Are Your Household Cleaners Safe?

What common cleaning product is:

• Linked to reproductive harm
• can cause irritation and tissue damage from inhalation
• Exposure for 15 min while cleaning the shower, could inhale 3x the acute exposure limit
• Toxic to kidneys and liver
• exposure through the skin

This is not something that you would use if you knew that, right? Unfortunately, this IS a common household cleaning product -- Windex.

Is there an alternative? Absolutely - and it cleans better and is less expensive than Windex.


Basic H2® is all you need for thousands of household jobs

Ultra-concentrated – 16 ounces makes up to 48 gallons of super powerful cleaner when mixed with water.


Versatile and powerful cleaner – removes dirt, grease, and grime from any washable surface, inside and out. Dilute according to directions.


No rinse, no residue, streak-free formula

Protect your health - Go Green - click here for more information

Chemicals In Your Home Causing Weight Gain?

I've been reading the Body Restoration Plan by Dr. Paula Baillie-Hamilton. I highly recommend this book. She explains how the toxic chemicals in our food and environment damage our body, causing weight gain especially around the 'middle'.

Dr. Baillie-Hamilton shows you how to identify which foods have the highest chemicals, how to detoxify, how to rid your home of these dangerous toxins and much much more!

She gives compelling evidence linking the rise in the number of people overweight and the growth in synthetic chemicals.

Check out her web site to learn more
and then when you want to start eliminating those toxins - come here -

Pesticides in Your Body? Most Likely!

There are over 900 pesticides listed with the EPA, yet most of them have not been tested for toxicity or long term effects on us!

The World Health Organization estimates that 50% of our ground water is contaminated. (Look at previous post to check out the safety of your water)

These pesticides and poisons are finding there way into our bodies. There are more than 1.2 billion pounds of pesticides used in the U.S.

One pesticide, chlorpyrifos (CPF), was found in eighty-two percent of urine samples from a broad range of Americans aged twenty to fifty-nine

Besides using non-toxic cleaners and eating organic, what can you do to protect yourself from all of these toxins that are already in your body?

First, make sure you have a healthy liver. Your liver is a filter for all the toxins in your entire body.

All the toxins,(pesticides and pollutions) as well as poorly digested food, sugar, refined carbohydrates, alcohol,and heavy metals (like lead and mercury), are all filtered through your liver

Your liver has to process ALL of these toxins, with the help of bile and your gall bladder.

Here's how it works:

Bile is made by your liver and is stored in your gall bladder.

Your gall bladder releases the bile after you eat, helping get rid of toxic waste and digesting fats.

If you have too many toxins, your liver becomes overwhelmed. Then the liver cells die of toxic overload and are replaced by fat.

This condition is known as Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease.
Without reducing your toxic load and helping your liver get rid of wastes, you could be experiencing an overwhelmed liver, setting the stage for Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease, cirrhosis, and even death.

You do not have to be obese or an alcoholic to be at risk for NAFLD!

For a healthy liver, remember these 3 tips:

1. Reduce your exposure to toxins.(see other articles on this blog for ways to reduce those toxins)

2. Help your body (and liver!) detoxify.

3. Follow a healthy nutritional plan, to keep your liver AND your whole body, in top condition! Taking even one of these steps today can go a long way to creating liver health!

Health Effects of Indoor Air Pollution

Open your windows! Not only will you enjoy the nice summer breeze you could be improving your health!

The LA Times article lists many possible home air hazards and how some of them can be eliminated.

One of the most common problems related to the air in your home and your health is household cleaners.






Here are cleaning products that do not have those chemicals mentioned in the videos

House Cleaning and Health Safety

I have made several posts on house cleaning and health safety. This is an area I am passionate about.

Are you Giving Your Child Toxins?
Safer, Toxin Free Home Environment
Did You Know?
How Household Cleaners Affect Children
Your Home Is a Toxic Waste Dump
Questioning the Chemicals in Your Cleaners

Yes, the cleaning products you use can affect your health. But how can you tell if what you are using is causing some of your health problems?

Here's a little test to find out. The test was taken from the book, Green Goes with Everything by Sloan Barnett. (The book is listed in my favorites on the right)

Check any of the following that apply in these two lists.
1. Do you:

• suffer from asthma?
• cough frequently?
• suffer from chronic congestion?
• have bouts of sneezing?
• have irritated eyes?
• often have a runny or stuffy nose?
• have persistent itching?
• suffer frequent headaches?
• often feel fatigued?

