We are exposed to toxins on a daily basis, but just how much depends on the foods we eat, the furniture we sit on, the lotions we decide to put on our bodies, etc. The degree to which we potentially put our children’s health at risk depends on the different products we decide to bring into the house. Their exposure to toxins begins before they are even born. Whatever we inhale or ingest can have a lasting effect on our children.
It can be a little overwhelming, and challenging at times. When I found out I was pregnant in 2010, I just knew we had to rethink some products and revamp our home. We, however, did not just wake up one day and build a new non-toxic wooden bubble as our home. It was a learning process and we weighted what needed to be changed first and what could wait.
We decided that whatever products were going to be touching our new bundle of joy had to be non-toxic. You would think that would be easy. Wrong. Reading labels and understanding what each ingredients is and why it is in a particular product is exhausting.
You can’t even begin to imagine how many times I returned a product after looking it up on the Skin Deep Data Base or read somewhere that a particular ingredient was unsafe. At that point, I just decided to make it as simple as possible and not get pulled into all the hype “you need a different products for everything.” I also realized that so many products can actually be made at home and that way, you know exactly what is in your product.
And on top of all that, I wanted to be as environmentally friendly as possible meaning purchasing products make in Canada or the USA. If not, than at least fair-trade. That is a whole other hurdle that I have had trouble getting over.
If you are parent to be or looking to rid some toxins from your house, here are my top 5 must haves to less our environmental and toxic impact:
- Dr.Bronner soap. It really is the magic soap. It can be used for pretty much anything from washing your hair to laundry to baby wipe solutions. It can be bought as a bar or already in the liquid form. The bar option has less packaging (no plastic) associated with the product than its liquid counter-part. If you purchase the bar- simply grate it, heat it up so it melts and add water. Voila. It is also much cheaper than the liquid form and best of all it is an American product. Seems like the perfect product to me, don’t you think?
- Hemp cloths. I think it is important to have natural fibers touching your little one’s most sensitive place. Therefore, we decided to make our own wipes and wipe solution (basically Dr. Bronners soap). I did not feel comfortable buying one time wipes that would end up in landfill or in our waters. Most wipe solutions had a long list of ingredients, and others had simple ingredients. I figured making my own was cheaper, environmentally friendly and less toxic. Easy choice for us.
- Organic sheets and mattress. We spend a large amount of time sleeping. Children tend to spend even more time sleeping. I did my research and found that conventional mattress usually contain petrochemicals, flame retardants, dyes, PVC, Phthalates and the list continues. I wanted to make sure we were all having a sound and healthy sleep. We have a nice set of organic sheets and once we are moved back home little E will be the proud owner of an organic mattress.
- Non-toxic paints. When we are expecting a little bundle of joy we want to decorate and create the cutest room possible. Have you ever thought of what is in the paints we use to plaster on our walls? The best option is VOC-free paints, which use water instead of petroleum based solvents and contain no heavy metals or formaldehyde. These paints are readily available at most home improvement stores.
- Plants. Why you might ask? According to the Environmental Protection Agency, our indoor air can be two to five times more polluted than the outdoor air we breath. Yikes. House-plants help to rid the air of pollutants and toxins, counteracting outgassing and contributing to balanced internal humidity. Wondering which plants will aid in cleaning up your air?
There are various simple and effective ways to reduce our exposure to different toxins inside our homes. These are just a few suggestions to help you on the road to a cleaner and healthier you and family. Take baby steps- try one thing at a time and gradually work your way to living a little more toxic-free and reap the rewards!
What are your favorite non-toxic baby products?
Healthy Child, Healthy World is a great resource for helping parents learn about the toxins around us and how to keep our children safe.
This month, the Green Moms Carnival will be sharing their thoughts on “How to keep toxic chemicals out of our homes”. The carnival is hosted this month by Lori over at Groovy Green Livin. The carnival goes live Monday, March 19, 2012. Be sure to stop by for lots of great information on ways we can all slowly rid toxins from our homes and make a difference one green step at a time.
children, Dr. Bronners, environment, green, Healthy Child Healthy World, non-toxic
I am the Good Girl Gone Green. Seeing garbage cans overflowing with recyclables breaks my heart.
