Get sick and one of the questions you’re likely to ask is, “why?” When I was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2005, I very quickly began to consider what toxins might be a part of my lifestyle. I first considered the foods I eat. That’s one reason why I rely primarily on food I’ve raised organically or purchased locally. Next I moved onto the body products I used, discovering that some of them contain chemicals that are classified as hormone disruptors. I began looking for more natural products to replace them.
My most recent investigations have been about the cleaning products I use in my home and how to make cleaners that don’t include toxins. I’ve been using water and vinegar for awhile, but that’s not always enough.
Last night I attended a wonderful workshop on this topic sponsored by the Kentucky Environmental Foundation (KEF). After a brief introduction about some of the chemicals commonly used in a variety of products that have been proven harmful (bisphenol A, phthalates, pesticides and lead are just four of them), we moved on to making some home cleaners to take with us and try. They rely on ingredients like vinegar, baking soda, washing soda, borax, castile soap and alcohol. Another source I’ve used for recipes recommends adding essential oils to some cleaners. While some of these ingredients aren’t commonly familiar to most of us, they are available either at local stores or online.
KEF is willing to set up more local workshops where people are interested in learning about this topic. I’ll be hosting a workshop at my home sometime in the near future and will post the date when I have it.
Though I always want to use natural stuff, it often seems so hard to do or not as effective. In this case, however, I am already using baking soda and borax. Baking soda takes the odor out of our well water when washing clothes, and nothing gets stains off of the kitchen counter so well. And, I used Borax to get rid of fleas in the carpet when my dog had a flea problem. Both items are really useful!
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