All opinions are mine and mine alone.
Chemical-Free Home: 3 Tips for Choosing Safe Cleaning Products
We make decisions every day. From what we wear to what we eat, we’re constantly making decisions big and small. Sometimes, we’re so used to making decisions, we don’t put a lot of thought into them. Think about the dish soap on your counter and the cleaning supplies stashed under your sink. When you made the decision to purchase those items, what factors did you consider? Did you make a choice based on the colors? Maybe it was the low price that swayed your purchase. Sometimes products have such great branding it’s impossible to pass them up. When it comes to the cleaning supplies in your home, you should be making the decision to buy based on the ingredients found inside. You may be surprised to find that some of the cleaning items around your home aren’t as safe as you thought they would be.
DIY Cleaning Products
Chemical-free cleaning ingredients are just an arm’s reach away. Everyday items such as Heinz vinegar, baking soda, lemon juice, olive oil, and even essential oils can all be used to tidy up. Gentle and effective, vinegar can eliminate grease, grime, and soap scum. Baking soda is tough enough to cut through grease and grime, and it has virus-killing abilities that leave surfaces clean and deodorized. Natural, and great for eliminating mold and mildew, lemon juice shines hard surfaces and cuts through grease. Olive oil works wonders and acts as a polisher and cleaner on surfaces like varnished wood. And essential oils add a touch of aromatherapy to your homemade cleaning products. Greatist has a collection of practical DIY’s you can complete with everyday household items.
Support Natural Brands
It is not always easy to tell the difference between which items are actually healthy and which are full of chemicals due to clever branding and misleading marketing tactics. However, you can take some of the mystery out of shopping for household cleaning products by looking for Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) labels on your next trip to the store. The EPA has developed a Safer Choice label that helps consumers find products that are a safer choice for both human health and the environment. Additionally, look for natural items from brands that have a good reputation when it comes to manufacturing eco-friendly and healthy everyday goods like Amway. This longstanding brand has a long list of inventory, including a whole host of items from the Legacy of Clean line, that are specially made to have a lighter impact on the Earth and keep your family healthy and safe from harmful ingredients.
Reusable Versus One-Time Use Items
While items like paper towels, disinfecting wipes, and other one-time use cleaning items may come in handy, oftentimes, these products contain a host of harmful chemicals. The Environmental Protection Agency has reported that the chemicals found in disinfecting wipes can trigger allergies, asthma, and other types of health concerns. In addition to containing ingredients that could potentially harm your health and the health of your family, items that are designed to be used only once are incredibly unsustainable and lead to massive amounts of waste. Americans use 13 billion pounds of paper towels each year, according to data collected by the experts of the Ocean Conservancy. And, shockingly, paper products account for 25 percent of total landfill waste, according to the EPA. Instead of reaching for single-use items opt for items that can be used, washed, and reused time after time, such as linen towels paired with natural soaps.
By choosing to support natural brands, opting for reusable cleaning items, and making your own healthy cleaning products, you can ensure that your home is safe, and free of harmful chemicals.
Speak Your Mind