Choosing Safer Cleaning Methods for Your Home

If you check out the cleaning supplies aisle in any grocery store, you’ll see that the shelves are filled with products designed for every cleaning purpose under the sun. From cleaning the floor to polishing the furniture to doing the laundry, you can find something intended for every job.

House Of Horrors (Photo credit: BrittneyBush)

But the chemicals in these products carry labels warning of everything from harmful vapors, to skin irritants and more. It’s a fact that cleaners with chemicals in them are dangerous to you and your family’s well being, by releasing their fumes and toxins into your home.

You can smell the scent of these chemicals in the air immediately upon entering the cleaning aisle - even though they are all still in sealed containers - and after you’ve used them in your home. When you clean your baby or toddler’s high chair tray or his toys with a chemical cleaner, those toxins are there where he eats and on the toys he sticks in his mouth.

However, there are effective, safer alternatives to dangerous chemical-laced products. You can use organic, natural products and have a home that smells great, shines with cleanliness and is toxin-free.

Look for organic cleaners that are all-purpose cleaners so that you can use them in the kitchen and in the bathroom, too. If you have a baby or toddler at home and need to clean the toys or baby’s highchair, there are organic cleaners that are non-toxic, don’t have an odor and will get your child’s playthings clean.

Cleaning (Photo credit: go_greener_oz)

You can get concentrated, organic cleaning products that can clean your home from top to bottom. These cleaners aren’t toxic, so they’re safer to use and they are also biodegradable. Plus, these organic cleaners aren’t tested on lab animals, either. Cleaners using Birch bark extract and relaxing scents not only clean your home but give it a fresh, natural clean smell, too.

You can even make some of these safer cleaning solutions for your home yourself, but if you’re like most of us, time isn’t something you have a lot of and you need the convenience of purchasing organic cleaners. For example, it’s easier and less expensive to buy organic toothpaste to clean any tarnished silver than it is to make your own silver cleaner.

The same goes for dish cleaning soap, you can buy an organic, non-toxic foaming dish soap that’s concentrated so it lasts and it’s safe to use on any dish as well as baby items. To wipe down kitchen counters, you can use a glass and surface cleaner that’s biodegradable.

There’s no end to the amount of safe and eco-friendly products you can use to get your home clean. You won’t have to sacrifice quality or appeal in the form of scents, either. Organic cleaners are no longer a rarity. They’re now mainstream because more people have learned about the dangers of chemicals in cleaning products, and are taking steps to protect their family and environment from pollutants.

You can find lots of suggestions for natural and safe household cleaning products on our website at: http://www.newholisticliving.com/recommended-products-for-detox--green-living.html

Video - 10 Tips for Choosing Natural Beauty Products

Here is a pretty cool video. I've covered some of these tips in previous posts, but it's nice to have them all here in a video for you. Also I am very excited to announce that I am planning the launch of a new natural beauty product review site, where you can find all kinds of information on natural beauty products, including ingredients, independent ratings, customer reviews, and more - all in one spot!  It's a big project, but I'm very excited about it, and will let you know when it is live, although it will be ongoing for some time.

Stay tuned - and in the meantime, check out this helpful video!

10 Tips on Choosing Natural Beauty Products
The average adult is exposed to over 168 synthetic chemicals each day from cosmetic products. Many of these are toxic and can cause serious health problems. Choosing natural products are a great choice for both the environment and your skin. glamolog...


For more information, and some suggestions for TRULY 100% natural beauty products, check out http://www.newholisticliving.com/toxicload.html.

"Natural" Cosmetics & Skincare

In the cosmetics world, the word "natural" can have a couple of different meanings, and both can sometimes be deceptive. There are so many different professional models that are often said to have "the natural look." This means that they appear to look the way they do "naturally," without a lot of added makeup. But it is no secret that these models are working with makeup artists behind the scenes and are done up to look as thought they are perfect even when they get out of bed in the morning. (Of course, this doesn't stop us from buying lots of cosmetics to try and look like them!)

Image via Wikipedia

However, "natural" these days also means something else. It is a word that we associate with fresh, safe and organic types of products. This is what everyone wants in today’s world because we are trying to focus on the environment and becoming healthier, and many make up companies have lines that include natural products.

This “natural” makeup is considered to be safe. But is it? If you are reading the label on the back of your “natural” face wash or “natural” toner, you may see a lot of different chemical type words that you cannot pronounce. Natural does NOT always mean natural these days so you have to be careful when you are purchasing these types of products. This is especially true for products that are marked as natural, as they are sometimes more expensive than other cosmetics.

Image via Wikipedia

The problem is with regulating the laws involved in manufacturing cosmetics. “Natural” is a word that can be used by companies with just a little bit of truth involved. Natural products will have natural elements. The lipstick that you buy may contain some plants that were grown organically (that is, without the use of chemicals). The advertisements put this fact on the package, but ignore the fact that the organic plants are then mixed up in the lab and combined with a number of synthetic or man made ingredients.

How can you tell if a product is really natural? This is easier than you would think. Turn the box over and look. There are thousands of synthetic ingredients that are used in makeup all the time, and these are actually not hard to recognize. By finding truly natural products we can be sure that we are taking good care of our skin. If your product contains fragrance, sodium lauryl sulfate, sodium hydroxide, talc, or products that you cannot even say, you should not believe that it is natural. (Visit our previous post on reading natural product labels, for some more helpful info on this.)

If you have questions, feel free to email us, or visit our website for a lot more information on good and all-natural skincare and cosmetics (we will also share a great resource with you on Friday, for finding these products quickly and easily, and comparing them to similar products to find the very best one for your health and budget, so be sure to check back!).

Natural Skin Care News and Ideas

As a follow up to last week's topic of natural skin care, here are a few resources to help you learn more abotut taking care of your skin in a natural and non-toxic way.


Learn 4 Ways to Find Natural Anti Aging Skin Care Products ...
Lately, it seems everyone is searching the market for the best anti aging natural skin care products. I know I have been, and it is because I am tired of chemically induced cures that leave my skin feeling raw, burnt, sensitive, ...
Publish Date: 11/21/2010 14:04
http://www.new-entertainment.net/beauty-tips/learn-4-ways-to-find-natural-anti-aging-skin-care-products/

She Reality » Blog Archive » Natural Skincare Products You'll Love
If you're concerned about what kinds of chemicals you put on your face, these natural skincare products are just what you've been looking for. No matter what your skin concern, there's a natural product that will work for you. ...
Publish Date: 04/20/2010 10:00
http://shereality.com/natural-skincare-products-youll-love/

5 Most Effective Natural Organic Skin Care Tips | Skin Organic
Natural organic skin care is quickly gaining in popularity because of its effectiveness. It is not only easy to follow since many natural skin care recipes can be easily prepared at home, but it is also effective in the sense that it ...
Publish Date: 11/21/2010 0:34
http://skinorganic.mildblog.co.cc/5-most-effective-natural-organic-skin-care-tips/