A few weeks ago, I gave you the opportunity to ask me anything. This week I’m answering all your burning questions.
Erin asks:
I’m really inspired by the real food perspective that you have, but I wonder about cleaners and hygiene products. Do you try to use all natural products in those aspects of your life as well? I tend to get overwhelmed sometimes with all the information out there. I realize each family is different and has different priorities, but I’d be interested in what works for your family.
Ehhh… yes and no. I kind of dabble.
I would love to extend my passion for real food and natural products into cleaners and hygiene products, but I’m not there yet. The food part has been so overwhelming that I haven’t gotten much further than that. And frankly, the cost is a factor.
I am a huge fan of Sun & Earth cleaning products — they are a local company who uses all non-toxic cleaners that use coconut and orange oils. I’ve even toured their facility and I was extremely impressed. I don’t use their products exclusively, though.
True confessions: I have a cleaning lady who brings her own products, and I’m sure they’re all full of chemicals. I’m sure she’d use whatever I supply but I just haven’t made the effort. I KNOW. I should. I really should.
I buy my hand soap at Trader Joe’s and I think it’s pretty pure. I often use Method brand dish soap, or Sun & Earth. But we use Finish Powerball Tablets
As far as hygiene products, it varies. I am a freak about using non-chemical sunscreens. I’ve written about that before. My new favorite is Eco Logical All Natural Sunscreen for Face SPF30+
I use Therapon skincare products, and while they aren’t all natural, I do think they’re more conscientious than most.
I currently use Bumble and Bumble for my hair, and I have no idea what’s in that. I am intrigued by the no-poo method, but I don’t think I’ll ever have the guts to try it. I color my hair, and we all know that’s full of harmful chemicals.
And let’s not even talk about makeup . . .
To sum it up, I am quite inconsistent in my convictions about chemical usage. I know this. I figure, the goal is to reduce the load, not to eliminate them completely. I admire those who seek to completely eliminate the toxic chemicals in their lives, but I’m just not that committed. Hopefully we will continue to make improvements, one step at a time.
What about you?
How high a priority do you place on reducing the toxic chemicals in your household cleaners and hygiene products? Do you seek perfection, or are you content to reduce the load? Or are you too overwhelmed to even try?
There is SO much information out there; it really is hard to know how to prioritize our efforts. I know we’re not doing it perfectly but hopefully we’re not being completely irresponsible.
Feel free to check out all the posts in my Ask the Housewife series, and if you have questions you want to ask, you can add them to this post.
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Interesting subject! I hadn’t thought about it, but I guess I’m a little more conscientious about cleaning than I am about food. Maybe. Ever since I started making my own soap (which I LOVE), I don’t buy bar soap at all. Period. I use my own exclusively, and it’s wonderful to know exactly what’s in it. It’s so much more moisturizing and never dries out my skin. So — making your own is a great option, if you enjoy it. I also make my own laundry detergent, but I use ingredients I buy at WalMart (Fels-naptha soap, for instance). Is that an improvement, chemicallly? I don’t know. I’m sure I’m eliminating some chemicals by only using fels-naptha, borox and washing soda. However … I still buy Lysol and Dawn, and shampoo and toilet cleaner. I wonder: is it perhaps healthier to be a housewife who does NOT clean so often or so assiduously? Leave a bit of dirt around, but don’t expose my family to so many chemicals?
Oooh, great minds think alike, Jo-Lynne because our post today on USA Love List as also about green cleaners – but the original cleaners that have been around cleaning naturally forever (and are also made in the USA, by the way) such as baking soda, borax, vinegar, and Murphy’s Oil Soap. Our green living editor Tracey Hanson included some good tips on how she uses each of these. http://www.usalovelist.com/2012/07/green-cleaning-products-made-in-USA.html Being all-natural is not one of my priorities, but I like the idea of sticking with these tried and true products as much as possible.
Personally, I am crazy about the Method laundry soap because I like the small bottle and pump dispenser. The two guys who founded Method are childhood friends. They’ve said that their lawyers won’t let them say that you could drink their cleaning fluids, but you pretty much can. They used to have ads showing a cut flower in the cleaner and it was real.
There is a site I like called GreenCupboards.com that has sells all kinds of “green” products. They have identified something like 16 different “Eco-traits” that you can search by. Not every product can be everything to everyone, so this lets you search by the issues you care about, whether it is “non-GMO” or “fair trade” or “gluten free” or “made in USA”. I think that’s a pretty cool way to shop for the basics and I hope it catches on with other retailers too.
Ok, thanks for sidetracking my morning… now I’ll be thinking of this all day!
That is so cool about Method! I agree, I love their pump dispenser so much!!! I really do want to use some of the more traditional cleaning products more. I need to be more intentional about figure it out, and also getting my housekeeper to use them.
I love this!! My family wants to start eating better and more healthy but when trying to eat natural or organic it can be. So. Over. Whelming. Honestly I don’t even know where to start sometimes except to just try to cut the packaged snacks and get the kids to eat more fresh fruit. But I do use my own homemade cleaners. I have an all purpose cleaner (lemon juice, vinegar, water), a glass cleaner (alcohol, corn starch, and water), and a bathroom cleaner (water, borax & vinegar), but I do buy Clorox toilet cleaner. I haven’t ever had these not work well. They are super cheap too!!
