Removing unwanted chemicals from your home is one of the simplest things you can do to elevate your health! In this article, I will teach you 7 simple swaps you can make today for a healthier body and home!
First, let's chat about why this is important.
Cleaning products are not food, beverages, or drugs meant to be ingested, therefore they are not regulated by the Food and Drug Administration. Cleaning supply companies are only required to list chemicals of known concern’ on their labels. The problem is that most chemicals used in household cleaners are not tested and manufacturers aren’t required to test them, leaving consumers with the responsibility of researching the ingredients. The majority of consumers believe that if something is legally being sold, it must be safe, and this is just not true. Without proper testing there is no way to know which chemicals are harmful. Due to this, like many others, I went back to natural occurring, simple ingredients to remove toxins from my home and to protect the health and well-being of my family.
Most people’s homes are five times more polluted than the air outside according to the EPA. This is most often due to the cleaning products used for cleaning laundry, hygiene products, skin care products and even candles and air fresheners. In my post,
Aroma Essentials Kit | doTERRA's Newest Starter Kit, you can read more about the toxins produced from candles and other mainstream air fresheners.
While our bodies are designed to eliminate toxins, we are often exposed to more toxins than our bodies are equipped to handle at one time. The good news is with a few simple swaps you can decrease your toxic load. This is something that I am super passionate about, because of the experiences I had in my twenties of being on the verge of developing an autoimmune disorder.
During my own struggles I had an incredible functional medicine doctor teach me about the toxic load my body was taking on due to the things I was putting in and on my body which made it more difficult for my body to function optimally.
One of the things that I had to do to eliminate triggers for the symptoms I was experiencing was to detox the products I was using in my home, including the cleaning products I was using. Back then I didn’t have a lot of guidance on how to do that, so I am super excited and thankful that doTERRA has made it easier for people to begin making the switch from toxic products to safer alternatives. What I realized during my own journey is that I was not only feeling better as I switched to safe products, but I was also saving a ton of money. I learned that I could make my own cleaning products for pennies on the dollar.
In this article I will be discussing 7 simple swaps you can make in your home right now for elevated health. There are 7 areas of your home in which you can make swaps for toxin-free products. This can be done all at once or over several months, whatever fits your lifestyle.
1. Ditch the Candles
Ditch the candles and replace them with an essential oil diffuser. I know how many of us love our scented candles, especially during the fall and at Christmas time, but your candles are even more toxic than you think. Scented candles are especially toxic. Scented candles are a huge source of indoor air pollutants and they put off chemicals that are considers just as dangerous as SECOND-HAND SMOKE! Paraffin is a common ingredient in most candles. Paraffin is a petroleum waste product that needs to be deodorized and chemically bleached before it can be made into wax. Paraffin wax creates extremely toxic benzene and toluene when burned; benzene and toluene are known carcinogens. The toxins released from paraffin candles are the same as the toxins found in diesel fuel flames. Every time you light a paraffin wax candle you are doing the equivalent of burning diesel fuel flames in your house.
An essential oil diffuser will not only replace the aroma of your candles, but diffusing essential oils also has health benefits, can elevate your mood, and will clean the air in your home. If you love the glow of a candle, you can either get the battery-operated candles or you can get a diffuser that glows and will give off the same ambience of a candle.
2. Toss Out Toxic Household Cleaners
Making your own natural, green cleaning supplies is one of the simplest ways you can decrease toxicity within your home. You can make safer, more effective, and less expensive cleaners using essential oils and ingredients from your kitchen pantry.
If you want one cleaner to do it all I recommend the On Guard Cleaning Concentrate. This product can be used to clean counters, windows, sinks, toilets, floors, and everything in between.
If you are not a DIY person or would just prefer a simpler option to making your own household cleaners then you must try doTERRA’s Abode line. The Abode line was designed to keep your Abode, aka your home, clean without using harsh, toxic chemicals that could negatively impact the health of your family.
The Abode Concentrated Cleaner was designed to clean and sanitize everything. The Abode concentrate can be used to make an all-purpose spray. You add 1 part concentrate to 9 parts water in any glass container you like. You can use your own glass container to make this spray, or you can purchase doTERRA’s new frosted, amber glass containers. These containers are super cool because they have lines for where you fill up the concentrate to and then another line for where to add water to. The glass containers are also labeled with the product.
Primary Benefits
- Tough on grease and grime in the kitchen, bathroom, and other non-porous surfaces.
- Naturally effective with a plant-based formula that includes Thymol, widely known for its powerful cleansing properties.
- Free from phosphates, sulfates, phthalates, dyes, and chlorine.
- Formulated to provide a naturally fresh, citrus aroma using doTERRA Abode Refreshing Blend.
- Packaged in recyclable glass bottle.
