Did you know “nontoxic” was one word and not separated with a dash? It was news to me. But I digress. I want to talk to you today about the urgent need for you to switch over to nontoxic cleaning products and personal care items. Because I love you and want you to live forever.
There’s no way around this: our cleaning supplies are killing us. Aside from testing on animals (oftentimes doggies) our trusted home brands DO NOT care about us. There are basically no federal laws to test products for cancer-causing chemicals before they hit the market. There is also a “fragrance loophole” where brands don’t have to disclose or list what is actually in the “fragrance.” Recent studies have found that using mainstream cleaning sprays as little as once per week over a 20 year period may cause the same level of lung function decline you’d see in someone who smokes a pack of cigarettes/day for 10 years. READ THAT AGAIN. Toxic chemical protections and regulations as it pertains to what is in our everyday cleaning supplies haven’t been updated since the freaking ’80s, and nearly 300 pollutants/chemicals found in these products– many of which are linked to cancer, Parkinson’s, and more– have been found in the umbilical cords of newborns.
No one is looking out for us, apparently, so it is vital that we educate and look out for ourselves.
But how?
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Grove Collaborative.
No more toxic, regular old household products. I know, we love the clean-house smell of Pine Sol and all that, but ACTUALLY CLEAN = no scent. We’ve simply been conditioned to feel otherwise. Personally, for me, the easiest ways to make the switches are to go to a “one stop shop” for all the healthy alternatives that you need, so you can just knock all your nontoxic shopping out in one web session. For nontoxic cleaning supplies, I recommend Grove Collaborative. You can shop by category (“laundry”/ “dishes”/etc.). Heads up: Grove Collaborative only carries cruelty-free and non-toxic products, but does feature a couple of non-vegan items on there (such as wool dryer balls). For beauty/bath/body— from makeup to facewash to deodorant to sunscreen– I recommend Petit Vour. Everything on the site is organic, non-toxic, vegan, and cruelty-free. Keep in mind that whatever you put on your skin soaks into your bloodstream!
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EWG.
Get in the habit of checking EWG (Environmental Working Group) website. Save it to your phone’s and computer’s desktops. You can get the most accurate information there about pesticides on your produce, roundup in your cereal, toxins in your beauty and cleaning products, chemicals in your baby toys, and more. You can easily search by product/brand, as well, and it will rank the product anywhere from A-F, while providing a succinct explanation of the score. For instance, this is the information that pops up when I search for PineSol. You can see that it outlines what the risks are with this product, whether the brand tests on animals, and a list of healthier products recommended to use instead when you click on “search for a better general purpose cleaner.” And in another case, this is what would pop up if you searched Babyganics– a brand people THINK is safe to use on your baby because of the misleading brand name– and you would prevent yourself from making that mistake!
Love you guys!
I want everyone to be safe and healthy, and that requires a few moments of research and just taking control of your own purchasing choices. Hopefully you find this info helpful and empowering, and useful in making the switch to nontoxic cleaning products and personal care. XOXOXO
Molly