As Sloan points out, there may be other causes for the above symptoms, but answer the questions in this second list.

2. Do you:

• frequently use conventional household cleaning products?
• often wear makeup?
• microwave food in plastic containers?
• drink a lot of water bottled in plastic containers?
• have a lot of your clothes dry-cleaned?
• experience more intense symptoms the more you're at home?
• find the symptoms go away when you're on vacation?
• find your children's symptoms disappear in school and then return at home?
• have wall-to-wall carpeting?
• use air conditioners or humidifiers?
• have a pest control company contract?
• find your house to be damp or humid?
• find excessive moisture on your windows, walls or ceiling?

You may want to consider whether some of the items on the second list are causing the symptoms on the first list!

Toxins in Baby Shampoo, Soaps and Lotions

This is my grandson who really enjoyed his birthday cake. I know you wouldn't want your beautiful child or grandkids to be exposed to toxins when cleaning them up. But guess what --Johnson's Baby Shampoo, Baby Magic Lotion, Aveeno Baby Wash - these are just a few of the 48 products tested that have been shown to have cancer causing chemicals according to a recent study by the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics .

Both Formaldehyde and 1,4-dioxane were found in 61% of the 48 products tested; 82% had just formaldehyde and 67% just 1,4-dioxane. These 2 chemicals are listed as possible carcinogens by numerous research agencies. No wonder there is a rise in childhood cancers!

Of course, using a contaminated product once is unlikely to cause harm. But, this is not the only exposure to these chemicals or other chemicals that our children are exposed to Used repeatedly, these chemical lotions can add up to harm. Babies’ skin is 5X thinner and more permeable than adult skin, making babies more susceptible to toxins.

One Interesting note is that these chemicals are not listed on product labels because they are contaminants, not ingredients, and therefore are exempt from labeling laws. So you really can't just look at the label to know if your product has these chemicals! To get the complete list of the 48 products and the study about these chemicals, you can download the report at "No More Toxic Tub"

What products don't have these chemicals? Here is a totally safe source of products for your baby. To learn more about these safe products click the picture to watch a video.

Earth Day Tips for Going Green

Earth Day is April 22. Everyone is thinking of what they can do to celebrate Earth Day and creating some new Going Green habits. There are many things on this blog that you can do. Look over some of the previous posts and decide what is going to be your next step in your commitment of Going Green.

My suggestion is not to get overwhelmed. There are so many small steps that you can do. In trying to Go Green start with just one new habit. Make a commitment to do one thing a month until it is a habit and then add another idea the next month. Then by next year on Earth Day you will be an expert! Let me know your progress. I would be glad to have you write a post for me about your journey.

Meanwhile, here are some suggestions.

1. Eliminate those plastic bottles. In fact, if you bring those plastic bottles to the Disney store on Earth Day for recycling, you will get back a reusable water bottle (while supplies last)

2. Toss all those harsh chemical cleaners. Beware tho that if an item is labeled "green" it may be misleading you, according to TerraChoice. Read the GreenWashing Report. Here is one company you can trust for their Green products.

3. Read a book on Going Green. Become aware of the dangers of toxins in your home and steps you can take for going green. I highly recommend "Green Goes with Everything" by Sloan Barnett. You can see the link to the book under my library.

4. Pick up litter. A no cost easy thing to do. Get your family involved and take a walk around your neighborhood.

5. For more info on what you can do for earth day go to the government site

Earth Day is Everyday!

Let me know what habit you are starting this month.

Pesticides in Produce...Why Buy Organic?

I know there are some foods that I should definitely buy organic, but I'm often confused as to which ones those should be.

Now the Environmental Working Group has made it easy for us. They have created a shopping guide to show you the safest fruits and vegetables to buy. They conducted 87,000 tests for pesticide residue on 47 fruits and vegetables and then ranked them according to the contamination.

In their research they found that people who eat the most contaminated fruits and vegetables consume 12 pesticides a day! Scientists agree that these toxins are causing health problems.

Does washing and peeling the fruit and vegetables help? Peeling usually reduces the nutrient value of the food. Washing does help but still some residue remains.