The Abode Concentrated Cleaner can be used as your new bleach alternative and the On Guard Concentrated Cleaner can be used for everything. Both are great and you can use both in your home like I do or choose the one that best fits your needs.
Both cleaners mentioned above are safe to use around children and pets and they will not cause any type of respiratory concerns or a depressed immune system.
3. Fresh Air
We’ve already discussed using diffusers to make your home smell good and to clean the air in your home, but you can also make your own air fresheners. Check out the graphics below for some air freshener blend recipes.
4. Swap Out Toxic Hand Soap
Hand hygiene is something that is important for all of us. When I was working at the hospital my hands would get so dry and chapped. Many traditional hand soaps have antibacterial properties that actually kill the good bacteria along with the bad bacteria. doTERRA hand soap and hand sanitizer only focus on killing the bad bacteria and do not disturb the good flora on your hands.
doTERRA has the Abode Hand Wash, which is a foaming hand wash and comes in Citrus Bloom Scent. Eventually doTERRA will come out with limited edition scents in the hand wash, but right now they only have the Citrus Bloom scent. This hand soap is not going to dry out your hands.
Primary Benefits of Abode Foaming Hand Wash
- Contains natural surfactants and banana fruit extract to gently clean, condition, and moisturize skin.
- Creates a gentle, foaming wash, leaving hands clean, fresh, and soft.
- Features a plant-based cleansing formula infused with Citrus Bloom Springtime Blend and free from parabens, phthalates, dyes, and synthetic fragrances.
- Packaged in a recyclable aluminum container.
5. Ditch Your Toxic Laundry Products
Did you know the laundry room is the most toxic room in a traditional house? Dryer sheets contain harmful chemicals that stick to clothes, vent into the air, and rub off on your skin. These chemicals can mimic estrogen and trigger asthma. Laundry detergent contains many of the same chemicals that can irritate skin and cause respiratory issues.
doTERRA Abode Laundry Pods
These new laundry pods are convenient, and they dissolve quickly in your laundry. Your clothes will come out of the wash smell fresh and clean, but you won’t have to worry about synthetics or anything that will irritate the respiratory system.
doTERRA also has dryer balls now that can replace your dryer sheets. I like to add essential oils to my dryer balls and then pop them in with my clothes to dry, it helps my clothes come out smelling fresh and clean without all the synesthetic fragrances.
Primary Benefits of Abode Laundry Pods
- Tough on stains, leaving every load fresh, clean, and bright.
- Formulated to provide a naturally fresh, citrus aroma using doTERRA Abode Refreshing Blend.
- Packaged in a pouch made with PCR materials.
For spot treatment try using the On Guard Concentrate cleaner. Just squirt a bit on to the stain, rub it in, and throw it into the washer.
6.Switch Out Your Hand Sanitizer
Of course, we want to keep our hands clean on the go, but traditional hand sanitizer kills the good bacteria along with the bad, the same way that traditional hand soap does; this can lead to super bugs. Swap out your traditional hand sanitizer with doTERRA’s On Guard Hand Sanitizer. The On Guard Hand Sanitizer is not going to kill the good bacteria on your hands, it won’t dry your hands out, and it's safe for little ones to use. It can be used on shopping cart handles, airplane seats/trays, and anything in between.
7. Ditch Your Toxic Pest Repellant
Throw out your traditional mosquito/bug spray that is filled with Deet – yes Deet works, but it’s not great for your neurological system. Instead opt for doTERRA’s TerraShield, it is just as effective, if not more effective, than Deet. TerraShield comes in a spray application and an oil application. Both applications are already pre-diluted in sesame seed oil and ready to go. Spray a little bit on your exposed skin or on your clothes, if you have the oil application just add a few drops to your skin and rub in. A little goes a long way, so don’t feel like you must use a lot. There are 250 drops in the oil application, so this will last you a long time. TerraShield is safe for children, adults, and animals. doTERRA has a veterinary advisory board with practicing veterinarians and TerraShield has been shown to be safe to use on and around animals. Unlike many other bug sprays and insect repellants, TerraShield smells good.
Bonus Tip
Swap Your Toxic Skin Care Items
The products listed in this article are products that I find myself reordering each month on my Loyalty Rewards Program (LRP) order. I don’t need to order $100 worth of oils each month, but I do need to replenish cleaning and skin products. When you order using LRP you are not only getting oils for the best possible price, but you are also receiving a percentage of everything you spend back in product points that can be used towards the cost of future orders. One of the things I get free with my LRP points is my laundry detergent pods.
Enjoy the journey of switching to safer, alternative cleaning and skin care products. Remember, you don't have to do it all at once, you don't even have to follow all the steps, take what you need and leave the rest.
Running out of ideas for diffuser blends? Sign up to receive your free copy of, Top Ten Diffuser Recipes. Most likely you will already have most of the oils used in this eBook already in your home. Sign up below.
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