Healthy Living – Housekeeping Made Naturally Clean

Posted on by Face Naturals

Healthy Living – Housekeeping Made Naturally Clean

Keeping House Cleaning Chemical-Free!

When we do our part to keep our house clean, neat, and tidy, we expect to ensure a healthier living space for ourselves and our family. Chores such as mopping, sweeping, dusting, or doing the laundry offer a venue to keep all of our materials clean and germ-free. The smell of a nice, clean house is also a nice aftertouch. However, while we work hard to have a place for everything and everything in its place, the chemicals included in many of the most popular cleaning products could be cutting our lives shorter.

Many housecleaning products bear warning labels instructing users to keep away from children, avoid contact with eyes, mouth, or nose, and contact some type of emergency personnel should these guidelines be breached. But why should the products entrusted to help us keep a healthy, clean home have such a large potential for damaging our own bodies? Even after time has passed following a cleaning, these chemicals can linger in the air, meaning our families continue to inhale the vapors or remnants of the chemicals. What are these toxic, unhealthy ingredients that warrant warning labels? And are there better options that perform just as effectively?

 

Synthetically Sinister

So, how do you recognize whether a cleaning product is potentially toxic? By reading the ingredient list, of course! We provided some of the toxic house cleaning chemicals that taint your living spaces and the health of those who live with you. If you discover that one of your cleaning products contains any of these ingredients, you may want to toss it. Some of these ingredients prove harmful not only to humans, but also to the environment. We cannot practice healthy living if our environment contains the same pollutants we wish to rid our lives of. Just one more reason to ditch these deadly deviants.

Methylisothiazolinone is a chemical found in popular cleaners, including hardwood floor cleaning solutions. It performs as a disinfectant that fights off microbials and acts as a preservative for the product. It may be listed under the following names: MIT, kordek 50, zonen MT, or a variation on these terms. It has damaging effects if it comes into contact with the skin or is inhaled. It serves as a potential neurotoxin, especially when use of or exposure to it is chronic or consistent. Additionally, it has a damaging effect on the environment, toxifying sources of freshwater and killing off marine life.

Ethoxylated Alcohol is found in a number of different cleaning products, such as multipurpose and bathroom surface cleaners. It works to help break down difficult scum and grime left on tile surfaces. It may also be found in laundry and dish detergents. EWG rates it with a medium level of concern on the grounds of a potential irritant to the respiratory system and skin. It also may contribute to reproductive issues, act corrosive toward DNA, and fuel cancer growth. It also contributes to toxic effects on some types of water-dwelling animals, such as flathead minnows and other species of fish.

Ethanol, a form of alcohol, is an ingredient often used in disinfecting sprays or air freshening sprays. It has the potential to agitate the eyes, skin, and respiratory system, as well as affect the reproductive system, kidneys, liver, heart, and central nervous system. Studies performed on animals showed noticeable fetotoxicity and congenital birth defects when  the fetus was exposed prenatally.

2-Hexoxyethanol can be found in disinfecting wipes, and goes by a number of different names including cellosolve, ethylene glycol, or mixture of these names. It serves as a solvent and coalescing agent in cleaning products. This ingredient can have a slew of different negative effects on the human body, including severe irritation for skin, eyes, and the lungs. It can also affect the nervous system, toxify the reproductive system, and cause abnormal changes in the blood. Even worse? The skin can draw this toxin in through its pores, meaning that anytime it touches your skin, you are at risk of developing any of these conditions.

Ammonium hydroxide is the final culprit ingredient on our list. It made the Right to Know Hazardous Substance List, and was mentioned in a negative light by the Environmental Protection Agency. Used in many window cleaners, it is a concoction of simple ammonium and water. Commonly referred to as a corrosive chemical, it causes severe irritation to the throat, lungs, and nasal passages, as well as the eyes and skin. If you use a cleaner that contains this ingredient, beware as it chronic exposure may lead to bronchitis. It may also lead to the development of dermatitis or eczema.

 

Healthy, Healing Housekeeping

Believe it or not, there is no need for harsh chemicals in your housekeeping routine. Despite the fact that many marketing strategies depict products that contain these ingredients as the only products strong enough to tackle the buildup of dirt, grime, and germs, you actually do have a number of natural options that will neither contribute to toxifying yours or your family’s bodies, nor pollute the environment with chemicals that create devastating effects on our soil and waterways. Nature has its own way of keeping clean, and you can employ its powers in your own home too.