Download the wallet size of this list and have it with you when you go shopping. How many toxins can you eliminate from YOUR diet?

Plastics - Are You As Confused As I Am?

I've never liked to use plastics. When people were putting their left-overs in plastic containers, I used my glass bowls instead. Now this wasn't a thing about the environment. I didn't know much about plastics and environment back then. It was because I didn't like the smell of plastic. Ok, call me weird.

Now I am hearing all about #2, #4, #5 #7. Yikes! What's this all about? Do you know which ones are 'good' and which ones are 'bad'? And it seems like the 'good' ones are not always good!

Green Daily reported how researchers accidently found that #5 plastics can be harmful to your health. #5 plastic has been used in many items - ketchup bottles, medicine bottles, aerosol caps, drinking straws, rugs, mats.

I heard a talk the other day from a Ph.D in cellular biology. She was saying how she is finding more and more people AND children with high levels of toxins in their systems. No wonder!

What plastics do you have in your home? Time to clean out the cupboards!

Children Exposed to Toxins

Wow, I just read that Fire Retardant Chemical is found at 3 times the level in Children than in adults.

That is partly because children are touching things that have that chemical and then put their hands and other objects into their mouths so that the chemical then gets into their bodies.

Also, young children eat far more than adults relative to their body mass, exposing them to a higher relative dose of toxins through their diet.

Health problems related to this? It says in the article that "a single dose of PBDEs during brain development can lead to permanently altered behavior patterns."

You can read the article here

More on Toxin Free Homes

Here are some more startling facts:

• There has been a 28% increase in childhood cancer since the addition of pesticides into household products (National Cancer Institute)

• There is an increased risk for leukemia in children where parents have used pesticides in the home or garden before the child’s birth. (Journal of the National Cancer Institute)

• Over 150 chemicals found in the average home have been linked to allergies, birth defects, cancer and psychological abnormalities. (Consumer Product Safety Commission)

• The majority of chemicals have never been tested for long-term effects. The NY Poison Control Center reports that 85% of product warning labels were either inadequate or incorrect for identifying a poison, and for first aid instructions. And labels on household cleaners may not list all the ingredients because companies are not required to tell you everything that is in their products.

• When using Chlorine, antiseptics or bleach in industrial areas you are required to wear protective clothing that keeps you from being exposed to these toxins – hard hats, boots, gloves, apron or coveralls, chemical goggles or full face shield and use in well ventilated areas. These are the same chemicals we are exposed to when we wash our clothes, spray on our cabinets, wipe onto our eating areas, spray our rooms to kill germs, and swim in when we get into our pools.

• Children are more likely to be affected by these chemicals because they are still developing as their brains and bodies grow. They have more contact with environmental surfaces. They touch everything (and put hands in mouths!) and they crawl around on the floor as they play.

Want to join me in the mission to help protect yourself and our children? What can you do? One thing is to start using non-toxic cleaners. Listen to a 3 minute recorded message about Going Green with Get Clean – 1-925-924-3000.

• Warning labels on containers refer ONLY to toxins hazard from ingestion, however only 10% of health problems from chemicals are caused by ingestion. 90% are caused by the inhalation of vapors and absorption of particle

Your Home is a Toxic Waste Dump

I'm not trying to be mean. And this has nothing to do with how clean you keep your home.

But, think of your home as a toxic waste dump.

*The average home today contains 62 toxic chemicals – more than a chemistry lab at the turn of the century.

*More than 72,000 synthetic chemicals have been produced since WWII.

*Less than 2% of synthetic chemicals have been tested for toxicity, mutagenic and carcinogenic effects, or birth defects.

*The majority of chemicals have never been tested for long-term effects.

Isn’t it time to do something about what is in your home?

Here is one option for you: Get Clean - The Get Clean starter kit has 0 (zero) chemicals.

How Household Cleaners Affect Children

In the last few posts I’ve shared with you the dangers of the toxic cleaners that most people are using. It is alarming to think how many families and children are suffering unnecessarily because they just don’t know an economical alternative to their toxic cleaners exists.

