The reality is we can’t completely remove chemicals from our lives, because they are in everything we come in contact with today. Some chemical exposures are not harmful to the human body, and others are incredibly harmful. Harmful chemicals can enter your body through what you breathe, eat, drink and can be absorbed through the skin too. We are focusing on making the best and safest clothing for your baby and toddler. Here are some tips to reduce your daily exposure to chemicals around you.
Remodeling The Home
Was your house built before 1970? If so, it might contain asbestos, mercury and or lead. Before you start any renovations in your home, make sure you have a quick home inspection done to determine if there are any of these chemicals present.
Removing hazardous materials requires special care and specialized equipment as to not contaminate the rest of the house and the people still living in it.
Cleaning The Home
Many cleaning products today give off fumes that should not be breathed in. Some can burn the skin and irritate the eyes. Most cleaning chemicals are poisonous if swallowed. Let’s set the record, most cleaning chemicals on the market today are horrible for your body, pets, and baby. When you wash your dishes, clothing, and floors with these chemicals, it always leaves behind some kind of residue. Your baby and pets are exposed to that when they are on the floor. What about the countertops? Did you spray that with a chemical cleaner?
There are many great products on the market today that are 100% organic plant-based cleaners that work just as well or better than your chemical-based counterpart. Here are some good safe cleaners you can use at home that are safe for baby and you!
- White vinegar (removes mildew and grease)
- Lemon juice (good stain remover, glass cleaner, and deodorizer)
- Baking Soda (mix with water, good all-purpose cleaner)
- Olive oil ( great furniture polish)
Here are some pre-made plant-based cleaners that are 100% safe to use around the home!
- Seventh Generation
- Bronner’s Sal Suds
- Biokleen Cleaners
- Thieves Household Cleaner
- Better Life Cleaner
Heating Your Home
If you live in New England, then you know that most people today heat their home with propane, oil, wood, wood-pellets and electric heat. Many also use space heaters to supplement the heat and keep the chill away.
What about kerosene heaters?
Kerosene heaters, ensure that your home has lots of heat and circulating air. Here are some of the dangers of using kerosene heaters inside your home. They produce carbon dioxide, soot, and carbon monoxide when used. If you are not in a well-ventilated space like a garage with the door open, then you could end up with carbon monoxide poisoning. Carbon monoxide is also present with propane and natural gas heaters. Make sure these types of heaters are adequately vented. Make sure you install a carbon-monoxide detector in your home near the heater. Carbon monoxide is dubbed the silent and deadly killer because you don’t know you are being poisoned until it's too late.
Food You Eat
The average American eats up to 70% of processed food. Everyone does it, we cruise down the grocery store ilse and see what looks good to eat without thinking about how that food was made or the chemicals that are in it. Cookies, crackers, cereal, soda and yes even yogurt are crammed with chemicals. Why so many chemicals? The main reason is so that food will sit on the shelf longer for the consumer to buy it. Doesn’t the FDA regulate this though?
"The FDA doesn't actually know how many additives are going into our food. This is in part because regulations are not only self-regulatory -- so the food industry is doing the testing -- but it's also voluntary," she said. "The ingredient companies don't actually have to tell the FDA about a new ingredient. If they choose to, they can simply just launch it into the market. The FDA doesn't know about them, and nobody else really knows about them."
The best course of action is get educated about the food you eat. If you can, grow your own food. Buy from local farmers markets fresh fruit, vegetables and meat. It might cost more, but most farmers today care about how they grow food and take great care to provide the best to local customers.
The Clothing You Wear
Your skin is the most significant organ on your body, and it absorbs all kinds of things each day into your body. What about the clothing you wear? How was it made? What chemicals were used to making those products? Numerous fabrics today contain chemical fabric softeners, detergents, VOCs which are volatile organic compounds. They also contain petrochemical dyes made from petroleum(OIL), dioxin-producing bleach and formaldehyde. Yes, formaldehyde, the stuff they use to embalm people after they die. There are just some of the chemicals that are in your clothing after you buy it. So what can you do about it?
Here are some practical suggestions to reduce the number of chemicals in your clothing.
- Choose clothes that are GOTS certified. This means the cotton plants have been grown without the use of chemicals and chemically laced ground. GOTS organization certifies the cotton is clean.
- Choose clothes that are made from organic flax
- Check to see what types of dyes they used? Were they organic dyes?
- Change the type of laundry soap you use to wash your clothing. Get a plant-based cleaner!
- Get rid of the dryer sheets! Use wool dryer balls, they dry your clothes faster and safer!
Again, while you may not be able to remove all chemicals from your life, you can certainly watch more closely what you put in your home, in your body, and on your body to live life a little healthier.