Wow-thanks for all the linky love Stephanie. Much appreciated! I just had a few rooms in my house painted and used no VOC paint. It was incredible-no smell at all. I also love Dr. Bronner’s for everything. Thanks for all the great tips!
My pleasure! That is great about the paint- I am looking forward to repainting everything once we are home in May!
I am with you and Lori, big fan of Dr. Bronner’s!! It really is perfect!! My little on has really sesitive skin and it never bothers her. never tried it for laundry. I learn something new every time I chat with you.
Tee Hee! I use soap nuts, but I add a capful of the peppermint “diluted with water” in my laundry as well and they smell oh so nice after the wash! I tried using Dr. Bronners in the laundry without diluting it, it stained some of my clothing because of the oil! Oops!
Oops, I meant sensitive
I have been using Dr. Bronner’s for years and love it! I use both the peppermint and lavender scented soap. I’ve never tried it in the laundry, but will now. How much do you dilute it?
I usually dilute my Dr. Bronners 1/4 soap 3/4 water and use it for washing, laundry, cleaning pretty much everything. I once put it directly in the washing machine without water- not a good idea. It was too much oils and stunned some of my clothing. Oops!
Pretty much do all of this…minus the plants. Not only do I not have a green thumb, I seem to have the thumb of death. So sad. So I was thinking about my cleaning routines today…I’ve been using these “green” sponges, but even these eventually need to be thrown out – what do you use to scrub your sinks/showers/etc? Have any suggestions?
Have you tried just using a washcloth? That’s what I do (I have a pile of old ones I buy from garage sales for like a dime each!). We have SUPER hard water so the grippy texture of the washcloth works well to get all of the mineral deposits and soap scum off! I use old flat baby diapers (the ones that I’m pretty sure no one uses for diapers anymore) for cleaning things that don’t need as much scrub!
I have the thumb of death, too! LOL I just use rags, or old t-shirts to clean. I have been looking for biodegradable sponges but haven’t found any yet.
Glad I’m not the only one with the thumb of death, lol. Someday maybe I can keep something alive
Just read some of the other comments and wanted to share the Dr. Bronner’s foaming soap recipe that I love: http://simplyparkers.blogspot.com/2011/06/foaming-with-possibilities.html Keep us posted on those biodegradable sponges too, thanks!
Thanks, Elisabeth for he recipe. I will check it out! When we move back home, I am hoping to keep some plants alive! I just killed one. In my defense, I did find it in the trash and tried to save it. No dice.
Dr. Bronner’s is my FAVORITE product and company – ever! They do great great work and make terrific products.
My favorite product, too!
Found your cute blog on a blog hop. Glad I did. I really need to learn more about all this stuff. It really can be overwheming your right but so important. I just changed all my kids bedding to organic bedding last year and I LOVE Dr Bronner’s still lots to check out. Consider following me too @ AugustMagnolia.blogspot.com Thanks!!
Wow, that is great that you changed your kids bedding to organic. Have any questions shoot me an email. i am happy to help! Funny the sheets i bought are made by Magnolia Organics…..
If you haven’t watched Dr. Bronner’s Magic Soap Box you should, it’s quite entertaining. It’s on Netflix (or atleast it was a couple of weeks ago, you never know with them anymore). Dr. Bronner’s also makes a really great lotion!
Excellent tips Stephanie! I need to get a few more house plants. I just managed to kill a couple.
Thanks, Micaela! Means a lot coming from you. I need to get plants once I am home. I haven’t invested in any knowing we are moving in a few months. Can’t bring plants across the boarder
Hmmm, I definitely need to get myself some indoor plants!
Going to see if we can get hemp nappies next time we have a baby as well. The cost to the hip pocket and the environment for disposable nappies is not worth the “convenience.” Not even sure why we used disposables in the first place.
