A Traverse City business is taking the laundry process to a whole new green level.
TRAVERSE CITY -- Washing the laundry is something we all have to do on a regular basis, but do you ever stop to think about what ingredients are in laundry detergents? Selestial Soap in Traverse City is stepping outside the box and taking a green approach with their laundry cleaners.
"We call it laundry soap because detergent means artificial cleaner and we're not artificial. We are a truly natural cleaner because we have no surfactants and all detergents have those," says co-owner, Ruth Smith.
Owners and creators of Selestial Soap, Ruth Smith and Jim Legato started the all natural line of soap in 2005. Both Smith and Legato work at Eastfield Laundry in Traverse City, and they were looking for an alternative when it comes to people's soap needs.
"We needed soap that was totally hypo-allergenic, softening that was also because working with hotels and bed and breakfasts in the area," says Smith.
Smith had always made her own soaps for her kids. She took that concept to a new level and created a 100% pure soap line, including stain sprays, softeners, and color safe bleach. That's when people who used Eastfield laundry fell in love with the concept.
"People started saying, 'my clothes, I love the soap!'...One lady said, 'my clothes are whiter, lighter, brighter!' " says Smith.
The process is pretty basic...and also pretty local.
"We do everything in Michigan...start with the bottles, then take labels and then take over to drums to fill lines, fill bottles then caps bottles and puts them into boxes...boxes go to warehouse...from there grocery distributors," says Smith.
Besides being environmentally friendly, Selestial Soap is also fragrance-free but some contain scented essential oils for those people who like a sweet smell.
"We put a little label on our caps that say wow look at us we have no fillers, no surfactants. When you buy our soap it looks almost the same as water. It looks like water. It doesn't clean like water. It's a good powerful cleaner," says Smith.
Selestial Soap also makes sensitive soap cleaners for Equestrian horses and athletes who play extreme sports, as well as hunters.
For more information about Selestial Soap and locations where the products are sold, check out their website: http://www.selestialsoap.com/
