Cleaning Up the Environment Begins in Your Home

Are you the person who says, “I’m concerned about the environment?” If you are, then let me ask, “are you really conscious about the products you use in your home environment and on your body?”

If you were to assemble all of the products you have purchased to clean your home, your laundry, your dishes, your floors, your counters, your windows, your bathrooms, and all your other stuff – how many products would you have? Count them. Are any of these products environmentally safe? Are they biodegradable? Are they non-toxic? Are they made with no cruelty to animals? Are they packaged in recyclable containers? Most likely they are not. Yet, if you say you are concerned about the environment, isn’t your most important environment right inside your home?

If your products are toxic and harmful, you are hurting yourself, your family, and the environment. Many of these chemicals pollute the air you breathe. Our homes are filled with odors, chemical vapors from your cleaning products, dust, mold, bacteria, dust mites, pollen, pet dander, and other impurities. Many of these toxic products are absorbed by the skin when you wash your face or when you mop your floors or when you clean your bathrooms and countertops. Some of you with sensitive skin suffer some type of irritation reaction when you wear clothing or sleep on bedding that has been washed in chemicals that are toxic.  And of course, you are dumping toxic waste into our water when you flush these chemicals down the drain (see our post on water).

If you say you are concerned about the environment, are you “walking your talk?”  How many products are you using before you get out of the bathroom in the morning? Do you use toothpaste, mouthwash, dental floss, bar soap, shampoo, conditioner, cleansing cream, facial toner, moisturizers, hand and body lotions, and deodorant? All of these products can be absorbed by the skin.

Are you limiting the amount of pesticides in your home? Infants and children may be especially sensitive to health risks posed by pesticides. Their internal organs are still developing and maturing. If their excretory system is not fully developed,  they may not be able to fully remove pesticides from their bodies. In 2000, there were 46,703 exposures to pesticides in children under age 6. There were 117, 063 exposures to cleaning substances.

So, if you haven’t really taken a conscious look at the hundreds of products you use every day, please do so for yourself, your family, and the earth. Taking care of the environment begins in the home. It begins with you.

If you want to read about other solutions to cleansing your home environment, click on this article: “Is your house making you sick?“