Four Easy Switches to Help Create A Non Toxic Home

Considering making the move to a Non-Toxic Household?

Here are four easy switches you can make today!

Let’s be honest, making the shift to a non toxic household can be overwhelming and pricey. As a consumer, we are aware that clean beauty and non toxic home products are on the rise. However, sadly, so is greenwashing.

Greenwashing is the marketing method of using words like “natural” or “organic” to market products as safe and clean without proper ingredient disclosure or safety research. A company call call a product safe or clean based on their own terms.

My journey into a non-toxic household began when I became pregnant. I have learned that 100,000 chemicals are found in our food and products. Roughly 5% of those have been tested for safety. After some research in this area, I knew I needed to make some adjustments in our household.  Turns out, four years later, I have a regularly active toddler who loves to get into all my products. I could not be happier that I made the move to a non toxic home.

Did you know that toxins in cleaning supplies are easily and quickly absorbed through our skin and respiratory tract, not just when we are cleaning but when we are sleeping, eating, showering, etc.  

Have you ever noticed how you feel after cleaning with traditional cleaning products? The harsh chemicals used to make me feel dizzy and lightheaded. That is not all, traditional cleaning products are filled with chemicals that are skin disruptors as well as endocrine disruptors. These chemicals stay on the surface for a long time. These chemicals are not just harmful to us, they also have a major impact on the environment.

Progress over perfection is an important thing to remember when starting to make the shift in your home. It does not matter when you start, just that you begin.

Check out these four easy changes below to help get you started!

1. Wool Dryer Balls

Unfortunately, the fresh and clean scent that we all love is not great for our health. Dryer sheets are actually one of the most toxic items in the home. So if you have not done so, toss the dryer sheets and grab some dryer balls off of Amazon or Grove Collaborative. One set of dryer balls can last up to 1,000 loads. This is an amazing sustainable switch. Not only will you save money, dryer balls decrease drying time and therefore reduce energy consumption!

Still in need of a bit of fragrance? Add a couple drops of your favorite essential oil to the wool dryer balls. I love to add lemon, lavender, or Citrus Fresh.

2. Young Living Thieves Household Cleaner

This stuff is amazing and will last you a long time. It also smells great! First off, the ingredient list is safe. Many chemicals used in household cleaners have not been tested for safety. Also, many cleaners on the shelves contain ingredients that are endocrine disrupting chemicals, carcinogens, or neurotoxins and unfortunately kids/babies/pets are more vulnerable to chemical exposure. Also, the convenience factor of this cleaner is amazing. You can use this product to clean anything in your house. Forget carrying endless amounts of cleaning supplies with you throughout the house. One last thing, the price. There are approximately 60 capfuls of the cleaner in a 14.4-ounce bottle. You can get about 29 16 oz bottles of cleaner out of this one bottle. Financially, this household cleaner is a great idea as well.

3. Food Storage

Consider what you are storing your food in? When it comes to plastics, switching to BPA-free is a great step, but many BPA-free items contain other harmful chemicals, so storing most of your items in glass containers is the best option! With pantry items that will keep for a long time, it is best to transfer them from their plastic packaging to glass jars. Unfortunately, chemicals can transfer very easily from our food and drink. We have been making this shift in our house over the past year. We still have a bit to go, but we are getting there. This has been the biggest financial burden for our family. However, I have commited to making the switch to healthier and safer products for our family.

4. Consider ditching the candles

Truthfully, I love the cozy feel you get from a lit candle. Regrettably, scented candles are a huge source for indoor pollution and turns out, not so great for health. I have been using essential oils in the place of candles because I love a nice fragrance in the house. Essential oils have helped to support our health in so many ways in this household. However, an important thing that I have learned is that not every oil is created equal. If you have not dived into the essential oil’s world, Young Living is a great company to start with. Many of the cheaper versions contain mostly fillers and not actual oil. Young Living provides pure and authentic oils. Click here to learn more about Young Living.