Lower-Tox Living: Household Cleaners
A few weeks ago, I wrote a post called, “11 Simple Changes For Lower-Tox Living.” In there, I shared 11 ways my family and I have desired and tried to live a lower-tox life, with the first big change being, simply reading labels. I would say the next big change we made was switching out our household cleaners.
I always thought the more I could smell it, the better it was working. I’d go as far as to say, the more “unnatural” it smelled, it must work that much better, right? Oh the things I had to learn…
I have used it all – barkeepers friend, windex, scrubbing bubbles, clorox, febreze, 409, you name it! Some of them working great, while others, not so much.
When I was diagnosed with leukemia, I was scared to delve into the research as to why. Doctors didn’t have a clue, but I had my suspicion: chemicals. Sure enough, even with a simple Google search, there are certain chemicals used in cleaning, that can increase the risk for leukemia. I am NOT saying that it was my cleaners that caused my leukemia, but it could be a factor. Only God knows! But I knew I had to make a change.
I couldn’t live in the “what if” any longer. If I could control what I used, since I was the one who bought our cleaners, I wanted to choose well and choose wisely. And that’s why I made the switch. I desired to eliminate one more reason I could get cancer.
What I didn’t know is that my everyday cleaners had ammonia, bleach, phthalates, synthetic fragrances, formaldehyde, sodium lauryl, and many more ingredients, that caused:
- Skin irritants
- Eye irritants
- Cancer-causing carcinogens
- Headache triggers
- Allergies
- Respiratory issues (asthma)
- Endocrine disruptors (man-made chemicals that disrupt hormones)
Making the switch to natural cleaning products just made sense not only for me, as a cancer patient at the time, but also for my family.
So where does one even start? Do you take every bottle out of your house, pitch it, and start over? Here’s my suggestion:
Start with one product at a time.
I suggest starting with your everyday cleaner, since that is what you use most frequently. Then switch out your window cleaner, then tub scrub, etc. This way you can find a brand that works best for you. Choosing one product at a time is more budget-friendly too, as you’re not making all the switches at the same time, making it feel less daunting.
I am still finding products in our home that I could choose “better”. In fact, awhile ago when we were dogsitting, the pup had an accident in the house. It was incredibly difficult to get the stain out, and I thought I had the “best” pet stain removal spray (a name brand to be exact). Well, my husband ended up taking one of my natural laundry stain remover cleaners and used that instead and wouldn’t you know, it took it out immediately. Welp, you sure bet I got rid of the conventional and used my laundry stain remover instead now for pet stains!
There are MANY different low-tox cleaners out there on the market! The brand I use is Truly Free Home (which if you follow me, you’ve seen me post about before). I was introduced to them about 2 years ago now and I never once have thought about trying to find a different brand. Their products WORK. I always thought that if it smelled more natural, that it wouldn’t work, but that is not the case at all. In fact, their products smell AMAZING AND WORK at the same time. At one point, I think I owned almost every product they made, though now they are coming out with more and more, so I’m sure I’ve fallen behind.
Learning to live a lower-tox life is a process. Again, don’t make all the switches at once, unless you are able to. You will find your rhythm. Give yourself some grace. You will get there!
This is just a great place to start when it comes to living a lower-tox life!
