also to embrace it.

Let's talk about why your laundry ritual really is a metaphor for life.

1. Dirty laundry is like a chaotic day you want to forget about.

Wouldn't it be great if you could just simply throw your days' problems into the washing machine, add some soap and hot water and boom, problem solved! You watch it swishin' all around with soap and just know that it's coming out the other end of fabulous. If only life could really be that simple...

Maybe there is a way that we can take that same principle though and find ways to deal with our life problems easier. One way that I like to cope with my problems is through daily meditation and breathwork, called pranayama, which means life force.  Since I am a Registered Yoga Teacher (RYT200) I have taken training in both meditation and breathwork and wanted to share this quick and simple way to get started with meditation, by balancing your chakras. 

Give this quick 5-minute meditation a try for some calming and grounding relief.  You will feel like a fresh load of clean laundry at the end of this meditation!

2. You choose your attitude. Your day, your way.  

I am scent activated, natural scents of course not those artificial, chemically scented fabric softener fragrances, again for the harmful toxic reasons explained in the previous point. But I do love, love, love to spray my freshly laundered clothes with a beautiful linen spray of therapeutic grade essential oils that are safe and I feel great putting on my body.  

Whether I choose lavender & cedarwood to give me peace and calmness, fresh lemon to brighten my spirits, or rosemary & peppermint to help focus and feel spa-like, whatever my mood brings for that day. You can choose to make every day fresh and make it your own. 

Want to know how to make your own DIY linen spray?

  3. Stains are the challenge and I am the master problem solver.

Bring on the stains! When my daughters were young and they would dribble sauces and milk down themselves (like 5-6 times a day) I couldn't wait to strip them down and run that cotton tee straight to the laundry room like a good challenge that only I could solve!  

If only Pinterest existed 20 years ago to give me all the greatest stain solutions. I had to use my own trial and error and actually ask my fellow mommy friends or call my Mom for stain advice the old fashioned way (for real). But those good stain challenges excited me like nobody's business (ok they still kinda do). I realize I probably needed to get out more now in hindsight. 

Nowadays my teen daughters do their own laundry, and have ever since I taught them at age thirteen, their own rights of passage to the wonderful world of laundry satisfaction. However I may have made them a tad "stain obsessed" because as soon as they stain themselves they run to me for stain advice and a quick remedy to treat the stain. How rewarding as a mom and master problem solver!  

4. Not everything in life gives you a re-do.

But dirty laundry does. You wear it and mess it up but can then wash it, iron it, hang it back up and do it all over again. Mix it up. Wear it with a different combo, different shoes, different belt. Again, if only everything in life gave you a second, third, tenth chance to enjoy it again and mix it up to make a statement especially if you messed it up the first time.

I love taking my favourite pair of yoga pants and pairing them with a different sweater or yoga top, change up my jewelry, and of course put on a fair of fun socks to match and bring it all together. Since most of the world has been working from home all through 2020, being comfortable and cozy has become a paramount part of our self-care. But you don't have to be bored with the options. Try out new ways to wear your fave clothes. 

I hope this post gave you a good chuckle and an even better appreciation for laundry, the necessary chore that can actually inspire you! 

Get to know Clean Kiss...natural skin care 

At Clean Kiss we are passionate about creating Clean at First Sight Skincare that you can feel good about using yourself, and for your whole family. 

From health-conscious, active mamas to women entrepreneurs, our customers love the experience of using our natural skin care products that have up to three times fewer ingredients than our competitors and give you optimal nourishment for your skin.  

Clean Kiss was founded by Family Natural Health Expert, Jodie Pappas, out of her own personal quest to find natural products for herself and her family that ACTUALLY worked. After first creating her signature natural deodorant, she went on to become a Certified Organic Skincare Formulator to produce a full line of skincare, body and curly hair products. Jodie is also a Registered Yoga Teacher (RYT200) and currently undertaking to become a Certified Nutritional Aesthetics Practitioner (CNAP).  

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