Safer household products

Thirty years ago, after my allergies caused a lot of issues when I cleaned. What was worse? the allergies from dust and grime, or the allergic reaction to the cleaning products I used. It was suggested by doctors and well-meaning friends that I make my own products. The idea of making safer cleaning products when I began my healthier choice journey was exhausting to me. I tried. I really did.

I loaded up on vinegar, baking soda and all those natural botanicals.
The teachers of the idea and the recipe guides usually mentioned they needed to be made fresh to be effective – no less. So before starting a cleaning project, I’d have to “manufacture” my cleaning supplies. For several years I just hired a housekeeper and left it at that. But, the type of cleaning she did (she was excellent) was becoming expensive and when I moved to another state, she stayed behind and I was back to doing all my own cleaning.

Recently, listening to Dr. Eric Zielinski (a dependable source, and essential oil expert), I found another reason to not want to add making my own cleaners and personal care products to my need to do list: if they’re not freshly made, they can be laden with bacteria. Eeek!
Figuring out how much to make for the need at hand and preventing the product becoming rancid and laden with bacteria is something I definitely do not want to deal with.
I decided to leave it up to the science behind a brand I trust and use daily.

Thirty years later – healthy is more convenient and not more expensive like it was in the 80’s. I found a wonderful brand that for me is allergy and chemical free and I love them so much, I share information about them with anyone and everyone who asks. this company has made my home a safer household and I gladly shop for these products.

Do you clean refrigerator coils?

It’s easy to forget about cleaning refrigerator coils because you never see them. They’re either behind or on the bottom of the unit, so they fall into the “out of sight, out of mind” category.
We decided to do this today while we were getting ready for the holidays. If you’re cleaning, might as well do a thorough job, right?
Why did noticed they looked icky. Refrigerator coils can become coated with pet hair, dirt and grease, causing them to put out extra effort to keep the fridge cool. The more energy those coils exert, the higher your bill is going to be for the month.
Fortunately, all we had to do to clean the coils was unplug the fridge, use a vacuum hose to get rid of the dirt and hair, and clean off any remaining gunk with soap and water.

Presto! Clean coils and a more efficiently running fridge!

Testing smoke detectors

Every year, on December first, we do a smoke detector check.  We know it’s a good idea to check your smoke detectors regularly, and we do it before we start decorating for the holidays.

It’s easy, all I do is reach up (I have high ceilings so I need the ladder) and push the button to make sure each smoke detector beeps to check the alarm capability. Then to really test it, I light two or three matches, blow them out and hold them under the detector so the smoke drifts toward it. If that doesn’t set it off, the smoke detector isn’t working. and the matches are a lot easier to test with than burning something on the stove!

It’s a great way to make certain all is safe for the holidays!

Safer, cleaner homes

Did you know that every 13 seconds a family calls a poison control center?

Like most people, you want a clean home. Yet, every day over 300 children in the United States require emergency medical care due to accidental poisonings by household items.

You’re busy, and on a budget, so you need cleaning products that bust through grime without busting your bank account. You want a safe home, but caustic chemicals like chlorine bleach around the house can be hazardous. Many  cleaning products are so harsh they can’t come in direct contact with your skin. they need to be stored high, out of reach of children, and they come with safety caps and warnings if accidentally ingested. Yet you are expected to slather them on your counter tops, sinks and floors. 

Harsh chemicals aren’t just hard on your skin, they’re also hard on your home and our planet. They contaminate water supplies, leach into the soil and have to be stored as hazardous waste. 

Cleaning your home shouldn’t involve putting your family at risk.
The first step is to educate yourself as a consumer, the next step is to eliminate toxins from your daily life.  Like they say, an educated consumer always makes smarter choices.

That’s why I decided to avoid the caustic chemicals and abrasives that are contained in so many cleaners. I was tired of seeing reddened hands and rashes every time I cleaned the house—not to mention th sneezing, coughing, wheezing and asthma attacks. It seemed that not only was I reacting to dust, I was reacting to the cleaning products!

I found a great group of American-made products with formulas  sourced from natural ingredients that won’t leave behind dangerous chemicals and poisons. All of my new products are free of chlorine bleach, ammonia, formaldehyde, phosphates, phthalates and other harsh chemicals. The best part? My side-effects from cleaning disappeared! Plus, I get the best of both worlds: effective cleaning, stain-lifting, deodorizing and disinfecting power without the danger of harsh chemicals. They also require NO child-safety caps!

Another bonus I discovered was my new brand  also reduces my impact on the environment with biodegradable ingredients and ultra-concentrated formulas. The smaller bottles result in less plastic, water and fuel waste, while still giving me potent cleaning power that lasts longer than grocery store brands.

With all these benefits, you might expect that I’m paying premium-prices. Instead, these products save me money. Their concentrated formulas offer more cleaning power at less cost per use than many national brands. So, I get better quality at a better price. But that’s not all. Get this, my laundry products can also cut more than $10 a month from my power bill! Heating water for laundry uses 90% more energy than washing in cold water, and these products are specifically formulated to get my laundry clean in cold water.

That’s another reason why I switched to products that are better for me, my family, my home and budget and, of course, they work. So I can spend less time, stress and money on daily chores, and do more of the things that really matter. Now I never compromise clean for safe.