Below is a testimonial from a mother of 4 that I thought you would find interesting:

Being a concerned mother of nearly four, I do care about the wellness of my family and the toxins in my home. But this concern has taken different action over the past years. When I had my first baby, I gave cleaning products a great deal of thought and tried to make as many as I could using earth friendly ingredients and recipes I found online. Then, after the arrival of my second baby, I needed convenience and so I tried some of the green cleaners found at health food stores. This was expensive so at times I had to just use the chemicals that choke you in the cleaning aisles of grocery stores. And finally, after my third baby, I needed maximum convenience and minimum price. So I started to use Clorox wipes, among other things.

Unfortunately, I was doing more harm than good. A friend of mine suggested I watch Toxic Brew, a news segment produced by a Canadian news station. After watching this, the reality of what I was bringing into my home began to dawn on me.

Only a month or so later, I heard of the work of Dr. Doris Rapp, who researches the effects of harmful chemicals on children’s health. (You can find her books, including Is This Your Child’s World? at www.amazon.com.) In one of her studies, she tested the effect of bleach on six-year-olds’ handwriting. I looked at the printed results, and was amazed at the evidence. Before a bottle of bleach was opened, students wrote their names fairly well. Then, with just an opened bottle of bleach in the room and the fumes wafting through the air, the children wrote their names dramatically different. Some wrote messy, some too small to read, and one even wrote backwards.

Being the devil’s advocate that I am, I thought: ‘Well, they just printed up the worst case scenarios. Certainly it wouldn’t effect my kids this way.’ So, I determined to do the same test at home. I didn’t tell my kids what I was doing. I only told them to write as neatly as they could. They printed their names on a sheet of paper. Then, I told them to hold up their papers while I wiped the table off with a Clorox wipe. As soon as it was dry enough, I had them put their papers down and write their names again. I was shocked! My daughter’s writing was visibly messier; instead of letters being tight and connected, they were loopy and crooked. My son was completely distracted by something while he was writing his name! (This is uncharacteristic of him. He has no attention difficulties.) When he realized that he was talking about something else, he stopped mid-sentence and said: ‘Wait, I’m supposed to be writing my name!’ The next letter he wrote was upside-down (which my son had never done before). I took it to the next level and had my children move to another room where there were no Clorox fumes. They wrote their names again and proved that without being ‘under the influence’ they could write just as neat as the first time. I could clearly see that the chemicals were affecting both writing ability and focus.

My children are homeschooled and we do chores every morning before school starts. Since they have direct exposure to cleaners, I was burdened by thoughts of how the cleaning chemicals were affecting them in other ways. To make a long story shorter, I promised myself from that time on that I would not subject my children’s minds to danger again, not to mention their lungs and skin. And I am very pleased with the alternatives that Shaklee Get Clean offers! These are very powerful, environmentally friendly, cost-effective cleaning products that contain no toxic chemicals and no dangerous fumes! What more was I looking for? I have totally clean, residue-free dishes; totally clean, irritation-free clothes; and totally clean, fume-free choretime! I LOVE IT and I want to spread the word so that every mom can give her children the priceless gift of a toxin-free home.

Amy K
Jefferson, GA

Check out the products mentioned above here

Did You Know?

• In 2005, 218,316 reported poison exposures came from household cleaning products

• Common household cleaners and appliances give off fumes, which can potentially increase the risk of asthma in children

• The EPA says that only a fraction of the more than 81,500 registered chemicals have gone through testing for human health concerns. 81,500 represents approximately one in every 750 known chemicals

• The EPA lists the following household cleaning products as ‘hazardous waste” – oven cleaners, drain cleaners, wood and metal cleaners and polishes, toilet cleaners, tub, tile and shower cleaners and bleach.

• The average US household generates more than 20 pounds of household hazardous waste per year, and the average home can accumulate as much as 100 pounds of household hazardous waste in the basement and garage and in storage closets.

Because children drink more water, breathe more air, are more active than we are, and eat more food than adults, they also take in much higher concentrations of toxic chemicals. Our children’s growing and developing bodies are especially vulnerable to harm caused by toxic chemicals. Rates of certain diseases linked to environmental exposures in children are increasing at alarming rates. Here are some stats that may cause you to think really hard about the toxins we have in our homes.

• Cancer rates in children have increased 28% between 1975 and 1998.

