Even after three years of Dirt, we are still consistently chuffed by all the reviews shared about our product.
Equally we've been surprised about one of the strongest themes to emerge from the feedback; that Dirt has been seriously great for people with sensitive skin.
"When you have a child who has such sensitive skin and eczema of the kind that involves hospital and specialist visits you take environmental allergens and irritants very seriously. Every time we change a product or bring something new in contact with her skin we wait with bated breath to see if it is as pure and gentle as they claim. Dirt delivered on all fronts from being kind to her skin, having only a hint of fresh, natural fragrance and also, importantly, doing a great job of our laundry. "- Vidi C
"I've been using eco friendly detergents for the best part of 15 years, as I became quite sensitive to regular detergents. The down side of this has been the sub standard stain removal and general cleanliness of the washing (becomes a little grey). 'Dirt' has been nothing short of 'FANTASTIC'. To my complete surprise, it removed an old blood stain that I couldn't get out...amazing stuff. Thank you" - Kate T
"My daughter's eczema returned this winter, after we had changed laundry powder. When we then changed washing detergent to Dirt and the eczema became controlled again. Thank you Dirt!"- Elizabeth L
Although we developed Dirt with the most pure and powerful ingredients we could find - it wasn't our intention to formulate a 'sensitive skin' detergent.
So what is it about Dirt that makes it so good for people with sensitive skin?
We use extremely high grade, organic or natural varieties of ingredients wherever possible. If we had a dollar for every time we’ve been told we should replace an ingredient with something cheaper and almost as effective we’d have heaps of money, at least $5.
Moreover our pump system ensures that you can measure exactly what you need, so you’ll never have excess chemicals in your machine that will create a residue on your clothes. We really believe this is the kicker. It’s so easy to get the dosage wrong when you free pour. If you use too much detergent you’ll almost always be left with chemical residue on your clothes that may irritate your skin.
Want more details?
There are several ingredients that cause skin irritation.
Bleach:
Dirt does not contain bleach. Bleach breaks up large grime molecules into smaller, colourless ones, making the grime harder to see, and easier for the surfactants to wash away. If it’s not all washed away, it can cause skin irritation because it’s highly corrosive.
Optical brighteners: Dirt does not contain optical brighteners. Optical brighteners are synthetic chemicals that help remove the yellow colour from your clothes (without actually making your clothes cleaner). These chemicals are designed to remain on the clothes (to mask colour), so they are in constant contact with your skin and may irritate it.
Optical brighteners: Dirt does not contain optical brighteners. Optical brighteners are synthetic chemicals that help remove the yellow colour from your clothes (without actually making your clothes cleaner). These chemicals are designed to remain on the clothes (to mask colour), so they are in constant contact with your skin and may irritate it.
Soap / Surfactants: Surfactants help to remove the daily grime from your clothes by surrounding the soil particles, effectively lifting it from your clothes. These chemicals can cause skin irritation when left on the skin because they strip it of natural oils. Common surfactants include sodium lauyrl sulfate and sodium coco sulfate. Our main surfactant is Sodium lauryl ether sulfate; it’s a naturally derived (some are petroleum derived) milder alternative to sodium lauryl sulfate.
Fragrances: Fragrances often contain allergens that bring on rashes. This is true for synthetic and natural fragrances. Our product contains a natural fragrance, made up of eucalyptus oil, citrus oil, and peppermint oil. We only add a very small amount of fragrance to our laundry, it’s a hint of a fresh when you pull the clothes out of the machine rather than a whack over the head type smell.
Enzymes: Enzymes are responsible for breaking biological matter down. There is a common belief that enzymes can cause skin irritation, however recent studies have ruled out any cause and effect. Our product contains sustainably sourced organic enzymes that are extremely high performing, and when used as instructed will wash out completely in the washing cycle. Either way no skin irritation should occur on their behalf.
Preservatives: Preservatives are necessary to extend the shelf life of cleaning products, from a matter of days, to a matter of years. Preservatives are a common allergen, present in almost every product. Because we've reduced the dilution of the formula, we use small amount of a strong preservative called Methychiorlsothiazolinone. It makes up less than 0.2% of our concentrate. It's in this way we minimise the chances of preservative residue being left on your clothes or skin.
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