I am trying to eliminate chemicals in our home. I clean with vinegar and baking soda, often use vinegar in place of fabric softener, and try to use organic body cleansers. Any other suggestions for eliminating and reducing the chemicals my family comes in contact with on a daily basis? Specifically - what do you use instead of dryer sheets? I notice I cannot stand the clothes after they dry without one! Any other chemical free suggestions are appreciated!
Thanks so far! We do not use antibacterial soap - I try to do the laureth sulfate free (and all its derivatives!). It is really hard to find one that is truly organic, however. I do like the burts bees line, I just wonder how much better they are than other regular store brands. I have tried researching burts bees and I don't find anything negative.
Dryer sheets are toxic, will give you cancer. I either use nothing in the dryer, or I may use those plastic dryer balls - just throw them in, and they do what a dryer sheet would do, without any chemicals.
They look something like this:
http://www.amazon.com/As-Seen-On-TV-Dryer/dp/B000BOBM8O
get rid of antibacterial soaps.
****EDIT: for 'soaps" try "Kirk's Original Coco Castile" soap.
It is void of chemicals and lye and just 100% "pure botanical coconut oil soap."
The ingredients list is:
coconut soap, coconut oil, vegetable glycerin, natural fragrance.
It has no animal by-products, or synthetic detergents, and is natural and hypoallergenic.
I use it and like it. For my face and body.
I just got it from my local CVS store.
It only cost a little over $1.00 for a bar.
You can also Google search it and read about it.
It is 'vegetarian.'
To second S.H. - Antibacterial soaps are a menace. But it doesn't sound like you use them.
I sell non-toxic cleaners, including dryer sheets. Contact me and I'll send you a link. I also can offer the name of a book that will help you:
Green Goes with Everything by Sloan Barnett - it will help you with everything from buying furniture to low VOC paint.
I can also recommend other products for clean water, shampoo, skincare, even diaper cream!
We use Melaleuca products. Glad to have the toxins out of our homes.
Good for you, S.! There are several brands of fabric softener that are free of the horrible toxic ingredients that's found in most commercial brands. See which ones, plus a recipe for home-made softener using hair conditioner (this is what I use for those particular items that I want softened). http://www.sustainlane.com/reviews/homemade-fabric-soften...
I also like borax for wiping down bathroom areas where mold is most likely to grow. Let some dry on the wall to keep nasties away for months. It's a lung irritant and mildly toxic, so avoid breathing the dust.
Chlorine-free bleach (concentrated hydrogen peroxide) is an excellent surface wipe during cold season. Wear a rubber glove or you'll 'burn' white patches into your skin, and it can feel hot.
Hi S.,
Look into a water filtration system. Fluoride/Chlorine in your water as well as the pharmaceuticals that are in abundance in our water supply come into your home and mix with anything you are using and create more chemicals. Contraindications occur when we don't even think we are using chemicals. Obviously one of the most important things are your laundry products because you wrap your body in whatever you wash and soften your clothes with. That absorbs into the skin and goes directly into the bloodstream and ultimately the brain.
Just as a side note, Burt's Bees is now owned by Clorox and I remember researching a few years ago when the "lead in lipstick" scare was going around that Burt's Bees chapstick did contain lead prior to the buyout. It's probably one of the better, well known line of products out there. None are perfect. I use a line of products that the laundry detergent is so good and leaves no residue so a softener is never needed.
S.,
I use the same products as Patty W. Besides the dryer sheets, they have a full line of laundry, cleaning and personal care products, as well as water purifiers that are superior to everything else on the market.
Other things to keep in mind are to use glass containers for food--never heat something in the microwave in plastic. No nonstick cookware either.
Consider organic and natural solutions for your lawn and yard care. It is hard ecause sometimes, chemicals seem to really be all that work, but there are products that are more envioronmentally freindly. There are lawn services too. We used one for about 5 years, but had to stop because of the cost.
I use a lot of Burt's Bees products. I starte dusing the lien becaus ei wante dchemical based sunscreen - and slect ones that rely on barrier sunscreens with zinc or titanium oxide and not the kind that are absorbed by the skin. But I have come to love all their stuff.
We use vinegar in our laundry; it keeps the towels super soft and odor-free. And, believe it or not, your clothes do not smell like vinegar! :)
Laundry detergents have some of the worst chemicals in them, including fiberglass! I work with a company that retails a technology that actually uses no soap and only cold water to wash your clothes through basically adding oxygen to the water. And so the clothes come out cleaner, with no fading, and your towels are fluffier, because there are no chemicals (from laundry detergents). And the clothes come out clean, trust me, my son is potty training- it works!! I swear by this machine, it is the best invention ever. Even my babysitter who thought I was crazy when I first showed her how to do laundry at our house, she loves it too. And to top it off, I save money by not having to buy laundry detergent and I never use hot water to wash my clothes.