The reusable diapers I have are so convenient and much prettier than disposables. :0
I love Dr. Bronner’s soap! Many health food stores sell it in bulk: They have a jug 1 gallon or larger with a pump, so you can refill your bottle and pay just for the soap instead of buying a plastic bottle every time. Their bottles also are made of 100% post-consumer recycled plastic and are recyclable.
It makes an excellent foaming hand soap. Just buy a foamer pump of some other brand and use it up, then fill the bottle most of the way with water and add about a tablespoon of Dr. Bronner’s–presto, a new bottle of soap that foams nicely!
When we are living in PA they had it in bulk, but not where we are now. I am going to look into going the foaming soap route. Thanks for the info.
So many good suggestions! We love Dr. Bronner’s. It’s the best, and a little bit goes a long way.
Thanks for linking up at the Green & Natural Mamas Bloghop! Pinning this to my new bloghop Pinterest board too
My pleasure and thank you. Loved your post as well!
The scented dr. Bronners soaps are really nice made into homemade laundry soap.
They are fantastic!
I have been using Dr. Bronner’s soap for hand washing delicate and wool items. Works very well! I want to try putting it in the soap dispensers.
I enjoy the peppermint scent for my clothing. Makes me want to eat a candy cane!
We use Dr. Bronner’s for everything! I love how gentle it is on the kid’s skin too.
Lifekind mattress has a sale on organic sheets until March 27th – 50% off!http://www.lifekind.com/index.php/site_category_product/180/?from=30&utm_source=Email&utm_medium=Mar11&utm_campaign=030812
Thanks, Susan!
I’m giving away 3 Dr. Bronner’s products to a lucky winner on my blog! Giveaway ends next Friday!
What great tips! Love Dr. Bronner’s! I use it for so many things and love using the foamers for soap. I wish I could keep indoor plants alive, but alas, I can’t.
Thanks, Brenna! I keep hearing about this foamers pump. I am going to have to look into that.
I LOVE the Dr Bronner’s peppermint soap! Very eye opening!
I could eat the peppermint soap, it smells so good!
Yay! Nontoxic paint is mentioned. A green building product. People don’t realize what they bring into their house is just as important. Great list.
LOL. You are so funny Anna! Of course non-toxic paint! We will be repainting our condo when we get back home and will be looking for some good paints! Might have to hit you up with some suggestions.
Wow .. I really admire your dedication to protecting your child, yourself and the environment. It’s so important. I didn’t realize how important until I rid my home of toxins. Before, I got headaches and had allergies but never really thought much about it. Once we got rid of the toxins, I all-of-a-sudden felt better … no more headaches, my allergies (for the most part) disappeared and I just felt better. So imagine … if an adult reacts to the toxins in our environment, how much more does a child feel it? And … what are the long-term consequences of continued exposure to toxins? In my opinion, we owe it to our kids to clean things up … and give them a pure environment to grow in.
Thanks for a terrific article!!
Thanks! Wow, I am glad you are feeling better. And I agree we owe it to our kids!
I love that we are so on the same page. I use Dr. Bronner’s too and it is so versatile. You can use it for so many cleaning purposes, and it’s made in USA of fair trade ingredients.
My general rule of thumb is if I wouldn’t eat it, I won’t use it.
I love that it is made in the USA and that they use fair-trade ingredients!
Forgot to mention I’ve stumbled this post to spread the word on this important info for all families.
I must admit that when I saw the post title, I thought you meant toxic as in toxic PEOPLE. But weeding out toxic substances is much simpler! Thanks for the tips.
LOL! That is so funny! You know I could write a post about toxic people…..
Great tips there! We really need to put more thought in the stuff we put inside us, on us and around us.
Thanks! We sure do!
Do you know if Dr. Bronner’s soap can be used in high effieciency (HE) washing machines? I never knew it could be laundry detergent.
Jackie, I am not sure.
Love your website and I agree with you (and Alison) we really need to be more aware of what we put in, on and around us.
PS: Thanks very much for linking up with us to celebrate our blogoversary. Be sure and add our badge to this post so you can qualify if you win something in our drawing! (-: