With the pandemic shining a spotlight on hygiene and cleanliness, now is the time to rid your home of harmful chemicals as you try Going Green with your home cleaning routine!
With COVID-19 still in our sights, cleaning items have been clearing the shelves. But do you know what is hiding in conventional cleaning products? While cleaning our kitchen, our bathrooms, and our clothes – they are still leaving a toxic load on our bodies. When we use these products over and over again, the short-term effects (light headed, headache, watery eyes) pale in comparison to the long term effects such as hormone disruption, heavy metals, and even cancer. What is supposed to help us clean and kill germs is ultimately hurting us!
Here are a few of those dangerous ingredients:
Parabens
We’ve seen this ingredient before in our shampoos and skincare. It’s been known to cause reproductive issues due to being an endocrine disruptor. It can also cause male infertility and has been found in breast cancer tumors.
Triclosan
Another common ingredient in skincare! This is a skin irritant and has been linked to eczema. It is found in laundry detergent, dish and hand soaps – anything that produces suds.
Ammonia
This ingredient can irritate the eyes, skin, and throat. Excessive exposure can lead to liver and kidney damage and cancer. It can be found in floor, bathroom, carpet, and glass cleaners. A big toxic culprit!
Perchloroethylene or “PERC”
Found in dry cleaning, aerosol products, and carpet cleaners, this ingredient can cause dizziness, headaches, skin irritations, and respiratory issues.
Other ingredients to look out for:
Chlorine
Bleach
Phthalates
Phenols
Fragrance
So what should we use?! I’ve tried and tested quite a few products, and here are my winners:
Ecos Laundry Detergent
My husband and sons have sensitive skin and were always breaking out in rashes from other conventional detergents. I tried ECOS, and we’ve been rash free ever since.
Puracy Stain Remover
A stain remover has been my hardest swap! But once I found Puracy, there was no turning back. I’ve had chocolate stains on white shirts; one spray and wash. Stain be gone!
Wool Dryer Balls
Fabric softeners are highly toxic, so I’ve been using Wool Dryer Balls with a lot of success! I found some on Amazon, but Branch Basics has some, too! Here’s an informative article on the dangers of fabric softeners.
Branch Basics All in One Cleaning Kit
Anyone who knows me will hear me shout from the rooftops how much I love Branch Basics. This kit makes it so easy to do an easy swap! You have one cleaning solution to make each bottle of cleaner. You add water, the solution, and VOILA! You’re set! Plus, their Oxygen Boost is a multi-use product from super soiled laundry to yucky bathroom grout; this product gets it CLEAN.
Puracy Hand Soap
I’ve put one in every bathroom in our house. It gets rid of the most stubborn hand dirt and doesn’t dry out our skin.
Puracy Dish Detergent
The search was tough for non-toxic dish detergent, but Puracy for the win again! Our dishes come out clean each time! They are currently unavailable on Amazon, but you can find them here!
Honorable mentions:
ECOS OXO Brite (the natural alternative to OxiClean!)
Cleansing Microfiber Cloths (Reusable! Use these instead of paper towels!)
The Clean Republic (I haven’t tried this brand yet – but they have an all-in-one cleaner, and it has nothing but amazing reviews!)
