In today’s chemically laden world it is almost impossible to completely avoid harmful
Why is that?
Because toxins are literally everywhere inside our homes; in the pajama’s you put on your child, the non-stick pans you use to cook your dinner, in the candles you burn for festive scents, in your household cleaners, your laundry detergent and dryer sheets, in your mattress–they’re everywhere.
So how do we get them out? Where do we start?
When I first started my conversion to a less toxic home I threw away all of my scented candles including wax melts. They are a huge source of indoor air pollution and they put off chemicals that are just as dangerous as second-hand smoke. YIKES. If you wouldn’t light up a cigarette in your home next to your children then I suggest not burning candles either as they contain carcinogens known as benzene and toluene when burned. These are the same toxins found in diesel fuel fumes.
Many scented candles also contain heavy metals like lead in their wicks which are known to produce 5 times the amount of lead considered hazardous for children.
Research suggests that heavy metal toxicity may be one of the underlying causes of behavioral disorders, including ADHD, autism spectrum disorder, and tics. Source
That is just information that I cannot ignore. I’d love to go back to blissful ignorance and enjoy all of my beloved candle scents but at what cost? Certainly not for the sake of my children’s health.
So you’ve burned many a scented candle in your home, maybe there’s one burning right next to you now as you read this post, and you’re wondering how to get the toxins out of your home and clean up your air.
- House plants.
Himalayna salt lamps- Beeswax candles
- Air purifier
House plants naturally clean your air for you. It’s a cheap and easy route to take when wanting to clean up indoor air, plus they look nice! So far I have a *HUGE* aloe vera plant, a pothos plant, and a snake plant. They’re all super low maintenance and hard to kill–my kind of plant! Here is a complete list of air purifying house plants.
There is some controversy over whether or not salt lamps actually work to purify the air or not but I still have 2 in my home. Himalayan salt lamps are said to produce a small amount of negative ions, have hygroscopic properties, help neutralize the effects of electronics, and attract pollutants in the air. Although they won’t drastically improve indoor air quality, if you suffer from allergies, the hygroscopic properties will benefit you as they attract water molecules that quickly evaporate on the warm surface. This leaves the particles dried to the salt and since water in the air can also hold allergens, pollutants, and bacteria it is wise to wipe down your salt lamp once a week. If you’re interested and want to try it out here is the brand I have and love.
Beeswax candles do produce negative ions when burned and help neutralize pollutants in the air. They help eliminate dust, odors, and mold, easing allergy symptoms and improving breathing quality in your home. These are a must. Along with these for candlestick votives, and these for long-lasting burn in case of a power outage. Beeswax candles don’t give off a scent but feel free to diffuse your favorite essential oils while burning your candles for the aroma you’re missing from your toxic candles (that you threw out, right?)
Last but certainly not least, is an air purifier. Now, this is guaranteed to work. I do suggest doing the other things mentioned above, but definitely get an air purifier for your bedroom and even your office. Here is a great one for small rooms and this is the one I plan to get for our living room area. They’re both ranked #1 and #2 for best air purifiers of 2019. If there’s one thing you do for your home, let this be it!
Okay, now that we have talked about purifying the air and getting the toxins in our home OUT, then the next logical step is to talk about household cleaners. This is the fun one. I just love knowing that every time I use a product in my home now it isn’t harming us! There’s just something magical about clean air!
I literally used to use bleach for everything. Ask my parents. Ask my husband. I loved it. Who doesn’t love killing everything (including yourself) while cleaning?! In high school I once cleaned my bathroom with so much bleach I poisoned myself. I thew up the entire time at volleyball conditioning and had a terrible migraine. True story.
See, I’ve come along way, and so can you!
Let’s start by going under the sink and throwing ALL of those toxic cleaners away. Worried about the cost of replacing them? Don’t be, it’s not expensive.
My number one FAVORITE household cleaner is Dr. Bronner’s Sal Suds Biodegradable Cleaner. This bottle is only $16.99 for 32oz and it lasts me at least 3 months. I use this for EVERYTHING. I bought this 2 pack of empty glass spray bottles and filled them about 3/4 full of water and added 1 TBSP Sal Suds. I keep one under my kitchen sink and one in the bathroom. It’s made with plant-based surfactants and natural fir needle and spruce essential oils. It smells wonderful and fresh! There are no synthetic dyes, fragrances, or preservatives. You can use it to clean floors, laundry, dishes, furniture, and even cars. The bottle tells you exactly how to dilute it for each thing you want to use it for. Love it, can’t say it enough!
You can literally throw away all of your cleaners and replace them with Sal Suds or even Dr. Bronner’s Castile soap that can also be used on face, body, and hair, just dilute, dilute! I love that it comes in all different scents but I especially love the citrus for cleaning/dishes and lavender in the bath. It even comes in unscented for babies.
Speaking of babies, that brings me to my next point. How many of my new mommas used Dreft stage 1 for their newborn? *Raises hand* And why wouldn’t we? It’s the laundry detergent marketed towards new parents, but did you know it scores an F on ewg.org? An F. That made me say something else that started with the letter F when I found this out. I still can’t quite understand how products can be marketed the way that they are in the United States. Take a look for yourself if you don’t believe me…
https://www.ewg.org/guides/cleaners/6112-DreftStage1NewbornDetergent
If you’ve never used the ewg.org as a resource you should definitely start now! If I have a question about a product it’s the first place I go. Although they do have an app for your smart phone it really isn’t very good, but the website is amazing!
If you see a product that says free + clear, all-natural,
If this doesn’t scare you, it should. Fragrance chemicals can pass through the skin and into the bloodstream and are classified carcinogens, hormone disruptors, neurotoxins, and skin and respiratory irritants. Phthalates are in 75% of products with fragrances and are found in the blood of most Americans, with the greatest quantities being in women. If that doesn’t cause you to want to go fragrance-free, maybe the list of harmful effects of Phthalates will. Source
Did you know out of some 85,000 chemicals approved for use in the US, only about 200 have actually been tested for safety? Only 5 chemicals, not including asbestos, have been banned or restricted under US law. Let that sink in to your skin.
I’m going to do a lot of the hard work for you. Below you will find a list of all-purpose cleaners and laundry detergents that have scored an A on ewg.org
Attitude all purpose & Attitude laundry detergent
Earth Friendly All Purpose & Earth Friendly Laundry Detergent
Biokleen All Purpose & Biokleen Laundry Soap
Common Good All Purpose & Common Good Laundry Detergent
Better Life All Purpose & Better Life Concentrated Laundry Detergent
Everspring All Purpose & Everspring Laundry Liquid
Fit Organic All Purpose & Fit Organic Laundry Detergent
Seventh Generation & Seventh Generation Concentrated Detergent
Dapple All Purpose & Dapple Laundry Detergent
BuggyLOVE multi-surface
GreenShield organic laundry detergent
Meliora Laundry Powder
Molly Suds Laundry Powder
Grab Green Laundry Detergent Pods
Charlie’s Soap Laundry Powder
Planet Liquid Laundry Detergent
Whole Foods Market & Trader Joe’s also have grade A
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