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Posted By: Jenay Zhyrov
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Posted On: 11/4/2025
You don’t need a chemistry degree to decode laundry labels (although it might feel like it!). You just need a quick guide on what to look out for. Here’s a breakdown of red flag ingredients in conventional laundry detergent.
What it does: SLS creates the foam that helps remove dirt and oil from your laundry.
The problem: Petroleum-derived SLS is a harsh surfactant that can cause dryness and irritation, especially if you have sensitive skin. This ingredient is also harmful to aquatic life.
The Truly Free Home swap: Our non-toxic laundry detergent doesn’t include harmful SLS. Instead, we use sodium lauryl sulfoacetate, a natural, coconut-derived surfactant that creates a rich lather without causing allergic reactions.
What it does: These colorless dyes make fabrics appear whiter and brighter by absorbing ultraviolet (UV) light and reflecting blue light.
The problem: Optical brighteners, commonly listed on labels as disodium distyrylbiphenyl disulfonate or fluorescent brightener, don’t actually remove stains. It’s a light trick. Repeated exposure to these dyes can cause allergies, skin irritation, and even hormone disruption.
The Truly Free Home swap: When your laundry detergent actually works, you don’t need gimmicks like optical brighteners. That’s why Truly Free Home laundry detergent uses the oxygen booster sodium percarbonate and the alkalizing salt sodium carbonate to remove tough stains and achieve whiter, brighter laundry without optical brighteners.
What it does: Gives your laundry a boost of pleasant, “fresh” or floral scent.
The problem: Fragrances in traditional laundry detergents are often undisclosed toxic chemicals, vaguely listed as “fragrances.” These strong, toxic scents can trigger allergic reactions, especially if you have a sensitive nose or skin.
The Truly Free Home swap: Our formulas use essential oils and plant-based fragrance oils derived from natural sources. Truly Free Home Laundry Wash in signature scent, for example, includes a subtle blend of lavandin grosso, lime, eucalyptus, fir needle, and clove leaf oils. Or if you prefer no scent at all, we have an unscented option.
SHOP TRULY FREE HOME LAUNDRY WASHAlso referred to as formalin, formaldehyde is added to conventional laundry detergents as a preservative to prevent and kill bacteria from growing and to extend the product’s shelf life.
The problem: Rated F by the Environmental Working Group, formaldehyde is a carcinogen that can cause asthma, skin allergies, and even cancer after frequent inhalation.
The Truly Free Home swap: To support the product quality and integrity of our laundry detergent formula, we use precipitated silica, a naturally abundant ingredient derived from purified sand with an EWG rating of 1—the gold standard for safety.
What it does: A colorless liquid and byproduct of the manufacturing process that serves no cleaning purpose for laundry.
The problem: Short-term exposure can cause eye and nose irritation, while long-term exposure can affect the liver and kidneys. 1,4-Dioxane isn’t intentionally added to products, but it’s a manufacturing byproduct from other laundry detergent ingredients like polyethylene glycol, polyoxyethylene, and other ingredients that end in -eth.
The Truly Free Home swap: Since we only use non-toxic ingredients that don’t create harmful chemical byproducts, our laundry detergents are 1,4-dioxane-free.
You can’t control how many loads of laundry pile up each week, but you can choose what goes into every wash.
By making the switch to Truly Free Home’s laundry products—that include a transparent list of non-toxic ingredients—you can enjoy worry-free, deep clean that’s safe for your whole family.
