It seems that we are hearing more and more about the damaging effects chemicals can have on our health. Some of these hazards are immediate, such as skin or respiratory irritations and chemical burns and others are associated with long-term effects such as cancer. It’s no wonder people are looking for . . .
creative ways to reduce or remove chemicals from their homes. It may seem daunting but many natural solutions can actually save you time and money.
Making your own homemade cleaners can be simple, quick, and incredibly affordable. In fact, you probably have most of the ingredients already in your kitchen. White vinegar makes an amazing household cleaner. Add two cups vinegar to a bucket of hot water to clean floors or put three cups in your toilet as a toilet bowl cleaner (let it sit for 30 minutes before scrubbing to remove hard stains).
You can also make a great glass and surface cleaner by mixing two cups water, ¼ cup vinegar and ½ tsp dish soap (you can also add a few drops of peppermint essential oil to make it smell minty fresh, but that’s optional). Mix together and put in an empty spray bottle. It works even better than Windex.
We have also come across a great recipe for laundry soap. Using four ingredients you can make your own soap for five cents a load. Find this recipe and the instructions at this website: https://happyhooligans.ca/homemade-laundry-detergent-recipe/.
Baking soda is another power house cleaner. It is great for scrubbing surfaces such as stove tops, ovens and sinks. A little goes a long way.
Another great use for white vinegar is as a vegetable and fruit wash. It’s important to get our fruits and veggies chemical free before putting them into the hands of our little ones. It’s quite simple to do, just combine three parts room temperature water and one part white vinegar, let the produce soak in the wash for five to 10 minutes, scrub your produce, rinse and let air dry. There are also commercial produce washes available to purchase from different companies, just be sure you read the labels to know what the wash is made of. When you’re uncertain of ingredients stick to making natural washes yourself.
If choosing to purchase natural products, make sure you take a careful look at the label. They can often say they are natural or green when they may only contain a small percentage of a natural item (such as orange, for example) and often at a marked up price.
A great resource is the Environmental Working Group. A visit to their website at http://www.ewg.org/ will give you ratings on all of the available products on the market. It lists the best and worst, how to read the labels and clear explanations. Many great products come from big brand names that can be found in local stores, such as Method, Natura (found at Home Hardware), and Seventh Generation so you don’t have to use DIY cleaners to make a positive change.
With summer almost here sun safety is a big priority. There are many different sunscreens on the market and a lot of them contain some potentially damaging chemicals. Look for sunscreens that use zinc oxide as their main form of sun protection. Zinc oxide is a ‘physical blocker,’ which means that it sits on the skin to protect it, rather than soaking into the skin like ‘chemical blockers’ found in many sunscreens. Try to avoid spray sunscreens, as their chemicals can be easily inhaled (they also make it easy to miss spots). Even though a product might be labelled for kids, it often contains the same harmful ingredients as their adult counterparts, so it is important to always read the labels. One of these chemicals is oxybenzone, which has been linked to a number of health concerns. You can further reduce chemical exposure by limiting the areas that sunscreen needs to be applied to by wearing lightweight, long sleeved clothing and wide sun hats.
Making small changes to the items you regularly purchase for your home can make a big impact on the health of your family and the environment.
