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Enhancing Lives

Category: Safer Household

Rain Gutters

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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.

What is your go-to emergency repair kit?

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You never know when you’ll have a minor emergencies. Today, was  one of those days for me. Luckily, I carry two of my favorite first-aid remedies in my bag: MelaGel and Tea Tree Oil. I believe it’s an absolute must when you’re out and about. I use this brand of Tea Tree oil as it is the highest grade of tea-tree oil available to me. I find it soothing and healing , perfect for cuts, burns and insect bites without stinging or burning. even the little ones don’t complain!
Here’s a helpful winter tip: Use it on your cuticles in the winter so they don’t get dry and cracked.

Blood pressure medication recall

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Did you know there is a blood pressure medication recall due to cancer concerns?
A blood pressure medication is voluntarily being pulled from the shelves due to impurity concerns which may lead to a cancer risk. The Food and Drug Administration said Losartan Potassium Hydrochlorothiazide could contain an impurity that has been classified as a probable human carcinogen, known to cause cancer.
The batch affected by the recall are the 100 milligram and 25 milligram tablet with the Lot Number JB8-912. Patients who are currently on the medication are advised to talk to their doctor before stopping use.
Losartan Potassium Hydrochlorothiazide is used to treat high blood pressure, reducing the risk of stroke, and can also be prescribed to treat kidney disease in patients with diabetes.

For more information, visit the FDA’s recall notice on their website by following this link: fda.gov/Safety/Recalls/ucm625492.htm.

It’s incredible how a clean house can make you feel

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It’s incredible how a clean house can make you feel. I just deodorized the furniture in my home and killed 99% of the germs lurking in the fabrics.
I first vacuumed the furniture. Then I sprayed all of the pieces with Sol-U-Guard. I waited a half hour, then vacuumed everything. Now the entire house smells super clean. Great way to start off a week! Love this product. http://ow.ly/i/IgREH

ADVANTAGES OF CLEAN FLOORS

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It goes without saying that clean floors make your home LOOK better, so that is a key reason why you clean your floors. Surprisingly, another big reason is to prevent injuries from tripping or slipping.

We have included a posting from “Wikipedia” to inform you of some others as well as best practices in floor-cleaning and the care of a variety of surfaces including wood, tile, carpet, and vinyl.

Returning to reasons, aside from beautifying your floors, the correct methods can remove stains, as well as surface dirt. Proper cleaning actually increases the life of your floors. Cleaning your floors the right way can kill allergens that can cause or exacerbate diseases like asthma.

Regular maintenance can help you avoid expensive professional cleaning or machine rentals or purchases. Household budgets are sensitive these days, so avoiding these expenses can obviously help.

The company with whom I am associated has recently developed a complete system for cleaning, dusting and polishing your floors easily and efficiently. Another advantage of proper cleaning is that cleaning your floors can burn 200 calories and the results will help you feel psychologically better. So, get to work. Your home will look good and you will feel good.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Floor_cleaning#Reasons_for_cleaning_floors

Antibiotic Overuse

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As soon as we get the sniffles, a sore throat or a drippy nose, the first thing many of us do is reach for an antibiotic. They’re usually readily available in our medicine cabinets. They are available because they are over-prescribed by doctors and emergency rooms everywhere.

47,000,000 prescriptions in the U.S. are unnecessarily prescribed. Efforts need to be made to improve the way we take these drugs and the way physicians prescribe them. This should be a national priority.

The article below from the Centers for Disease Control outlines the dangers of overuse of antibiotics. Surprisingly at least 23,000 people a year die from antibiotic misuse.

The article states when antibiotics are needed and should be taken. Additionally, it explains when antibioticsare NOT needed and should not be taken. There are recommended alternatives that can be used (and things to do) to feel better. While antibiotics can be very effective when prescribed and taken properly, they can also cause physical problems like reductions in good bacteria and immunity to the antibiotics themselves.

Of course, the best way to fight disease is to stay healthy in the first place. A good diet, plenty of water and moderate to vigorous exercise are good lifestyle choices that help avoid the onset of disease. A pure and effective vitamin regimen can also be effective. Be sure that you research the supplements you choose and make sure there are studies that support your choice.

www.cdc.gov/features/antibioticuse/index.html

How can a clean house have a negative effect your health?

