Tips to Reduce the Toxins in Your Home

Common household products, which most folks use every day, are positively chock-full of toxic compounds. And these products, in my experience, can lead to some troublesome, if not fairly serious health issues.

First of all, a disclaimer: I’m not a chemist, or a scientist. I have not done any scientific testing or double-blind studies, on myself or anyone else! I’m only sharing my own hard-won insights.

Although I have long liked to believe I live a “natural, organic” lifestyle, it wasn’t 100%. Not by a long shot.

For many years, I used that powerful blue dish detergent we all know all over my house. In fact, I used it for everything: washing dishes, countertop scrubbing, hand-laundering delicates, and bathroom-cleaning.

And it was my go-to for washing my hands too.

After digging in the garden soil, or caring for the chickens and their coop, I washed my hands with the Blue Stuff. Often several times a day.

Used on Fishing Boats?

Way back, I’d heard commercial fishermen and fisherwomen used it to scrub down the decks of their fishing boats—and I used to think it was funny! That if the Blue Stuff was effective for washing down fish slime, it would sure get my hands clean enough to prepare food—even after dealing with chicken manure.

Then a few months ago, I had an epiphany.

Finally, finally, I connected the dots between my daily exposure to the blue liquid and my own chronic health problems. Looking back, I have to wonder, what was I thinking?

 I immediately stopped hand washing with the Blue Wonder and saw immediate improvement. But I discovered that when I used it even wearing gloves and a mask, it still created a reaction! The Blue Stuff had to be gone from my house.

I also realized I’d been also reacting to spray cleaners, common liquid hand soaps and laundry detergents.

Problem: for those of you who have read my two Little Farm memoirs, you know I’m sort of a germophobe. Okay, not sort of, I am a germophobe. Hand sanitizer was my pal. And I loved a squeaky clean kitchen!

And if you read some of the housekeeping/lifestyle magazines, they’re stuffed with articles about the scary germs and pathogens in your kitchen.

In fact, I’ve read in more than a few places your kitchen sink can have more germs in it than your toilet!!

So how would I keep my hands, and my kitchen clean? Without delay, I went to my local co-op grocery, purchased a slew of all-natural brands of cleaners and detergents and put them to use. Sure, they didn’t make lots of bubbles, and you couldn’t get the squeaky clean result, but what a plus: I was sure the natural brands would eliminate my symptoms.

Is "All-Natural" Really Natural?

Second Problem: I still had a negative reaction to the all-natural detergent brands as much as the conventional ones!

Okay, time to go to the next step: homemade. I researched making your own cleaners, and I was on board! Back I went to the Co-op to buy the “all natural” main ingredient soap concentrate. I followed the recipe that included vinegar, salt and warm water, and this cleaner worked great!

But I still had the same reaction! I had to go completely cold turkey.

No hand sanitizer. No cleaners. No detergents.

This morning, I had my second epiphany. With just a brief Googling session, I learned both conventional and “all natural” cleaners and detergents are full of toxic chemicals:

*Endocrine disrupters that mess with your hormone systems;

*Compounds in dish detergents that can damage your gut health;

*Formaldehyde and carcinogens, even in the “safest” products, and, to top it off;

*Surfactants, which are in almost everything! Surfactants create lots of foam and lather—but were originally developed as a garage floor degreaser!

And I’m just skimming the surface of the poisons most of us utilize every day.

These last months, with eliminating just about all the common household chemicals, I’ve had to “clean” my house in a whole new way. Which actually means I’ve also had to be okay with “sort of” clean.

I still use a natural, scent-free laundry detergent and liquid dishwashing detergent. But while I pour them out, I have to wear a mask, and open the nearest window for fresh air.

The “real” all natural cleaners!

For all other cleaning, even washing dishes, I use: 

*White vinegar

*Baking soda

*Super gentle bar soap, and 

*Bon Ami, which is mostly limestone, for the bathroom.

*Or a combination of some or all of them! 

I’m happy to say that these days, being super careful, my health is nearly 100% improved. 

It’s ironic, that long before I realized what was causing my adverse health issues, I’d read something interesting about hand washing.

Giving your hands a good wash doesn’t kill the germs on your skin. The soap simply sort of captures the germs, which the water rinses away.

So I feel kinda stupid. Well, really stupid.

Here I was, scrubbing away with the Blue Miracle detergent, when I knew the experts had already determined that washing with plain soap, even the most gentle bar soap, is just as effective.

Since I went cold turkey, sticking to my natural bar soap after digging in the dirt or cleaning up after chickens, I’ve never gotten sick. So good ol’ soap and water really does take care of any harmful germs.

As usual, I always seem to learn stuff the hard way!