Contributing to clean air is everyone’s responsibility. – Steve Owens
I’m not sure if you heard about it, but a jury just awarded a terminally ill man 289 million dollars this week. The jurors agreed with his claim, that Monsanto’s product Roundup (which Monsanto still claims is safe), caused his cancer. By the way, there are tons of similar lawsuits against Monsanto in the pipeline, but this guy’s was pushed to the top because of his short life expectancy. I pray that this is just the first in a long line of judgments where these huge companies are hit where it hurts….their bottom line. Unfortunately, it’s the only way they’re going to stop using the toxic chemicals they’re putting in products we use. Another way to hit ’em where it counts is to STOP BUYING THEIR PRODUCTS. It’s time that we started paying attention to what is in the things we bring into our homes.
A good place to start? Household cleaning products. These products have added fragrances in addition to chemicals like phtalates, triclosan, ammonia and PERC (to name just a few). It’s estimated that the average home contains over 63 synthetic chemicals. {Woah!} The EPA has said that indoor air pollution is two to five times as bad as outdoor pollution. And we are spending more and more time indoors. Laundry detergent and fabric softeners are some of the worst. I know, I know…you LOVE the smell of your Tide or your Gain (or whatever your fave smell is). I get it…but here’s the thing…those “smells” are synthetic and they ARE NOT good for you, your family or the environment. Clean isn’t supposed to have a smell, it’s supposed to be neutral. We’ve been brainwashed since the days of PineSol to think clean had a smell. Note about dryer sheets: I stopped using them before my oldest (who is almost 9) was born. I was (pleasantly) surprised my laundry dried just fine, and without static. If you are adamant you need something for static, wool dryer balls are amazing. I love to add some lavender essential oils to them for my daughters’ pajamas and lemongrass for our towels. {Heaven!}
My recommendation is to start small. Upgrade to a less toxic cleaner as you run out of whatever you’re currently using. Baby steps. It doesn’t have to happen overnight. The EWG (Environmental Working Group) has a great website where you can see their top rated green cleaners…they even have them listed according to category so you can go right to what you’re looking for. I’ve also just recently started using an app called Think Dirty. You simply scan the barcode of an item and it will show you it’s rating, as well as lists all the ingredients, highlighting ones that are “dirty”. (This is really eye opening to do with products you are currently using throughout your home). I think it’s smart to use a third party because labels are hard to ready since companies are known to use things on their labels to make them appear more “green”…it’s called greenwashing.
The key take away here is: knowledge is power. Take a little time to research what you are bringing into your home. It’s 2018 and we can no longer use ignorance as an excuse. I’ll be sharing some of my DIY cleaners that are super easy to make (and affordable) soon!!
Light and Love,
♥k