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Since I switched stores nearly 15 years ago, I enjoy clean living, clean eating and having a safer and healthier home without toxic chemicals. Switching to healthier products improved my and my family’s health and now, recent studies have shown that many popular everyday products can be toxic to many individuals, especially women.

Why?

Because cleaning your home with common, well-known grocery store products made with ammonia, and chlorine bleach, quaternary disinfectant compounds, and other dangerous chemicals significantly damages lung tissue in women—who are usually the home’s primary housekeeper.

The study also showed that cleaning with such products as little as once per week over time was as damaging to respiratory health as smoking a pack of cigarettes a day for 20 years!

Are you really aware of what you are exposing your family to on a daily basis?

This attached article explains the pitfalls of chemical cleaners much better than I can, but it’s no wonder so many cancers and diseases are on the rise.
https://www.melaleucajournal.com/cleaning-product-study-lungs-smoking/

It may be time to take a long hard look at the cleaning products you use and consider
switching like I did!

It’s never been more clear: Spraying a toxic chemical around your house is breathtakingly dangerous!

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If you’re using Windex® Original Glass Cleaner in your home, that’s exactly what you’re doing. Ammonia is a known toxin that doesn’t belong in any home. But many folks who wouldn’t dream of bringing ammonia into their home use Windex Original Glass Cleaner without a second thought—and yet, Windex is powered by ammonia!

As Windex cleans, inadvertent spray enters and irritates your respiratory system and eyes. Fumes fill the room you’re cleaning. Skin contact is warned against, but as you mist the product into the air, how can you help some of it settling on your skin?
If it gets on your hair, you continue the exposure until you wash your hair again. Imagine your hair getting it on your pillowcase and you breathing it in all night long!

Does all this really matter?

YES—more than we ever knew before. A recent study based on 20 years of research reveals a shocking truth: Cleaning your home with common, well-known grocery store brand cleaning products like Windex Original Glass Cleaner as little as once per week over time is as damaging to respiratory health as smoking a pack of cigarettes a day for 20 years!

You would never give your children cigarettes to smoke, so don’t give them ammonia to breathe.

My company launched and led the green movement to replace toxic cleaners with safer ingredients, and our glass and window cleaner is one of those highly effective and much safer products. This product will give you the sparkling windows, mirrors, fixtures, appliances,
stainless steel, and aluminum you want without any of the unhealthy side effects you don’t. It cuts through everything from grimy fingerprints to toothpaste, and breaks up and washes away more dirt and smudges—all without ammonia.

Instead, our product is powered by 99% biodegradable cleaning agents and contains absolutely no ammonia, chlorine bleach, formaldehyde or toxic chemicals of any kind. It’s so safe, no childproof cap is required! A gleaming, streak-free shine is all that is left behind.

Warning! All but two Windex Glass and Multi-Purpose Cleaners contain ammonia, so go through your house and garage, and dispose of them responsibly, then replace them with a glass-and-more cleaner that will take better care of your home, your family’s health, and our precious environment.

What you should know if you use bleach

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I don’t know about you, but I really am not a fan of those bleach commercials. You know, the ones where they tell you that to get something clean, you need to use bleach. Otherwise, you’re not cleaning properly, because bleach is the only thing can can get your house clean, fresh and bacteria free.

Common household bleach (sodium hydroxide) can be found in a variety of household products in both liquid and granular form and is not, technically speaking, considered corrosive or toxic, even if ingested. However, bleach exposure  is highly irritating and corrosive to the eyes, mouth and lungs. Fumes from bleach are very potent, as you can tell by the smell, and when inhaled can cause nervous system and brain damage, individuals with asthma or other breathing problems are particularly susceptible. In fact, inhaling the fumes is potentially carcinogenic.

Dermal contact of bleach can cause rash and burning. The longer the bleach is left on your skin,  the more likely it is that you will begin to experience burning, itching and other types of irritation. If the bleach is left on your skin for an inordinately long period of time, it can cause pigment lightening and permanent tissue damage.

Serious side effects of using bleach can include respiratory problems, skin burns, damage to the nervous system, asthma flares, extreme headaches, migraines, and vomiting. Inhalation of chlorine gas or drinking highly concentrated sources of chlorine (such as household bleach) can lead to vomiting, coma, and even death.

Athough it is not considered “technically toxic” stories abound concerning bleach and the side effects.

