Clean.

Environmental toxins play a large role in disrupting a clean and healthy lifestyle.  I began to think about this a lot more as my kids started crawling and eating food off the ground! I love the book Eat Dirt and believe that we can’t (nor should) live in a sterile environment, but when it comes to products that we are touching, breathing, vaporizing (in our showers), and occasionally eating ( 5 second rule), maybe we need to spend a little more time considering safer options.

I invite you to look at your products and ask yourself if you really know what the ingredients are that are listed on the label. I believe each person can tolerate a different amount of stress (whether that be chemical, physical, or emotional) and it’s only a matter of time before our bucket starts to fill up and spill over. When it is too full,  some people experience headaches and fatigue; others may experience a more profound effect that results in serious chronic illness.

Another reason I personally decided to take a closer look at cleaning products was because I noticed I was always coughing after using common household cleaners.  Over time, I have transformed all the products in our home to clean products.  One site that has been a huge help for me was EWG.org.  They have a huge list of all cleaning products and now have a cosmetics guide as well (this is a whole different post that I will address soon).  A few of the products I have tried and loved are : Bronner’s all purpose castile soap & Aunt Fannie’s Cleaning Vinegar.  I have also made my own multi-purpose cleaner with vinegar, water, and a few drops of lemon essential oil.

When I found Bronner’s all-purpose cleaner, my life was changed forever.  Here is the cheat sheet for all of the things you can use this for: Cheat Sheet.  I use it for everything now and absolutely love it!  It smells great, cleans really well, and is very affordable!  You can also buy it at Costco.  Check it out and let me know how you use it and what has worked well for you.