Last month, I wrote a broad post about indoor air quality, a topic that is near and dear to my heart! That is because I have personally experienced major health issues as a result of poor indoor air quality. Due to that and the many things I have learned over the years, I feel pretty strongly that it is often the cause or at least a contributor of many symptoms people experience. But it is also something that is commonly overlooked. One thing I really appreciate about functional medicine is that your environment is always taken into consideration and deemed a very important piece of the puzzle, as it should be!
Because there is just too much to cover in one blog post on the various aspects of indoor air quality, I am breaking it down into some smaller sections and doing a series. So this is the first one, and I am going to key in on an area that definitely impacts indoor air quality… the cleaning products you use in your home! It seems like the appropriate time to share about this, since spring cleaning time is upon us!
The problem with many cleaning products is, what you use to make your home look and smell really clean can also be simultaneously harming your health. Of course your goal is to clean and disinfect your home, but what you may not be aware of is that you could be polluting it at the same time! Maybe some of the products are killing germs on surfaces, but what are they sending into the air that you and your family are breathing? The answer: an array of chemicals. Many of which have not even been tested to see if they are toxic!
One of the main reasons we should be very leery about using these chemicals cleaning agents is because many of them are known endocrine disruptors. Which basically means they can mess with your hormones. And hormones tend to have a domino effect… if you knock one down, others usually fall, too. For example, if the stress hormone cortisol is high, it can cause your thyroid to go out of whack, which can lead to sex hormones like testosterone and progesterone to become too low or high. Disrupting the balance between hormones can contribute to numerous adverse health complications, such as infertility, lowered immune function, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, learning disabilities, memory problems and even some cancers. When I discovered this, I began to intentionally reduce and eliminate my use of harmful or potentially harmful chemicals in my home. It can be overwhelming at first, but it is worth it!
It is important to note that many things can disrupt hormone imbalance. Toxin/chemical exposures are just one of them. An acronym I was taught in a functional medicine class I took last year to help remember what disrupts hormone balance is STAINS:
Stress
Toxins
Allergens
Inflammation
Nutrition
Sleep
So where do you go from here? The first thing I would recommend is pulling out all of your cleaning supplies at placing them on a counter where you can see them. Then download the EWG app (Environmental Working Group) and look up each product to see how it rates. Toss anything below a B straight into the trash!
I am personally ok with anything that gets and A or a B, or is “EWG verified.” Below are the grades on some common household cleaning products that people use in their homes in America. Yikes!
And if you click on any of of them, it will open up a page that looks like this, to show you the list of ingredients and specific concerns.
Scrubbing bubbles and clorox wipes used to be my jam, y’all! I am a recovering germ-o-phobe, and I’m pretty sure I used to subconsciously think something had to have a hardcore chemical smell to really be effective. No wonder I would get headaches sometimes when I cleaned! It should not be that way! You shouldn’t have to sacrifice your health and well-being to feel like your home is clean. And that is why I am here informing you of these things. Because there are other, better options!
My personal favorite company for non-toxic cleaning products is Norwex. Their mission is “Improving quality of life by radically reducing chemicals in our homes.” They are also big on reducing waste and caring for the environment. I have and love so many of their products, and have used them almost exclusively in my home for close to 4 years now. The majority of their products are a very high quality microfiber that can be used with just water! Here is a link to my personal Norwex site, if you are interested in seeing what they offer and learning more! I also have a Norwex group over on Facebook where I share a lot of good information. Come join us here if you’d like!
I’m also a fan of the Young Living Thieves cleaning line! This versatile blend of pure essential oils and other naturally derived ingredients is a great alternative to cleaning products with harsh chemicals. And it smells so good! One bottle of the ultra concentrated thieves household cleaner lasts a really long time, and can be used with Norwex microfiber cloths! Here is a link to my YL website, where you can check it out.
Last but not least, you can hop back on the EWG app and search for the specific kind of product you are looking for. For example, if you type in “All purpose cleaner” in the search bar and then hit “filter” and then “best score,” it will list the highest rated ones first for you, as shown in the graphic below. And then you can choose from there what you’d like to get. Just beware that even though one product from a company gets a good score doesn’t necessarily mean all of the products from that company will!
There are so many things that are out of our control in this world, but one thing we can control are the products we choose to use in our homes. I hope the information I have shared in this post helps you feel motivated & empowered to take a step in the right direction to create and/or maintain a safe haven for yourself and your family! We have more power in our own hands than we think. The first step is awareness!
Have a great week!
Although I am a nurse by trade, I am not a doctor or an expert, and the information I provide on this blog is for educational purposes only. Each person is unique and their needs and circumstances vary, so I always recommend that you consult your medical provider before making any changes.
