My side of the desk is "cleaner" and I'll prove it...

The battle is on and it seems like it gets more intense everyday.  Clorox, Lysol, Mrs. Meyers, Seventh Generation, all household names for cleaning that no one bats an eye at. 

Unless you're me or someone living in my home.

Two are longtime staple cleaning names and two are newer, marketed as non-toxic cleaning products. 

All of these products have either been phased out or are almost phased out of my home and my family's life. Why? Because I learned the truth about them that I now am sharing with you.  

Yes, I still regularly clean and take needed supplies to my son's school. I just have replaced all the above with either cleaning products Young Living makes in their Thieves Household Cleaning line, or things I have made using YL Essential Oils. I made this decision for my family after extensive research of my own that was not hard to find.  One phrase like "toxic cleaning products" in the google bar and the information is right in front of you.

I can already hear the shock and gasps, as well as mentally see the "trying to be approving" faces not contort into, "oh my god, your house is filled with germs".

It’s not.  If anything, my house is most likely, germ-wise, cleaner and most definitely toxic-wise safer than yours.  I also guarantee it smells better.  My house smells straight up like Christmas while and when I’m done cleaning.

Let’s look at some facts.

Clorox contains: (these ingredients have been made public though not all may be listed on product and are not a full description of formulation)

*Acetaldehyde - a possible human carcinogen,              according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

*Oxybenzone - a hormone-disrupting chemical that is linked to low birth weight in baby girls.

*Triethanolamine - a chemical that can cause asthma to develop in normally healthy individuals.

Lysol contains: (these ingredients have been made public though not all may be listed on product and are not a full description of formulation)

*Mipa-Borate - developmental/endocrine/reproductive effects.

*Ethanolamine - respiratory effects, general system/organ effects.

*Ammonium Hydroxide - respiratory effects.

Mrs. Meyers contains: (these ingredients have been made public though not all may be listed on product and are not a full description of formulation)

*Alcohol Ethoxolates - may cause cancer, damage to DNA, respiratory effects.

*Polysorbate-20 - developmental/endocrine/reproductive effects, damage to DNA.

*Methylisothiazolinone - skin irritation/alleriges.

Seventh Generation contains: (these ingredients have been made public though not all may be listed on product and are not a full description of formulation)

*Dipropylene Glycol- developmental/endocrine/reproductive effects, damage to DNA.

*Benzisothiszolinone - skin irritation/alleriges/damage, biodegradation.

*Sodium Borate - may damage fertility or unborn child, evidence of endocrine disruption.

Wow!  Right? And this is just a tiny fraction of what is in these particular products and products like these.  

I am not a crazy person. Ok, maybe that's up for debate. I can admit I have my moments, like this one.  (In my opinion this is a good kind of crazy.)  But what I can't admit or fathom is why I didn't do my research sooner.  I have a child who has seen multiple medical specialists for multiple reasons and I can't help but think/know that part of the problem was me.  Me, just trying to keep germs out of our house, and piling these cleaning products into his classrooms to keep him healthy and all the while harming him and possibly creating some of those appointments.

Now, do I beat myself up over it or cry over spilled milk?  Absolutely not.  I didn't know better.  I didn't even have anyone telling me there were/are other options.  

So, I am here to tell you my truth.

There is a better way and I will sing it from the roof/school tops, talk about it until people run from me when they see me walking down the school hall, and probably almost always have some sort of sample or information in my purse I can give to a fellow parent in the grocery if I can slide it in.  

I have no shame in sharing this "better type of clean world" lifestyle.

I can guarantee that my son is off so many medications through the help of the Thieves cleaning line and the oil products I make.

Facts about Thieves Household Cleaning ingredients: (these ingredients have been made public though not all may be listed on product and are not a full description of formulation)

*Allkyl Polyglycoside - Biodegradable, plant-derived.

*Disodium 2-Sulfolaurate - Coconut Oil derived foaming agent.

*Pure Grade Seed to Seal Essential Oils - Clove Bud, Cinnamon Bark, Lemon Peel, Rosemary Leaf, Eucalyptus Radiata Leaf.

Are you starting to get the picture?  It's not a complex one and has an even simpler resolution. Nature provides a lot of what we need to keep our families safe and healthy and our homes clean.  We just need to learn to identify and use them.

Think of how many times a day a classroom is cleaned, especially during cold and flu season.  Every time an aerosol is sprayed, our children inhale one or most of the chemicals I listed.  Trust me, it's not just once a day.

Yet, everyday I am met with opposition by other parents in the schools.  Comments like "you know that you're just buying into a hoax and that does nothing".  Or "your "voo-doo is making my child sick".  Let me be Frank, although I'd rather be Eleanor, your child has been around mine for 5-6 years now.  Mine has been wearing essential oils the whole time. You didn't know and your child has been fine.  Secret's out, he also has a series of rollerball combinations that he keeps in his pocket, uses in the classroom, most of which have the same oils as the cleaner.  Same outcome.  Your child has been playing with mine and has been fine.

As with medications, I do concede that there is a time and place for certain, possibly, toxic chemical products to be used.  But, in my home that is not an every day, week, month notion that I will even come close to entertaining. 

For me and mine, we will stick with Thieves.  A product that has helped my son literally heal from the inside out and become a more healthy adolescent.  

Bonus: He even likes to clean now because it smells so good.

For you and yours, I promise you will see me advocating for this better option to be implemented in homes, classrooms and everywhere I can.  I started with my home and my son's current class and succeeded, I don't plan on stopping there. 

So, for now my focus is on the classroom.  Why advocate to help one child when I can potentially help 20+ in one clean out?

I'll be back soon!

Courtney

*My graphic is not claiming some people do not have sensitivities to essential oils or essential oil products.  Proper dilution is key as some of the smells can be stronger than others.

If you'd like to discuss any of this further, no matter your side or stance, I'd like to hear from you.  Our email and comment section is open and waiting.

**For great information like you see here that you can reference, I did and do for all my chemical questions, the Environmental Working Group.