I have been given this product as part of a product review through the Chronic Illness Bloggers network. Although the product was a gift, all opinions in this review remain my own and I was in no way influenced by the company.

Have you ever gotten on an elevator an nearly choked from the heavy cloud of perfume or cologne that is hanging there? The worst part is that sometimes the culprit isn’t even there, they’ve just left a toxic plume behind them. I also dread shopping and walking down aisles that contain cleaning products like laundry soaps, air fresheners, fabric sprays and softeners, surface and floor cleaners, and dish detergents. Can I hold my breath for that long? Maybe. But inevitably I also break out from hives. Why is that?

Well, I don’t just have allergies. I have SUPER allergies. I have mast cell activation disease. When I tell people that I’m allergic to something, inevitably they ask me why I don’t just take a Benadryl and be done with it. Boy, if only it was that simple. Among a huge list of things, I’m allergic to “fragrance.” You would not believe what “fragrance” shows up in. And the allergy manifests in my body by showing up as a skin irritant – a hive – because it’s floating through the air, or my skin somehow comes in contact with it, and as an asthma attack. For instance, I have gotten nasty bouts of contact dermatitis that have turned into skin infections, all because “fragrance” is one of the ingredients in Dermabond and Dermabond was used on one of my many abdominal surgeries. Who needs Dermabond to smell pretty? I’ve never noticed a particular rosy smell to it, to be honest.

I see friends who themselves have allergies and asthma or kids who do and then wonder why they have uncontrollable reactions, and it’s because they load up on fragrances and chemicals. I mix my own surface cleaners and laundry detergent because I want my environment to have the best foot forward for me. But sometimes it takes a lot of rinsing and a lot of vinegar and a lot of airing to rid just-washed fabrics of even the most simple hand-mixed detergent. If I’m not careful, leaving any kind of fragrance in my environment can mean that I’m covered in hives and I’m wheezing all night rather than sleeping.

Enter the EnviroKlenz Laundry Enhancer. I actually tried this product via three different ways: a traditional top-loader machine, an HE machine, and hand washing. The idea behind it is that it neutralizes any scent that may still be incorporated in the detergent so that any additional rinsing or vinegar becomes unnecessary. Most importantly it’s chemical free and eco-friendly. 

For the top loading machine and hand washing, you add your detergent and the EnviroKlenz Laundry Enhancer to the water first, let the water fill half full, and then add the laundry. The HE machine’s directions will be followed with everything being added in the detergent drawer as usual.

After I got through all of my cycles of laundry, I laid down in it. I breathed deep. I buried my face in it. And I couldn’t smell anything. I waited to see if I got any hives, either on my face or my arms, because those are the usual culprits, and nothing happened. I waited much longer to see if I got a whistle in my lungs. Nothing.

Later I laid down again (because I don’t spend much time out of bed), and again, I didn’t notice any particular scent, nor any hives or asthma. Also, it’s important to note that I didn’t notice a specific sour smell to the fabrics. Sometimes when I do laundry I miss the old days of the “fresh laundry” smell – that smell that we have all been sold on by the chemical companies, that their manufactured smells are “fresh” smells, but then everything swings to the opposite side of the pendulum and just smells sour and flat, as if it has never been laundered at all. My fabrics didn’t smell either way, just neutral.

By the way, if you prefer a powder product rather than a liquid to achieve the same results, they have you covered!

One universal product from EnviroKlenz that I’m especially excited to try next is the Everyday Odor Eliminator, which is safe to use on fabrics as well as hard surfaces including hardwood floors. Do you do yoga? Do you want to freshen things up a bit? Put one part Everyday Odor Eliminator to four parts fresh tap water into a spray bottle and spray down your area, then wipe down the excess. It’s safe for pet areas too, including pet beds! They lick the pads of their feet – do you really want them to lick chemicals? No! 

Here’s pamphlet further explaining more of their products, and of course, I have already set you up with a link to their website. We have become far too dependent on chemicals and EnviroKlenz is a safe way to scrub your environment of toxins.