I’m somewhat inconsistent with my cleaning and beauty products as well. I use Method Laundry Detergent and I’m still trying different dishwashing detergents. I found a “recipe” a few years ago in Sofie Uliano’s book, “Gorgeously Green” for an all-purpose cleaner. It contains vinegar, castile soap, hydrogen peroxide and essential oils. It is so easy and inexpensive and I love it. It makes my granite countertops shine and is a great disinfectant for the bathroom–it even cuts mold in the shower. I love using lavender and tea tree oil. I feel that it’s a great, safe antibacterial, anti-viral, and anti-fungal cleaner.
As for beauty products, I’ve sort of treated them like I treated switching to real food–the first thing I gave up was high-fuctose corn syrup. With beauty products, I try to stay away from parabens. Many make-up companies are jumping on that bandwagon and between Sephora and Ulta, I can find plenty of wonderful products. I love the Tarte line. My skin has never had a reaction to them and the quality of the pigments is outstanding. Shampoos, same thing…no parabens or Sodium Laurel Sulfates. Plenty of options. I have curly/fizzy hair that I color and straighten. Unfortunately, it takes chemicals to do that and do it well. Hair color and deodorant/anti-perspirant will be the last things to go on my natural journey because I’m gray and I sweat…a lot.
I’d love any suggestions anyone has found on the anti-perspirant front because I don’t like the idea of filling my body with aluminum and whatever else keeps the sweat at bay.
One thing I’d like to find is a natural deodorant that works. I’ve not been happy with anything I’ve tried over the years, but cringe everyday when I use regular stuff that’s full of aluminum! Would love some suggestions for that:)
I hear this Denise. I need a deodorant and antiperspect and the natural stuff never works.
I’m a big fan of Method, Seventh Gen, and Mrs. Meyers but we are moving and so I have to get this house CLEAN and I’m buying any and everything that will help me do that. I think for everyday use I prefer using earth-friendly products. I also tend to prefer their design/look and smell. But for tough jobs, I’ve found sometimes you just have to reach for the chemicals!
Steph
A few months ago I found Mealeuca products. They are awesome. They are all plant based, and natural and best of all they work. I have tried 7th Generation and Trader’s Joes and their stuff is awful. the Melaleuca products work amazing – they have been around since the 70′s. We now use their kitchen cleaner, bathroom cleaner, dish soap, dishwasher detergent and more. They even have hair care products and my hair has never been nicer. I know this sounds like an ad but it is true – and their stuff is cheaper too.
https://www.melaleuca.com/
Now I am ready to do my breakfast, once having my breakfast coming over again to read more
news.
Other than homemade laundry detergent and all purpose cleaner, I still use whatever works best for other products (windex/dishwasher detergent). Maybe someday I’ll be more careful with what’s in my products…but the cost difference is just unreal. And I tried the “no-pooh” hair method….horrible experience. I just need my store bought shampoo, plus I color my hair regularly.
I have graduated to using mainly a vinegar cleaning solution for most household cleaning. I added lavender oil to try to cut the smell, but I’m not sure it has really helped or we have just gotten used to the smell! I use completely traditional makeup–Mary Kay and Cover Girl. I use Suave shampoo. I don’t have the energy or the money to do otherwise right now.
I just stumbled upon this sight today looking for a good whole grain bread recipe. I will be trying Jo Lynne’s today.
About cleaning products, I pretty much use exclusively natural homemade cleaners. HONESTLY LADIES, it’s really CHEAP and EASY! All you need are vinegar, baking soda, washing soda, hydrogen peroxide, borax, and some kind of natural soap like Dr. Bronners. I have a lot of wood in my house so I also use Murphey’s oilsoap.
Here are some tips to get you started:
Borax is a disinfectant and a great toilet bowl cleaner. Pour half a cup in the toilet at night or before you leave for a few hours (you want it to sit), swish it around and it really helps with stains and freshens.
Nothing beats vinegar and water for deoderizing. Use it on stinky sponges, to clean tupperware, and hardwood floors.
Hyrogen peroxide in a squirt bottle is a great disinfectant to use on toilets. It bubbles in all the nooks and crannies that are hard to get to and flushes them out.
Borax, washing soda, and baking soda are wonderful grease cutters and abrasives. I use them for scrubbing the shower and cleaning the oven.
Homemade Oxyclean is just Hydrogen peroxide and baking soda.
Sometimes natural cleaners take a little longer, or a little more elbow grease, but you can rest assured that they are safe for you, your kids, and pets.
One last note, I was talking to a couple of my friends about this issue the other day. Both had sisters with breast cancer, and in both of their breast samples they found traces of the chemicals used in laundry dtergent. Think about it, Tide doesn’t just go away in the rinse cycle, it stays on your clothes, and then is on your skin all day, everyday. Switch now.
Sara, just wondering what “washing soda” is? Assuming something different than baking soda, but I’m not familiar with that term or do you just mean seltzer water? Oh and is the Homemade Oyclean for laundry? I usually use Arm & Hammer, so I don’t really pay attention to other brands…but also have heard the same thing in regard to breast tissue with deodorants as well…so worth looking into alternatives!
All great info, thanks so much! And very frightening about the breast cancer / laundry chemicals link. I wonder why we don’t hear more about that – and if any studies have been done. Guess I need to go to Google!
I’m right there with ya!