WOW this has been a hard, looooooooong winter. These last few days here in the Toronto area and outskirts, we have been privy to what appears to be the tardy beginning of spring and winter's final kiss.
At least I HOPE!
The temperatures have been all over the place making it really difficult trying to figure out what to wear. 21 degree Celsius one day and then down to 11 degrees the next. I have stored away our ice scrapers, snow shovels, winter coats, boots and gloves I am ready for Spring. BRING IT ON!!
This is the time of year when most of us start the annual ritual of Spring Cleaning. Cleaning and organizing the house from top to bottom and busting open all the windows after an extremely long and dreary winter. Literally getting rid of all the cobwebs.
Unfortunately, most of the products sold at the supermarket for cleaning our homes are extremely toxic to our health. Several studies have linked these products to various cancers, infertility and a whole host of dreadful diseases.
If you have been following my posts, you will know that I am in the final stages of my LEED AP studies. My specialty will be Homes. For a home to achieve LEED Certified status, up to 136 credits are distributed into eight categories, one being Indoor Environmental Quality and within this category is Indoor Air Quality. More specifically - reducing the creation and exposure to indoor air pollutants. My blog post Breathe Easy Interior Design 1 and II , talks to you about the health of your indoor air being compromised by non Eco friendly interior furnishings such as carpets, beds, paint, couches, and fabrics that off gas harmful chemicals into the air. Well, non Eco friendly chemicals that we use to clean our homes have the exact same effect.
I absolutely cringe every time I watch the commercial for a very popular air freshener and the person is spraying their home, bedding, couch and all furniture in the house to get rid of odour's. My first thought is, "don't they realize that they have just contaminated the air with chemicals and that their family are now breathing them into their lungs" and then my next thought is, "why does their house smell sooo bad that they feel they have to mask it?" How about the commercial for a popular aerosol disinfectant and again the person is spraying it all over the place like a maniac and most unbelievably onto the kitchen counters to get rid of germs. While gasping in disbelief I think about food being prepared on those counters absorbing all these chemicals. "Here can I interest you in a chemical sandwich? "Ewwwwwww, no thank you I think I will take a pass"!!!!! Yes, they are killing the germs and their families health as well.
If you look under my sink in my kitchen or my bathroom, you will not find any of these chemicals. I use these 3 simple natural products from my kitchen that are just as effective. By the way the added bonus is that they are ALOT less expensive.
Everyone has Baking Soda in their pantry right ?
Baking Soda is mildly abrasive and cleans pretty much everything. I use it on my counters (fantastic for red wine and coffee stains) my sink, to clean the tub, down the drain, the list is endless.
How about lemons? Most of us have lemons or lemon juice in our fridge.
The juice from this lovely yellow fruit can be used as an air freshener, helps cut grease, cleans wood cutting boards. I use it with baking soda to clean my stainless steel sink, bathroom sink; the list is endless.
White vinegar - another staple in everyones pantry.
Vinegar is a highly versatile cleaning product and can be used for unclogging drains, as a deodorizer, cutting grime on the top of the refrigerator, removing mineral deposits and buildup in a tea kettle or in the coffee maker, use full strength for killing germs in the bathroom. Yes, I am repeating myself for the third time - the list is endless.
One Eco friendly cleaning appliance that I use all the time is my steamer. I love my steamer.
All pictures - Courtesy of Google
This is not the brand I have but mine looks similar to this. You just add water, it heats up. When ready, the light will signal and you are ready to steam to your hearts content. I use this on grout, (Even though I am on a mission to eliminate all the grout in the world LOL) the toilet, to disinfect the floors, counter tops, on the bed and furniture to freshen and just about everywhere. Because the steam is extremely hot (not to the touch), steamers sanitize and disinfect any surface in your home and if anyone suffers from allergies, the steam vapour helps kill dust mites, molds, fungi and bacteria. Bonus!
And guess what??????? NO CHEMICALS AND HOW VERY GREEN
I hope that this very long blog post has inspired you to clear your home of these harmful cleaning products and introduce these natural, green products already in your home.
If you are curious and would like more information about the specific chemicals in your household cleaning and beauty products that you are currently using in your home, a wonderful resource is EWG - Environmental Working Group - "The nation’s most effective environmental health research and advocacy organization."
I guarantee, you will be alarmingly surprised!!
Soulier Design Studio specializes in Sustainability and Eco Friendly Design, Products and Lifestyle
Please visit us at http://www.soulierdesignstudio.com
