Drinking Bottled Water is Not the Answer -- We Must Take Better Care of Our Water Supply

Whenever we use laundry detergent, bleach, or fabric softener, we should realize that almost all of it goes down the drain.

Unfortunately, most wastewater treatment facilities are not equipped to filter out personal care products, household products, and pharmaceuticals, and a large portion of the chemicals passes right into the local waterway that accepts the treatment plant's supposedly clean effluent.

Study of the effects of these chemicals getting into the water is just beginning, but examples of problems are now popping up regularly:

•Scientists are finding fragrance molecules inside fish tissues.

•The chemical nonylphenol, a remnant of detergent, is known to disrupt fish reproduction and growth.

Tests done in 2005 by Consumer Reports found that phosphate-free detergents performed just as well as phosphate-based ones. You can go phosphate free without sacrificing "whiter whites".

One Tip:
You might want to try a going back to powder when using hot water. Powdered detergents dissolve better in hot water than liquids—and if the liquid doesn’t dissolve, it just washes away before it has a chance to work. Not only that, powders are better at removing stains. Oxygen bleaching systems are not as stable in liquids. Powders, on the other hand, allow green cleaners to use bleaching agents like hydrogen peroxide that will remove coffee and spaghetti sauce stains.

-- The Green Guys