Over the last few years, Bengaluru’s Bellandur Lake has been spewing a toxic white foam, especially during heavy rains. What if we told you your laundry detergent was the culprit? That it was causing irreversible damage to the planet? And no, standard liquid detergents are not better than powders. Here’s why. One of the main ingredients in cleaning detergents—powder, liquid or bar—is a category of chemical compounds called surfactants or active surface agents. These chemicals trap dirt and remove it from the surface, thereby cleaning our clothes. The extraordinary ability of surfactants, to trap dirt, is also what makes it a popular component of cleaning liquids and personal care products, especially shampoos. Sounds like a good thing, right? Wrong!
Recently, a team of researchers at the Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru, concluded a 4-year-long study that found that a specific type of surfactant, commonly found in household washing powders and shampoos, has been playing a dominant role in driving the foaming phenomenon at Bellandur. The waste water from our laundry cycles is one of the leading causes of groundwater contamination.
According to a study published in the Journal of Chemical and Pharmaceutical Research, some surfactants can cause acute poisoning to aquatic life and can damage enzyme activity in humans. They can also cause skin irritation, can accumulate in the liver, causing acute failure, and may even lead to certain cancers. And if all this wasn’t enough, surfactants, with their extraordinary cleansing abilities, are also abrasive on your clothes, shortening their lifespan. The good news is, a simple switch to an eco-friendly, surfactant-free laundry detergent can make a world of a difference—to your health, as well as to the health of the planet and even your clothes. If you’re wondering where to find them, we’ve got you some options.
1. Rustic Art
What they make:
Laundry powder, bio laundry soap, liquid laundry detergent, and natural laundry powder for babies and kids.
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Rustic Art was founded by Sunita Jaju in 2011, when she couldn’t find eco-friendly home care products to buy. Based in Satara, Maharashtra, Rustic Art sources locally and has a team that’s 90% women. The brand produces vegan and cruelty-free products, free of sulphates and parabens, which are the root cause for many health issues. With the help of her daughter, Surabhi, Sunita is on a mission to tackle the waste water problem in India. One of their first revolutionary products, a fully biodegradable laundry powder made from oil and natural minerals, can wash 25-30 wash loads from a 1-kg packet. And, the greywater from the laundry wash is even safe enough to water plants. With over 150 eco-friendly products, their concentrated products range is filler-free (no water) and lasts way longer than regular cleaning products.
2. Coco Custo
What they make:
Laundry detergents, multi-purpose cleaners, stain removers, coir brushes.
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Founded in 2019, by Shaan Lalwani, Coco Custo was born with a vision to create products that do not harm our bodies or our planet. Focused on creating vegan products with natural ingredients, their products are non-toxic, 100% biodegradable and made from plant-based surfactants derived from certified organic oils. The brand is India’s first plastic-free detergent brand, using refillable air-tight steel tins for their products, as well as refill packs, so you don’t find yourself with too many tins on hand. Plus, it saves on the additional CO2 from shipping so many tins!
3. The Better Home
What they make:
Liquid laundry detergent, baby laundry liquid, colour catcher sheets, detergent powder.
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Founded as a media platform in 2015, by Dhimant Parekh and Anuradha Kedia Parekh, The Better Home is now known for its eco-friendly home cleaning products. With a GreenPro certification, they make vegan and cruelty-free products, made of non-toxic materials that are safe for babies, for pets, for you and a lot safer for the planet. Their laundry detergent is biodegradable, without any soap or petroleum-based solvents and is free of sulphates, bleach and parabens. And while we aren’t big fans of sheets, their colour catcher sheets ensure your coloured clothes don’t bleed onto your whites, so your clothes last longer.
4. BubbleNut Wash
What they make:
Laundry liquid, delicate wash liquid detergent, detergent bar
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Remember your grandmum telling you to wash your hair with reetha? Reetha, bubblenut, soapnut or arecanut, as it may be called, contains saponin, which is a powerful, natural, chemical-free cleansing agent. BubbleNut Wash works with 126 indigenous families, across the country, to harvest the soapnuts and process and package them into a more convenient formula that can be easily used by the average consumer. BubbleNut Wash products are completely biodegradable and prioritise social sustainability. Plus, they have a special formulation for your delicates!