• In the last 25 years the number of children who suffer from asthma has doubled to more than 8%

• Nearly 12 million children have one or more learning, developmental, or behavioral disabilities.

Is there anything you can do? ABSOLUTELY! GO GREEN – GET CLEAN

Safer, Toxin Free Home Environment

Have you heard about the dangers that everyday cleaners pose for you and your family? The statistics of what the toxins are doing to us and our families are terrifying.

Did you know that:
• 50% of all illness is because the air inside the home is of poor quality? (1989 State of Massachusetts Stody) and that an EPA survey concluded that indoor air was 3 to 70 times more polluted than outdoor air. Another EPA study stated that the toxic chemicals in household cleaners are 3 times more likely to cause cancer than outdoor air. CMHC reports that houses today are so energy efficient that “outgassing” of chemicals has no where to go, so it builds up inside the home.

• Fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue syndrome, arthritis, lupus, multiple sclerosis, circulatory disorders, Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s disease, irritable bowel syndrome, depression, and hormonal problems are diseases commonly related to chemical exposure

• ADD/ADHD are epidemic in schools today. Behavioral problems have been linked to exposure to toxic chemicals and molds. Use of Ritalin has skyrocketed since 1990.

• Of the chemicals found in personal care products, 884 are toxic, 146 cause tumors, 218 cause reproductive complications, 314 cause biological mutation, 376 cause skin and eye irritations. (U.S. House of Representatives report, 1989)

• In one decade, there has been a 42% increase in asthma, 29% for men; 82% for women. The higher rate for women is believed to be due to women’s longer exposure times to household chemicals. (Center for Disease Control)

That is scary!

So what can you do? Safe, non-toxic cleaners are available. Check out the non-toxic cleaners. If you have any questions or want more information, call me toll free at 1-866-811-5357

Are You Giving Your Child Toxins Each Day?

Naturally, we would not knowingly,give our children toxins, but do you know how safe your laundry and cleaning products are?

Each day you are exposed to more than 123 chemicals through your skin and mouth – the vast majority of which have never been screened for safety by the FDA.

Analysis of cord blood of newborn babies at Mt. Sinai Hospital found more than 200 chemicals already in the blood stream at birth!

What do we do when we bring a new baby home from the hospital? We make sure that they are safe – the best car seat, baby gates, electric plug covers, locks on cabinets to keep them safe from hazardous household chemicals.

But when the baby goes to sleep, we get those same chemicals out and spray them all over the baby’s environment – the high chair tray they eat off; the floor they crawl on, the air they breathe. It just doesn’t make sense!

There are 80 scary chemicals in many of the products we use every day.

Let’s look at some of the most common hazardous household chemicals and which ones may be hiding out in your bathroom….laundry room…or under your sink.

All the information I’m sharing here comes directly from a government watchdog group National Institutes of Health

Check out some of the products you may be using. One company you will find does not have any of these toxic chemicals is Shaklee. You can check out those products at http://www.householdproducts.nlm.nih.gov/ingredients.htm

Ok – let’s start off with Sodium Hydroxide:

*Causes 75% o all caustic injury to the esophagus of kids under 5 years old
*Can cause burns in tissues – eyes, skin, mouth and throat
*Can cause irritation to the respiratory tract
*Can cause liver and kidney damage.

You wouldn’t want this in your dish products.

What common products have Sodium Hydroxide? Tide, Cascade, Clorox, Palmolive Gel, Clorox Spray, Spray and Wash, Tilex, 409, Shout

Next - Butyl Cellosolve

*Linked to reproductive harm
*Can cause irritation and tissue damage from inhalation
*Exposure for 15 min. while cleaning shower, could inhale 3x the acute exposure limit
*toxic to kidney and liver
*Exposure through the skin

Here are products with Butyle Cellosolve:

fantasik, 409, windex, simple green, pledge, glass plus

There are some other chemicals that are harmful too. Be sure to check your products at the government watchdog url. Look up these - hydochloric Acid, potassium hydroxide, and sulfamic acid.

Now, I know some of you have these products in your home – not because you want those chemicals – but because you didn’t realize there is anything else out there that can do the job.

There is a simple way that you can get all the chemicals out of your home-- use greener, safer alternatives that really work and save money at the same time.

Check them out here: Safe Green cleaners

Always safe....Always green....always works.....