In March, my wife and I welcomed a beautiful baby boy into our lives. From that day, my perspective on everything in our home changed. Working at Toxic-Free Future, I suddenly saw my job in a new light. I began to question: Are the products in our home truly safe for him? What risks does he face from endocrine disruptors, poor air quality, microplastics, and other hazards?
Laundry: A Daily Task for New Parents
People warned me about the amount of laundry that comes with a baby, but I was unprepared for the mountains of soiled burp cloths, onesies, and swaddles piling up around us. Our days are spent caring for our son while navigating through endless heaps of dirty laundry. And that doesn’t even include our own clothes, which also need extra washing. Our little boy has a knack for making sure everyone in the family ends up changing outfits multiple times a day.
Sisyphus had his boulder; parents have their never-ending piles of laundry.
Given how much laundry detergent we now use, I wanted to ensure that what we’re using is safe for him. And there’s good reason to be cautious.
Why Laundry Detergent Must Be Safer
Many laundry detergents contain strong fragrances filled with chemicals that can be harmful to developing children. Cleaning products often include ingredients that disrupt hormones, cause skin allergies or irritation, and harm aquatic life.
My approach is simple: I look for the Safer Choice label. This certification, part of an EPA program, guarantees that products are safer for both the environment and humans. Safer Choice covers a range of products, including laundry detergents.
This program is a lifesaver for me. After sleepless nights of lullabies and days filled with diaper changes, I don’t have the mental energy to scrutinize ingredient labels. Anything longer than four syllables is a blur to me right now.
I’m thankful for the Safer Choice logo. As a parent, my son is my top priority, and having a trustworthy label to guide my choices makes a world of difference.
The Effectiveness of Safer Choice
The best part? Safer Choice works.
Parents see many labels claiming products are “eco-friendly,” “all-natural,” or “sustainable.” While these terms may offer some comfort, they’re not always backed by a credible source.
For over a decade, Safer Choice has provided reliable information for consumers seeking safer cleaning products. Products certified under this program must avoid ingredients known to cause significant health or environmental issues. This means no carcinogens, reproductive toxins, brain-damaging chemicals, or substances harmful to aquatic life.
And Safer Choice could become even better. The EPA recently opened a comment period to consider expanding the program to include cosmetics, personal care products, and other categories. The majority of feedback supported this expansion.
Expanding Safer Choice to more product categories benefits both the environment and consumers. It empowers people to make safer choices without needing advanced knowledge in toxicology and chemistry.
My son is now five months old. Right now, he needs love, attention, soothing, milk, sleep, clean diapers, and fresh clothes. But as he grows, his needs will change.
I’m grateful for the Safer Choice label, and I hope it can soon be applied to the many personal care products he’ll use. Certifying that more products are genuinely safer is a crucial task for the EPA.
Now, if you’ll excuse me, we’re running low on clean burp cloths—again.
