Creating a Natural Home

Happy Wednesday! I hope you are well! I am doing well. It has been busy and fun starting up in my office this month. I had some super big orders from my Earth Body and Love Etsy

store to catch up on and get ready to mail out! I have been seeing clients as well in my office. That has been so cool! I hope everyone likes my new salon/hippy home!

I thought I would talk about creating a more natural home tonight! For me, this has something I have done over the last 20 years or so, so don't get overwhelmed by this post. I am very passionate about this! Take one thing at a time and become more mindful of how bombarded we are with toxic exposures and how to really reduce those exposures.

First, fresh air! Open those doors and windows and get some fresh air circulating inside from time to time! For us, we purchased an Ecoquest purifier for our home, and I purchased one for my office as well. Here are some of the benefits of the Ecoquest: neutralizes smoke, various odors including chemical and cigarette smoke. It has a sanitation feature that is perfect against mold, microbes, viruses and majority of airborne germs. It destructs heavy pollen particles, dust, dirt flakes, pet dander, or any other irritants. I love it very much. I like that I can clean out the filters and I don't have to purchase anything extra for them. Check those filters for your air conditioning and heating unit as well, they can get pretty yucky! You can also purchase some plants that help clean the air, such as rubber plants, english ivy, snake plants, bamboo, peace lilies, boston ferns, bamboo palm, weeping fig, aloe vera and spider plants. These plants can get remove a variety of pollutants such as benzene, carbon monoxide, and formaldehyde. I am really getting into plants. Side note, I actually bought this tiny humidifier for one of my plants. Oh man, that's too much! Who am I?! Ha! Along with the air quality, it is good to watch the formaldehyde exposure as well, like when we purchase new furniture, carpeting, permanent press fabrics, and household cleaners. There are plenty of companies that do not put these chemicals into their products. It really is crazy to me that you have to search for them, this really should be a "normal", you know, being poisoned everywhere. Anyway, I won't rant too much about that.. I promise!

Abstain from dry cleaning. Many dry cleaners use perchloroethylene, a solvent that stays in your clothes and has a link to cancer. If you do dry clean your clothes, look for a place that is more "green" and air the clothes out, preferably outside of your home for a few days.

Reduce the chlorine exposure. Chlorine is suspected of damaging the immune system and contributing to degenerative diseases. It is also known to combine with other contaminants in water to form powerful cancer causing substances. Remember, our skin is our largest organ. It can absorb toxins by what we put on it. More than 75% of the U.S. water is contaminated with cancer causing hexavalent chromium. Up to 70% of U.S. water systems have glyphosate (Round-Up). Over 98% of U.S. water systems chlorinate their water. This also makes trihalomethanes (THMs). More than 74% of U.S. water systems are fluoridated. That is some scary facts about water. For us, we invested in a Propur water purification system. It filters our homes and my office. I liked this particular one because it addressed the fluoridation aspect of the water. The Propur removes up to 99.9% of the over 220 contaminants in our water. I will also add that I noticed the difference in the water the first time I took a shower. My hair and skin felt completely different. It is still a funny feeling to fill a cup up with water from the tap now! I am really really grateful we made this investment.

Avoid toxic furnishings. Try to use more natural materials instead of synthetics. Purchase wood furniture versus particle board or plastic. Choose metal or wood blinds or natural fabric curtains. For the bedroom, purchase pure cotton sheets. Avoid permanent press sheets, which are treated with formaldehyde. Choose pillows, comforters, and blankets that are made of down, wool or cotton. Use natural air fresheners and candles. Most conventional air fresheners simply mask unpleasant odors with strong chemical fragrances. Instead, use pure essential oils and herbs.

Keep the electrical pollution out of your bedroom. Get rid of any unnecessary electrical product in your bedroom. These include electric blankets, alarm clocks, personal computers, and televisions. The electromagnetic fields (EMFs) emitted from these appliances can disturb your sleep patterns and interfere with your health. They may even contribute to cancer. Instead of using an electrical alarm clock, use one that is battery operated or an old school wind up one. For many of us, we do have our phones in the room for whatever reason we have to do so, I purchased a SafeSleeve cover for my phone. The SafeSleeve can block over 99% of RF and 92% of ELF radiation. I also, will turn my phone to air plane mode when I go to bed and I close the case to my SafeSleeve. If I do scroll or read before bed I wear Blue Light blocking glasses to not expose myself to the blue light from my electronics. The blue light from devices can hold back the body's production of sleep inducing melatonin, create tired eyes, blurred vision, dry and irritated eyes, and again create those sleep issues. If you have sleeping issues, this is something really to look into. I got my glasses from Blokz by Zenni.

Using a natural vegetable wash for your produce. This will safely remove dirt, waxes, and some pesticides, herbicides, and fungicides commonly applied to produce, even organic ones. I do use the vegetable wash from Young Living.

In my kitchen I use Norwex dish soap, the Norwex cloths, Norwex sponges, Norwex dish washer soap and Young Living hand soap. I also use the Norwex mops for my house so I use them with just water. I purchased the Norwex rags and use them to clean our home, as well as the glass cleaner rags for the mirrors. I also get the Norwex laundry soap and the Norwex toilet brushes. I have a friend who is a Norwex rep.

I do make my own laundry soap from time to time, here is the recipe if you want that, its super simple and it lasts awhile. I store it in a big glass jar that has a little spout. I use 1/2 cup of washing soda. 1/2 cup of baking soda. 1/2 cup Norwex laundry soap, 1/4 Young Livings Thieves cleaner. 10 drops of Young Living Thieves essential oil. 10 drops of Lemon essential oil. I then fill the rest of the jar with distilled water. I use 1/2 cup per load.

Cookware made from aluminum or synthetic non stick surfaces can leach toxins into your foods. Instead use stainless steel, glass, porcelain, enamel-coated cast iron, natural clay, or cast iron cookware. I invested in Green Life pots, pans and utensils. I use a lot of glass in our kitchen. Mason jars. Copper cups. Glass storage containers.

That was a lot of information. I am sure there is more but my brain is tired. Ha. I hope some of this information finds you and helps on the clean living path. It is a daily journey with much to learn!

As always, feel free to comment. Let me know what your clean living tips are. I would love to hear them. Also, if you have any questions, feel free to ask them. Good night, I hope we all sleep well.

Much love,

~J