From the “Pharmaceutical Press”: A young girl had suffered episodes of vomiting, abdominal pain, and bronchopneumonia over a period of a year which was finally traced to her habit of sucking socks that had been bleached.

From Clinical Toxicology of Commercial Products:  An 18 month old girl who swallowed a “few tablespoons” of liquid household bleach coughed, choked and vomited. Promptly thereafter she became lethargic and was admitted to a local hospital in a state of coma. Death occurred 19 hours after ingestion.

Why would you add a half cup of chemical toxins to your load of laundry?
Well, that’s what you’re doing when you add Clorox® Bleach to your wash. The culprit in Clorox Bleach is chlorine—that toxic chemical with vapors irritating to your eyes and damaging to your respiratory system. Products with the word bleach in its name obviously contain bleach, however; a variety of products contain bleach and it may not be obvious at first glance, or smell. Some examples are: Drano, Tilex, Palmolive, and Cascade.

The statistics are startling.

An estimated 61% of toilet bowl cleaners use chlorine bleach. Another 26% of adults use chlorine bleach directly in their toilets. That means 87% of all toilets are being cleaned with a known poison that is then flushed into city water systems. That water must then be treated with more chemicals before being released into our water ways.

Not only can bleach be toxic, but it can increase my risk of an asthma attack and make the condition worse, as well as lead to COPD or cancer. I admit it, I was an ardent user of bleach until I decided to spend time reading labels and go green 15 years ago when I discovered a manufacturer providing greener products through an online shopping club.

I now use an EPA-registered botanical disinfectant, powered by thyme oil and citric acid, which kills over 99.9% of common household germs—no caustic chlorine bleach or quats required. I admit disinfecting my home has never been easier! For toilets, there’s an alternative powered by organic cleaners and thyme oil that has the same environmental impact as a bowl of lemons. It cleans beautifully, and smells great. I found a great way to get my home even cleaner than using bleach and my cleansers smell so much better! I know my home is safer too.

The link to the article below offers alternatives to using bleach in your laundry:

It’s time to break up with bleach and move up to MelaBrite Plus Oxi!

Switching stores and switching from bleach allowed me to get rid of a lot more than just the stains and dirt, it got rid of Ammonia; Chlorine Bleach; Petroleum Distillates; Gloves; Toxic Ingredients; no special ventilation is required and I have NO WORRIES!

It’s time to talk about dishwashing

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I want to share something I learned a long time ago— you know it’s prohibited to vent your automatic dishwasher outdoors. Most dishwashers will have a vent on the outside of the door, others (like mine) will have a concealed vent located on the inside of the door, but both went the hot steam/air into your kitchen.

Why?

Because it’s prohibited to have chlorine gases emitted into the environment. Consider this, when you use an automatic dishwashing detergent that contains chlorine bleach, or other name-brand product containing a bleach chemical, it combines with the heat and steam which creates chlorine gas.

Since it’s not released outdoors, but released into our homes through the machines vents it creates an unhealthy or even toxic indoor air quality. That’s why it’s recommended to open your windows regularly to circulate air. If you don’t, those chlorine-based outgases can stay in your home for up to seven days! How unhealthy is that? No wonder so many children today suffer from asthma and other lung-related issues.

I stopped using those bleach-based toxic automatic dish soaps years ago.

I am so glad  I switched to a product that is free of phosphates and chlorine bleach. It’s also made with 100% nontoxic ingredients—because what’s on your dishes can also go into your body. The product also comes highly concentrated so the new resealable pouch uses 90% less plastic than the previous bottle, which was already significantly smaller than the competition!

It uses naturally derived water-softening agent naturally derived enzymes and all natural melaleuca oil. No bleach. No phosphates. No poisons. I love having sparkling dishes without endangering my family, and without polluting my home or the environment!

I like shopping with my online shopping club. Not only are the products non-toxic and the best of natural ingredients and science combined, but because I save so much money!

Recently, I placed my online shopping order and received two packages of this fabulous Automatic Dishwashing product FREE with my loyalty shopping dollars, saving me $14.33. Each time I shop, I get loyalty rewards, up to 18% back! I’ve yet to find another store that offers this type of reward, Even after 15 years of shopping with this club, I still get excited each time I order because of the savings!

Can you say that about your store?