Cyndi lives in the perverbial small town in West Tennessee with her husband and 2 cats. Writing, from the heart, on a variety of subjects is her passion. Spirituality is always #1, with natural health issues a very close second. 
I once had a friend who was an immaculate housekeeper. I’m not talking about just ‘everything in it’s place’ kind of neat freak, I’m mean this girl washed her walls at least three times a week! UGH! Of course, at the time, in the late 70’s, I was single with no children and thought a good housekeeping day was a path from my bedroom to my bathroom. My friend, however, had a 4 year old, and she scrubbed and sterilized everything. Her 4 year old, very much loved and well looked after, suffered with asthma and allergies of untold numbers. In later years, she found that those allergies were the result of the chemicals she used to keep house.
Like most parents and well, anyone who has a house to clean, my friend used all the brand name cleaning and disinfecting products necessary to keep a home spotless and germ free. What none of us seemed to realize then, or even care about, was the poisons that were emitted from all those products.
With environmental awareness on the rise and children’s health a huge issue in America, more and more people are seeking less toxic avenues to keep their homes and bodies clean. Not only does the manufacture of such chemically rich household products and human hygiene products have a negative impact on the environment, they are extremely unsafe for human use.
Household cleaners and toiletries are bought every day by consumers who feel that the government has regulated the manufacturers enough that these chemical cocktails will not harm them. How sadly mistaken the general public is on this issue! The EPA states that toxic chemicals found in the home are 3 times more likely to cause cancer than airborne pollutants.
Recently in an article on
www.unsafehome.com entitled ‘How a Clean Home Can Kill You. The author cited that there was high levels of sodium lauryl sulphate in toothpaste. Sodium lauryl sulphate is a detergent commonly used in engine degreaser. I don’t care who you are, your mouth is not THAT dirty! So many of the products we use for cleaning and personal hygiene contain carcinogenic compounds. For your own safety, familiarize yourself with labels and the side effects of those near impossible to pronounce chemicals have.
In the news more recently, California has banned the use of phthalates in children’s products. Phthalates are used to soften plastic. That same plastic softening chemical can be found in cosmetics, shampoo, soap, lotions, pesticides, paint and lubricants. Phthalates are said to affect the liver and kidneys and to cause birth defects, if exposed to large quantities of the chemical.
This all sounds very ominous and scary. Don’t put up the ‘For Sale’ sign and move into a tent just yet. There is hope. So, how can the average person make their home safer? You could make your own cleaners from natural ingredients. There are plenty of recipes and tips for cleaning your home naturally at
www.ecocycle.org. The good news for busy people is that there are lots of eco-friendly companies out there who have made available to us ready-made household cleaners.
For just about every chemical cleaning product you use, there is a safer alternative. You may want to try some of the products from these companies: Melaleuca, Seventh Generation, Earth Friendly Products, just to name a few. These are all available online.
After reading some of the terrible things that we come in contact with on a day to day basis, you may be ready to throw all of your cleaners and personal care products out and start all over. Most of us are not able to do such a thing financially. We can start with the next product we plan to purchase to make our home a safe place to be.