There is so much information all over the internet on how bad the chemicals are in our home products.  Most of us are realizing we need to make a transition to safe more natural products.  This article is supposed to be the first step in making that transition by giving you push in the right direction.  Having an Organic Cleaning Company, many of my clients began asking me how to go green or non-toxic so their home is healthier.  As I began doing research I found there is a lot of information on going green but no one really lays out a clear plan for quickly and easily transitioning your home.  What I was hearing from individuals working to make a transition is that they become over-welled with information and then find themselves giving up on the process.  So my goal became to guide you with a plan that walks you though an easy transition into a healthier lifestyle and I hope this nudges you in the right direction.

Understanding why it’s important to transition to safe natural products is the first step to detoxifying your home.  This will give you the knowledge to motivate yourself into and through this process.  These reasons range from heath concerns, to saving the environment, to de-cluttering and giving you a more serein space to live.  In this article, I am presenting a new term that incorporates all of these reasons into one thought “The Health of the Home”.  The Health of the Home refers to keeping our home healthy from the toxins, bacteria, viruses, molds, etc. which abound in our world.  This is important because the health of your home is directly affecting the health of you and your family.

I live in Los Angeles which has the worst outdoor air quality in the United States while the EPA states that indoor air quality is 2 to 5 times worse than the outdoor air quality.  For too long we have ignored this and many recent studies are showing the detriment an Unhealthy Home has on our personal health.  So I suggest a transition to natural personal products is the first step to improving your health and the overall health of your home.

Are we aware of the chemicals found in our home products we use every day and what is in them?  We are not!  And there lies the problem for instance the EPA has simply left it up to companies to do voluntary testing on the chemicals they use in cleaning products.  So that leaves us with only 7% of chemicals used in these products having had basic testing for toxicity done on them. (https://www.today.com/health/dirty-truth-about-cleaning-products-wbna26903507)

Most common household items such as personal products, cleaners, detergent, auto supplies and paint contain dangerous chemicals but because of the lack of testing we are not even sure which chemicals are really bad for us or what products those contain which chemicals. There are dangerous or potentially dangerous chemicals that can be found in every room of your home.  If we don’t make transitions from the products we keep and use in our home, the Health of our Home will continue to deteriorate.

There is a growing amount of evidence of environmental toxins being a causation for many diseases and disorders in US.   In my opinion our products are not well regulated and that allows for all kinds of toxins to be used.  There are also several ways toxic chemicals can be put in our products via government loop holes.  One is through the term ”Fragrance” which will allow up to 1% of a chemical to be used and no further information or labeling is required.

We only know a small percentage of chemicals have had testing to determine toxicity but what do toxins do to us.  To begin with toxins damage enzymes and thus undermine countless bodily functions.  Enzymes create chemical reactions that keep the different systems in the body working.  These chemical reactions are catalysts to the body’s mechanisms of operation like breathing, fighting and destroying toxins, building muscle, the production of hemoglobin in the blood, breaking down food particles for digestion, keeping organs healthy and functioning just to name a few important ones.  The poisoning of enzymes effect the function of organs but toxins can also cause damage to the organs themselves.  This can effect the organs ability to work properly. 

Toxins also displace structural minerals resulting in weaker bones this is believed to be a major reason the disease of Osteoporosis is skyrocketing among seniors in the United States.  Another major concern for older individuals is damage to DNA increasing rate of aging and degeneration of the body.  Even with all our modern medical advancements if the body ages faster more physical ailments beset the body. 

Along with this, toxins modify gene expression causing a host of physical problems from birth defects to numerous types of cancers.  There is also damage to cell membranes so they don’t respond properly and toxins interfere with hormones causing imbalances.  Finally, toxins impair your ability to detoxify leading to sensitivities, allergies, cancer, birth defects, as well as other health issues.

Now with all this effecting our bodies, there is no government agency that really overlooks and documents the causation of people getting sick from household products.  Since chemicals are not well regulated in homes, we can however look at OSHA studies on chemicals in the work place.  They estimate that chemicals in the US cause more than 190,000 illnesses and 50,000 deaths suffered annually by workers.  (This number is derived using the methodology from “Green Chemistry in California: A Framework for Leadership in Chemicals Policy and Innovation, to estimate illness and deaths attributable to workplace chemical exposures.)  Yet many of these same chemicals are in the products we have in our homes.

As I do research, I keep running into the term Clean Beauty and I really like this term because we use so many products on our skin and never think what are in these products.  Clean Beauty to me then means using products that have no harmful toxins in them leaving more toxin free.  I personally have had problems with my skin since I was a kid.  Anything I put on my body lotions sunscreens, even most gentle face cleansers ends up breaking out my skin in one way or another.  I finally started using natural products and I have had less issues in the last year than ever in my life. 

One person asked if you wouldn’t eat it why would you put it on your skin.  Yet as much as 90% of beauty products, contain some type of petroleum additive.  We would never consider drinking a can of oil yet we rub it on our skin every day.  Going back to organs…skin is considered the largest organ in the body and anything you put on your skin will affect it.  To top that off 60% of chemicals applied topically on the skin can enter the bloodstream and travel through your entire body. 

Now as you’re thinking about some of this it’s scary and you want to know what to do and how to transition to natural products.  The good thing is the chemistry and research used to develop nontoxic products is growing and evolving in all areas of personal products.  We now have options and it makes it so much easier today.  I have one client who is now in her late 70s but in her 30s suffered from skin cancer and realized she need to transition to natural products.  At that time very few products existed, she had to do the research and develop her own personal products from toothpaste to makeup.  Today we can go and buy safe natural products.

Ultimately with this article, I am hoping to sway you to making a change.  I am hoping a bit of data presented here might twist your arm and push your motivation toward finally transitioning to healthier way of life.  We all want a better healthier life and making a transition with your personal products is a great way to start.