Lifestyle Changes

Over the past several years we've slowly made moves to remove chemicals from our home. It first started when Alex was a baby and learning how to crawl. It really weirded me out to mop the floor with this harsh chemical and then watch my baby crawl all over it, put his hands in his mouth, etc. So we started to switch to natural cleaners. We've cleaned with a vinegar/water solution for the past 3 years. For awhile, we would use other commercial cleaners as well for somethings, but now we exclusively use that. I used to really notice the smell of vinegar, but I don't even pay attention to it anymore. And, funnily enough, I tend to react really strongly to the smell of cleaners when I visit other people's homes. It smells SO strong and SO chemically to me.

More recently, thanks to Pinterest, I've also started making my own laundry and dishwasher detergent. I love it! It is so cheap! It actually works really well and there's no crazy chemicals on our bodies or on our dishes. (The dishwasher detergent has borax, washing soda, epsom salt and no sugar lemonade in it. The next time I'll make it without the lemonade...The laundry detergent has the washing soda, borax and bars of Ivory soap grated up.) I was able to get all of the supplies at Kroger. The best part is, since we have a high efficiency washer, we only have to use a Tablespoon of detergent in each load. We made our first batch about 3 months ago. It cost around $12 to make, and we're only about halfway through with the batch, AND we still have some of the supplies left over for another batch. We also only use a Tablespoon of dishwasher detergent. We are also using vinegar as a rinse aid.

I also recently found out that dryer sheets are one of the most toxic things in your home. I decided those had to go. I made some felted yarn balls and foil balls to use in our dryer instead. Both of those soften clothes, lessen drying time and reduce static.

I have to say, I never thought I would be a natural, hippie, crunchy mama. But I'm slowly turning into one, and I have to say, I love it! I love that my boys aren't exposed to a ton of chemicals. I love that I don't have to buy a different bottle of cleaning solution for every surface in my house. I love that my clothes smell like clothes and don't smell like fake flowers. I love that I breathe easily and my asthma isn't even an issue anymore.

There are still chemicals in our home, and I'm on the hunt for which ones are going to go next. Might it be the commercial, chemical-filled shampoo? The dish soap? Time will tell.

(And God bless Grant who indulges me in this venture, helps me with the recipes for the soaps and is a huge support! I know he sometimes thinks I'm crazy, but I really do think he likes this chemical-free life we're trying to lead!)