My house is my sanctuary. When most of the things outside are agonizing from the pandemic, I'm hoping to live in a clean and healthy indoor environment with my family. It's not easy finding healthy ways to sanitize my home. I'm talking about household cleaning supplies. These products are strong and are really effective in sanitizing every inch of my place. But do I know how much harmful chemicals I take in from using them everyday?
According to the
Organic Consumers Association, many household cleaning supplies affect a person's health in many ways. It can be immediate, such as eye or skin irritation. This is very common. Our skin is the first part of the body to have a close and physical contact to all things. Yes, we use protective gear, such as boots and gloves, but we can’t always control what’s going to happen in the activities we do. Let’s say, you’re cleaning the bathroom. While brushing the tiles, you get little splashes of water on your face, arms, and legs from whatever bathroom cleaner you’re using. They can get irritated, or worse, you can get chemical burns. With cleaners containing diethanolamine (DEA) and triethanolamine (TEA) and mixed with nitrites (these are often undisclosed preservatives), they affect the skin. For the eyes, not all people use goggles in cleaning the bathroom. When this happens, those little splashes of water can accidentally reach your eyes, or toxic fumes from the cleaning supplies you’re using may cause some burns.
Apart from the eyes and skin, inhalation and accidental ingestion of these chemicals can also cause a serious damage to our health. The laundry detergents and fabric softener with added fragrance can cause respiratory irritation, headache, and sneezing to those who are allergic. Corrosive chemicals are commonly found in drain, oven, and toilet bowl cleaning products. People who are suffering from asthma, lung, or heart problems should avoid using chlorine bleach and ammonia. When they are combined with other chemicals, they can cause lung-damaging gases.
The products that we’re using may claim to have diluted components or safe ingredients, but have you thought about the long-term effect of using them? Some of them may cause us to develop serious and severe illnesses. Another thing that alarms me is how the chemicals in our home cleaning supplies affect our hormones. These are called hormone disruptors. These "can interfere with the body's natural chemical messages, either by blocking or mimicking the actions of hormones," as per the
Organic Consumers Association. Some cleaners that are made with ethoxylated alcohols, such as 1,4-dioxane, are carcinogens. Others are neurotoxic and can damage the brain and the nervous system. Even some detergents have shown to mimic the hormone estrogen which has caused breast cancer cells to multiply.
With these hormone disruptors, our everyday life with our loved ones will surely change for the worse. More and more possible health issues arise such as "decreased sperm counts, increased rates of male birth defects such as cryptorchidism (undescended testicles) and hypospadias (where the urethra is on the underside of the penis), and increased rates of some kinds of cancers." These are among other issues discussed by the
Organic Consumers Association.
Here are some hidden toxins found in our cleaning products, a good read from
Experience L!fe:
Now that we know the toxic elements that we might experience in our daily routine, we can search for more toxin-free ways to sanitize our safe havens. The safest is always the organic way. Having essential oils as part of my everyday life has helped me a lot. They provide a sense of relief knowing that there’s still hope for a more healthy approach to things. I specifically trust doTERRA essential oils. They are truly natural and safe because they undergo the CPTG (Certified Pure Therapeutic Grade) testing process. They have purifying properties that leave your house, not only clean but also refreshed with the pleasant aroma.
DoTERRA offers easy
cleaning DIYs. Oils can be used all around the house, from cleaning the windows, countertops, toilet bowls, tubs and tiles, rinsing dishwashers, spraying stainless steel, removing stains, installing new air filters, polishing and dusting furniture, etc. It’ll be fun to create your own blend with everyday household ingredients like baking soda, vinegar, water, and essential oils. Here are some of the oils best for cleaning. For more information, click
here.
Here are DIY Cleaning Challenges you must try:
Cleaning the house is one of the great ways to stay healthy. Keeping the toxic cleaners out will keep your family and pets even healthier! doTERRA oils are the best decision I've ever made. A toxin-free house truly makes a happy home!