Cleaners -- A Dirty Topic

Part of this blog is about moving my family into a healthier lifestyle, and it's not just about how we're eating.  It also has to do with what I bring into my home.  Over the past year or so, I've looked much more closely at the chemicals that I have been bringing into my home in the form of cleaners, detergents, air fresheners, disenfectants, etc.  Yikes...Yikes...and more Yikes.

Have you read the labels on your cleaners?  Ingredients you can't pronounce with warnings that are terrifying.  I have heard so many horror stories over this past year of what those unintelligible ingredients have done to children who've managed to slip past all of the childproof doors and caps.  Granted, some of those ingredients are innocuous, but there are enough that aren't.  We were having issues as well.  I was diagnosed with asthma about 10 years ago and so many of the brands I was using (Lysol, Clorox, etc.) really irritated and exacerbated any issues I was having.  Both munchkins have had sensitive skin issues, and J&J baby stuff, Aveeno, and the like just made things worse.

I could go old school...Old School.  We're talking vinegar and baking soda and salt -- Old School.  I have a sweet friend of mine who mixes all her own cleaners...I think she even makes her own soap, just so that she knows exactly what's in it all.  My sister cleans pretty exclusively with vinegar.  I don't want to go that far.  Really.  I'm lazy when it comes to that.  I want to be able to pull out a nice spray bottle designed for a specific purpose that has cleaner that smells good and does the job safely.  I didn't think that was a choice, however, until a dear friend contacted me with something new she had gotten into -- a wellness company that was making just what I was looking for!

I have just about converted my household over -- glass cleaner; furniture polish; laundry pre-spot (the best I've ever used!!!), detergent, & brightener; dishwashing detergent for the dishwasher and for hand-washing; disenfectant (It uses thyme oil and makes it smell like I've been doing some serious poultry cooking.  Ha!), bathroom cleaners, and the list goes on.  None of these cleaners requires child safety caps.  Really.  That's one of the biggest selling points for me -- products that work, that don't need terrifying warnings on the labels, aren't harmful for the environment, and aren't much more expensive than I was already purchasing.  (So the environment thing is way down the list, but it is on the list.)  The cleaners don't mess with my asthma, and my kids' skin is sooo much better than it was.  In all respects, it has been very worth it and has put us several "steps" further on our journey.