B

Are you putting your health at risk?

This picture caught your attention, didn’t it? Seems crazy right?

Who in their right mind would let their kids smoke cigarettes?

Then, why would you let them in a house cleaned with Clorox, Lysol, and Windex? A new, independent study based on 20 years of research reveals a sobering fact: cleaning your home with national brand cleaners significantly damages lung tissue. 

How confident are you that these cleansers are safe? Nearly all of the national brand cleaning products you buy at the grocery store are made with a multitude of harmful chemicals. According to the study, some of the likely culprits are ammonia, chlorine bleach, and quaternary disinfectant compounds—among many others. Cleaning your home with products that contain dangerous chemicals as little as once per week was as damaging over time to respiratory health as smoking a pack of cigarettes a day for 20 years!

You don’t have to be a smoker to be at risk and the same goes for cleaning products—you don’t have to be the one cleaning. Just because you can’t see it damage it can cause doesn’t mean the products aren’t dangerous to you and your family.

Usually what exposes us the most are the things we never see coming. What’s stopping you from making better choices?

When the study, which was conducted by 28 top researchers from nine countries was peer-reviewed and published in the American Thoracic Society’s American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, it drew international media attention.
Here is a link to the study itself:

Cleaning at home and at work in relation to lung function decline and airway obstruction

After a thoughtful review of the study’s conclusions, I’m convinced you’ll see the urgency in removing national brand cleaners from your home and replacing them like I have, with the safer, more effective alternative products like EcoSense.

Something to think about

Next time you go to the store to buy ANY kind of cleaning product (including laundry detergents), here’s something to think about:
Why don’t big time manufacturers fully disclose the “other ingredients” NOT listed on their labels?
Have you noticed fine print that reads: “Precautionary statement: Hazards to humans and domestic animals” (as shown on this Mr. Clean label)?
Have you thought about what sort of hazards do they mean? It’s not specific.
Have you questioned how is this product could affect you and your family’s health over time? Are you really okay with this?
An informed consumer makes better, wiser choices…it doesn’t have to be complicated!
We can help you make better choices.

What disinfectant do you use?

Recently a pharmacist customer wanted to put the chemical-free, botanical disinfectant I use and love daily because of its safety and great scent to the test. She didn’t believe my natural products could beat the products she uses for disinfecting areas. I said, “Let the science experiment begin!”

So she ordered some petri dishes and swabbed the absorbent pad that comes under raw chicken when packed by the butcher for grocery store. The first dish was left untouched as it was to be the Control.
The second dish was sprayed with the Department of Health standard sanitizing mixture of bleach and water. The standard disinfecting ratio is a one-quarter cup (minimum) to a three-quarter cup  (maximum) cup of bleach to one gallon of cool water OR one tablespoon (minimum) to three tablespoons (maximum) of bleach to one quart of water. In this case, the later measurement amount (three tablespoons bleach to one quart of water was used.)
Finally, the third petri dish was sprayed with the natural, safe disinfectant I use, Sol-U-Gard.
The dishes were left in a warm spot next to our  pharmacist customer’s computer overnight.

The photo shows the results of both disinfecting solutions in comparison to the control the following morning. Are you as surprised as she was?

Her question after seeing the results was “Why am I still using harmful, unsafe products like Clorox in my home?”
When there are safer options that work better and are EPA approved for use in hospitals and schools maybe you should  ask yourself the same question. Isn’t your family and your health worth the safer options?

We thank our customer for sharing her test results and backing up what I know to be true, there are scientifically proven healthier and safer products available. 

Oh go take a cold shower

When someone tells you to go take a cold shower…they are doing you a favor! This infographic shows the many benefits of cooler showers

Shopping online for wellness

Fourteen years ago I took out a membership for an amazing online wellness shopping club. I was a bit skeptical at first, but friends were adamant that I needed this. Being that I had always been a catalog shopper and was enjoying shopping online, I decided perhaps I would give it a try. But only for a few months. If I liked it it would be great, if not, well I’d move on.

it’s now fourteen years later and I’m still shopping there. I love the products and I love the company and most of all I love what it’s done for my health! Some of the priceless benefits I’ve received shopping here include:
• Better nutrition and nutritional supplements providing me with more energy, better sleep,, incredibly regular  bowel movements (IBS has practically disappeared!)
• Weight loss. Greater endurance, stronger muscles and quicker recovery time from exercise. 
• Improved skin, dry skin relief, eczema relief, reduced allergic reactions
• Healthier teeth, reduced plaque growth, whiter teeth and healthy gums
• A toxic free home, healthier and safer cleaning products, reduction in asthmatic reactions and reduction in need for prescription medications.

Not only that, I’ve received more than $3000.00 in free products over the years and more from this great company.

So here it is 14 years later and I’m loving this way of shopping. Why would I ever give up my membership?

Can you say that about where you shop?

Rain Gutters

Don’t forget to clear out your rain gutters before winter is in full force. We just did this at our home and it made quite a difference this last rainfall. As you know, when leaves fall, some collect in rain gutters and eventually clog the downspout, which will cause problems when it rains or snows.

You don’t want the debris getting so heavy that the gutter and downspout fall off! So make sure you clear out leaves, dirt and anything else that’s caught in gutters and downspouts before inclement weather hits.