Tag Archives: healthy home

Makeover Your Laundry Room

Why should we care about our laundry products? It may surprise you to know that not all laundry detergents are safe for our skin or our health.  The laundry detergent companies are not required to disclose the ingredients. The dangers in laundry detergent are real.  When we wash our clothes with traditional products, you would think the chemicals are being rinsed away. However, this is not the case. Many of the chemicals are not washed away in the rinse cycle and that residue is left on our clothing. When we breathe in or sweat, the residue is absorbed into our body.  
So here is a list of ways to swap out products that you may currently have in your home. You can replace the toxic products with natural options that are toxic free and create a healthier, safer environment for your family.
1,  First, you must swap out your laundry detergent for something that is safer.  OnGuard Natural Laundry Detergent is super concentrated. A little goes a long way and it is cheaper too.   You will only need one tablespoon for a full load of laundry. It also has an entire 10 ml bottle of OnGuard in it. so all of those powerful cleansing properties contained in OnGuard, are in the laundry detergent. It will clean your clothes efficiently and thoroughly.  It also contains natural enzymes that break up stains such as sweat, dirt, and food. You can also use this detergent for stains on carpets and cars.
2.  Change out your fabric softener with white vinegar.  Fabric softener is full of chemicals. Add a ¼ cup of white vinegar into the fabric softener section of your washer.  It will make your clothes softer, cleaner and eliminate static.
3.  Make your own homemade stain stick .  In a 10 ml roller bottle, fill 3/4 of the way with Onguard detergent and top off with a little water.  Great for on the go, traveling, in your bag etc.
4.  Add essential oils to help with odor and heavily soiled clothing.  Presoak and add dirty clothes to a bucket or large bowl. Let them soak in water with a few drops melaleuca and lemon. To freshen up laundry may have been left in washer too long, add a few drops of Purify or Lemon essential oil to freshen up.
5 .Make a bleach alternative.  Use equal parts of hydrogen peroxide 3 percent and water.  Add a 2 tablespoons of lemon juice or ½ tsp citric acid and 10 drops lemon essential oil. Use this alternative instead of bleach for whites. Store in a brown bottle for up to 3 months.
6.  Swap out your fabric sprays for a DIY version. In a 4oz bottle, combine distilled water and 10 drops essential oil for sheets, clothes, etc. Use lavender, eucalyptus, lemon or any combination of oils you like.
7.  Trade out your dryer sheets for wool dryer balls.  Add a few drops of essential oil to the dryer balls.  Calming oils such as lavender and Serenity are great. Wool dryer balls also cut down the drying time by up to 50 percent and prevent clothing from having wet spots.  
If you would like to get started with using essential oils for cleaning and a natural lifestyle, visit my website at www.purefitwomen.fit
to purchase your oils.

7 Steps To a More Natural Home

As a mom, I want to be sure that my kids live in a home that is free of as many harmful products as possible. Most of us are unaware of common products in our homes that can cause serious health problems.  Unless you begin to look into what is contained in these common products, people just do not realize they can cause allergies, asthma, endocrine disruption, and even cancer.  

In my journey toward a more natural lifestyle, I started to think about the safety of the products I was using on myself and my children.  Most of what we put on our skin is absorbed into the body.  I decided to make some gradual changes toward making better choices for the health of my family.

Here are my top 5 steps toward creating a more natural and toxin-free home.

    1. Replace processed foods with real foods.  This may seem tough at first but my advice to you is to involve your kids in the process.  Take them on a shopping trip and make a game of trying to find healthier versions of the foods they like.  Or involve them in the kitchen with you by helping to peel carrots or arrange different vegetables on a veggie platter. Kids love to help.
    2. Make your own green cleaning products.  Eliminate harmful inhalation of traditional cleaning products.  Replace with inexpensive and effective products such as vinegar, baking soda, hydrogen peroxide and essential oils.  
    3. Replace personal care products with natural alternatives.  There are many natural products with less chemicals you can purchase such as deodorant, toothpaste, shampoo and lotions.  You can also save money by making your own simple recipes with products such as coconut oil, cornstarch, witch hazel and essential oils.
    4. Reduce waste that you create in your home.  We are all trying to help the environment and reduce the amount of trash we create.  Recycle empty containers and use them for other things.  Make your own cleaning supplies with empty wine bottles.  Use empty mason jars for storing small objects such as cotton balls and arts and crafts.  
    5. Use alternative remedies for common ailments.  Before turning to over the counter medications for common ailments, consider using essential oils or home remedies for minor conditions.  For example, melaleuca essential oil is great for acne and can be a very effective form of treatment with no side effects, such as dry skin from traditional medications.

Moving toward a more natural lifestyle will take time.  Little changes will make big changes in your health.  Visit my website www.Purefitwomen.fit for more info on healthy tips, recipes and essential oils.

 

Essential Oils For a Safer, Cleaner Home

A clean home is something most of us desire. Having a clean home keeps germs away and reduces allergies from dust and other pollutants.   However, many of the products we clean with are toxic to our health and produce fumes that are highly irritating to the eyes, nose, throat and lungs. In fact, some cleaners are among the most toxic products found in the home.

Fragrances are added to many cleaners, most notably, laundry detergents and fabric softeners which may cause acute effects such as respiratory irritation, headache, sneezing, and watery eyes in sensitive individuals or allergy and asthma sufferers.

The National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health has found that one-third of the substances used in the fragrance industry are toxic. To make matters worse, companies are not required to list their ingredients, but merely label them as containing “fragrance.”

Other ingredients in cleaners may have low acute toxicity but are proven to contribute to long-term health effects, such as cancer or hormone disruption.  

While the chemicals in cleaners foam, bleach, and disinfect to make our dishes, bathtubs and countertops gleaming and germ-free, many also contribute to indoor air pollution, and are poisonous if ingested.  There is no safe exposure level according to the EPA.

Over 100,000 children under the age of 6 are sickened by household cleaners each year.  

The most acutely dangerous cleaning products are corrosive drain cleaners, oven cleaners, and acidic toilet bowl cleaners. Ingredients with high acute toxicity include chlorine bleach and ammonia.

So how do you know if your products are harmful?  Look for labeling that reads, “DANGER, WARNING, CAUTION, TOXIC, CORROSIVE, FLAMMABLE, POISON”

So how can we clean our homes safely and effectively? Skip the toxins and start cleaning your home with essential oils! Essential oils protect against seasonal and environmental threats.  

Oils are multi-purpose and can be used to clean your house but also for many personal care needs.

Essential oils cost pennies per drop so you can save money on cleaning products and make your own!

Essential oils are ideal for cleaning. Here are some popular ways to use essential oils for cleaning:

  1. Lemon- dissolves sticky residue, cleans greasy messes, polishes furniture
  2. Melaleuca –  toilet bowl cleaner, all purpose cleaner
  3. Lavender- all purpose cleaner, freshens linens, add to wash loads
  4. Wild Orange – degreases and shines, add to all purpose cleaner for a great scent.  

Some additional products to have on hand for natural cleaning are:

  1. White Vinegar- which kills germs, cuts grease, deodorizes and dissolves mineral deposits.
  2. Baking soda-scrubs, whitens, deodorizes, cuts grease, mildly abrasive and absorbs odors.  
  3. Carrier oil- such as almond, coconut or olive oil for polishing furniture.
  4. Castile soap-  which is a vegetable based soap to be used for personal care needs and for household cleaning.

Visit https://www.doterra.com/US/en/blog-products for DIY recipes for a cleaner home!

Eco-friendly natural cleaners made of lemon and baking soda on white wooden table