White distilled vinegar performs a number of different functions when it comes to house cleaning, without the fallout of toxins or synthetic chemicals floating around in the air. You can use it to remove stains from nearly any type of fabric, and sanitize floors and counter surfaces. You may either dilute it with hot water or use it neat. For mopping floors, simply mix one part white distilled vinegar with one part of hot water, and mop as you normally would. For stains on carpets, upholstery, and clothes, simply spritz a mix of hot water and vinegar onto the stained area, and allow it to sit. For clothes, put them through a normal wash and rinse cycle after treatment. For carpets and upholstery, use a carpet shampooer with only water in the dispenser to go over the stain. It should lift the stain right off of the fabric.

Olive oil and lemon juice serve as an excellent natural furniture polish. Simply mix two parts of olive oil with one part lemon juice in a squirt bottle. Make sure you use a squirt bottle as opposed to a spray bottle, as the spray bottle may not release enough of the mixture. Use one clean cloth to rub the furniture polish into the wood surfaces, and use another dry, clean cloth to clean up any excess left on the wood. The olive oil will properly condition and hydrate the wood, while the lemon juice will add a nice scent and keep the surface of the furniture clean. These ingredients will absorb into the furniture and leave a shining finish, without threatening your health.

House plants can provide a colorful, lively system for detoxifying the home all around. You can put one or two plants in each room, depending on the size of the room. The house plants will filter out any pollutants or toxins through their method of taking in gasses. Furthermore, house plants can often thrive on some of the gaseous substances that we find toxic. This method of filtering the air is actually studied and recommended by NASA itself. NASA recommends keeping one plant per one hundred square feet of your house to help ensure an improved air quality. If you have a green thumb and think this is a good air-filtering method for you, perform some research of your own about which plants will filter the best.

Baking soda can be employed as a deodorizer for carpets and rooms, and works as laundry and dish detergent. You can place an open box in a bathroom or other area that needs deodorizing, and leave it there for about a month. The baking soda will draw any odors from the air, and absorb them. You can also sprinkle it on carpets that need deodorizing, especially if you have pets or tend to track the outside world into your home. Leave it for twenty to thirty minutes before vacuuming the carpet as you typically would. Add it to your dishwasher or your dishwater to use as a dish detergent, and put some into your washing machine. It will function as a detergent, without the exposure to chemical elements that may harm your health.

Grapefruit seed extract mixed with water will help you take control of moldy situations. If you struggle with mold or mildew in your bathrooms, then add about twenty drops of grapefruit seed extract to two cups of water. Spritz any areas affected by these growths and allow it to dry naturally. Then, wipe down the area for cleaning. You can repeat this action every few weeks to keep the mold or mildew growth at bay.

For a finishing touch to your natural housekeeping finesse, spray some natural air freshener around the rooms of your house for a nice, crisp scent. Simply mix three to four drops of your favorite essential oils in one tablespoon of baking soda. Then, add this mixture to a small spray bottle of distilled water. Shake the ingredients inside of the bottle to mix them together, then spray it anywhere in your home for lightly scented refreshment that does not contaminate your breathing spaces with harmful chemicals. Plus, the cleansing properties of these ingredients will help eliminate some of the germs in the air.

 

Finding Your Own Healthy Lifestyle with Face Naturals

Keeping your home happy and healthy the natural way is a part of a continuing, growing lifestyle. It means maintaining healthy through plenty of raw foods and opting for organic options for meats. It also means ensuring that your skincare and house cleaning materials do not contain ingredients that put the health of your family in jeopardy with each use. That is why we write blogs to inform you about what ingredients to watch out for when making selections. It is also the driving reason behind our passion for creating safe, natural skincare made with organic botanicals. We can heal ourselves through nature’s cures, inside and out.

If you are interested in our skincare products, but are not sure where to begin, feel free to contact us. Provide us with some information about your skin, what you wish to accomplish, and which products interest you. A customer service representative will provide you with some product suggestions and guide you to a skincare routine that works best for your specific needs as an individual. We have numerous resources available on our website to help you make a suitable selection that heals and conditions your complexion to naturally beautiful perfection. Create an account with us for Reward Points, coupon codes, and regular blog updates. You can also follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Google Plus for beauty and health tips.

 

References

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