Washing up with Indigo Wild (laundry wash)

Since I recently went on a clothing bender, which includes my clothing haul at Do Good Co.’s Yard sale, I figured that I should probably make a point to take care of my new (and slightly used) threads. Sure I wash my clothes, but, A. my laundry wash is from Wal-Mart and isn’t exactly local (branding and all) and B. I don’t even know what’s in my detergent. The ingredients aren’t, in fact, listed on the bottle, you’re generally referred to the website if you are wanting to know what’s in your detergent.

While the ingredient list isn’t particularly long (at least it isn’t if you use Arm & Hammer like I do), but it is filled with lots of ingredients I can’t pronounce. Not to mention that your commercial detergents are made with petrol-chemicals which are often linked to various health problems, including, respiratory issues, skin irritation, even cancer. 

While it seems weird to care about what you wash your clothes with, consider which products you use when you’re in the shower.  The bottom line is, if your conscious of what you use to shower with, it might be time to consider what you wash your clothes with too. Your skin is your largest organ and you live in your clothes on an every day basis. With that thought in mind, I scoured the city for a laundry detergent that would be a little healthier/safer, eco-friendly and locally made.

1. Indigo Wild Laundry Soap

Being a bit of a Kansas City institution, we are probably all familiar with Indigo Wild’s principals: handmade products with no chemicals, ever. Or “Any more natural and you’d be naked” as they say.

My eyes literally lit up when I saw that Indigo Wild made a laundry soap because I’m literally a home goods addict (someone help me), but it also meant that there was hope for me to finally get rid of a laundry detergent I wasn’t exactly happy with. (I don’t know about anyone else, but do your clothes feel weirdly oily after they’ve been washed? Maybe it’s just me.)

In any case, this laundry soap is different because it’s soap, NOT detergent; detergents are made with petrol-chemicals while laundry soap is made with vegetable or animal fats/oils. Laundry soaps are also better for the environment as detergents are toxic to fish and wild life. Furthermore, this laundry soap doubles as a fabric softener so no dryer sheets needed here.

I recently spent the weekend washing my clothes with this laundry soap and was actually impressed to find that I truly didn’t have to use a dryer sheet. Not to mention the  lingering scent of essential oils in the air. The smell isn’t strong but it’s strong enough to still be enjoyed on the next time you wear your clothes. The unobtrusive scent is also nice if you’re the type of person that wears perfume everyday like I do. I would also argue that I had to use less soap to get my clothes clean in comparison to my normal detergent, but I can’t really say for certain. I don’t measure how much soap/detergent I use, I just kind of eyeball it.

2. Mixture Luxury Laundry Wash

Mixture was founded in Merriam, KS in 2008 and specializes in small-batch, made to order home, bath and body products. In addition to Mixture’s bath bombs, soaps and bath salts, they also carry Luxury Laundry Wash, available in ten scents. Mixture also offers wrinkle release spray, linen spray and wool dryer balls to complete your laundry lineup.

While Mixture also lists their ingredients on the bottle, the specifics of their ingredients is a little bit more murky (ingredients pictured). This was a hard one for me because I love supporting local businesses, but I have also being trying to phase out synthetic products with more natural alternatives in my home, especially when it comes to anything involving my skin. With more questions than answers, I took to the internet to see what I could find on Mixture as a brand as well as information on the ingredients lists on the bottle, unfortunately nothing concrete came of that search as the ingredients aren’t specific enough. I did happen to find some information on Mixture from a third party retailer, but it doesn’t look like that information is on Mixture’s actual website.

When I asked Mixture about their scrutiny process for determining whether or not an ingredient is safe, I received the following email:

To deem an (natural or synthetic) ingredient as safe to use, we go through a few steps.

CA Prop 65

Any ingredient used in home products must not be listed on the California Proposition 65 list as well as any other known carcinogen list.

Intended Use 

– If an ingredient is intended to be used in a product that goes onto skin, the ingredient has to be able to be used in a formulation that is neutral to human skin.

– Ingredients used on natural stone need to have a neutral pH.

– Ingredients used in formulations that will be used in food areas must be non-toxic.

Hazards 

Formulations must have no physical or environmental hazards, all products must be classified as non hazardous materials. Any ingredient that can not fit into this standard is not used.

In terms of how well this laundry wash cleaned…seriously a 10 out of 10. My clothes were so soft and had that typical fresh linen scent (I have the Egyptian Cotton scent) that everyone covets. Since Mixture calls this a laundry wash and the actual ingredients aren’t listed, I can’t say whether or not this wash is a laundry soap or detergent. Also, while they do offer wool dryer balls, I didn’t really feel like I needed a dryer ball or dryer sheet. My clothes came out pretty static free.

Of all the reviews I have written, this one is by far one of the harder ones because I generally like to give only positive feedback on products. But with Mixture, I have some suggestions:

1. A more extensive overview on your commitment to providing safe products to your consumers, how you go about doing that and making that process/information accessible on your website. People like to know what they are getting and what you are about, especially us “Show-me State-ers”.
2. Name your ingredients. “Brightening Agents” for example, could mean anything. We want to trust a company we give money to, especially (for me) when it’s local. I want to be good to my body and my budget too. If I am going to spend more on a local product, I want to know that it will be better than what I was buying before. Not having an exact name for an ingredient feels a little bit deceptive. If a consumer wants to look up an ingredient for their own sake, they should be able to easily do so.

Now it’s your turn. Which laundry detergent would you use? Are there any other local laundry soaps you know of that I should check out? Tell me everything.