Spring Cleaning: Top 10 Things to Throw Out
There is no better time than right now to start your spring cleaning! I love to thoroughly clean my home and make sure it’s feeling fresh for summer. I thought I would share with you what I make sure to throw out if I find it in my home and why I have chosen to do so. If you are interested in living a bit cleaner or learning what products might be a bit too toxic for your family, I have listed my top 10 items to throw out below:
1. Cleaning Solutions: as the biggest offenders on the list, and the most commonly used, it's no secret household cleaners contains hazardous toxins. Bathroom cleaner, oven cleaner, furniture polish…
2. Candles made with Synthetic Fragrances & Air Fresheners: Toxins found in air fresheners can accumulate in the body over time. According to the Natural Resources Defense Council, those toxins may affect hormones and reproductive health, especially in children.
3. Laundry Detergent & Dryer Sheets
Why they’re bad
The chemicals found in laundry detergents clean and de-stink your clothes but may do more harm than good, according to The Huffington Post. Some of the most trusted brands — like Ajax, Dynamo, and Fab Ultra — contain formaldehyde, which causes asthma and allergies. Your detergent’s partner in crime, scented dryer sheets, aren’t any better.
4. Antibacterial Soaps: For many years antibacterial soaps were assumed the "better" way to ward of harmful diseases and bacteria. However, triclosan and triclocarban are harmful. According to the FDA, it can be linked to creating antibiotic-resistant bacteria and is not biodegradable.
5. Beauty Products/ Perfumes/ Lotions the beauty industry in itself is so scary. The industry is virtually unregulated, The Food and Drug Administration does not even require the basic safety testing of ingredients in personal care products before they are used…so who knows what we are putting on our body and what potential risk it comes with.
When I have spoke about throwing out beauty products with toxic ingredients on Instagram so many of you reached out asking just how bad is “perfume or fragrance” because it is literally in every product. Well the answer is, it could be bad, really bad, really really bad. The Environmental Working Group (EWG) reports that, items containing perfume typically contain a dozen or more potentially hazardous synthetic chemicals, some of which are derived from petroleum. To protect trade secrets, makers are allowed to withhold fragrance ingredients, so there is no way we can know the hazards that come with the “perfume” label.
6. Plastics in your Kitchen A lot of plastic containers we come across are made with BPA and Phthalates which have been linked to cancer, diabetes, fetal brain development, heart disease…the list goes on. People are becoming more aware of this these days so know you will see a lot of plastics that are “BPA free” but what did they replace the BPA with? Another synthetic compound that could potentially be just as bad, or worse? Maybe. Best just to avoid plastics as much as you can!
7. Nonstick Pans or also known as Teflon pans are super dangerous. When heated the Teflon coating on a pan begin to break down and releases toxic chemicals in the food you are cooking and in to the air you are breathing. And when those pans start to chip you risk getting particles of Teflon in your food then digesting them….yuck.
8. Sunscreens with Oxybenzone: Research on animals suggests that chemicals in some sunscreens, including oxybenzone, may cause health problems when they penetrate the skin. The safest sunscreens are made from minerals such as zinc oxide and titanium dioxide, but they can be very expensive. In general, avoid aerosol spray sunscreens, which you can accidentally inhale, as well as sunscreens containing chemical ingredients such as oxybenzone, octinoxate, retinyl palmitate (a form of vitamin A), and fragrances.
9. Bedding: One-third of our lives in bed1, few of us think much about the safety and purity of our bedding. And while news has gotten out about the deplorable amount of harmful chemicals allowed in mattresses, there’s still not much awareness about toxins hidden in bed linens. You read right; sheets, quilts, duvets, feather beds, pillows, mattress covers, etc. all have the potential to contain harmful chemicals (like formaldehyde) that disrupt your health while you sleep.
10. Flame Retardants: Often found in older couches, mattresses and carpet padding, flame retardant chemicals have been linked to infertility and birth defects. When shopping for new items in your home always search out items that have not been treated with flame retardants, while you are at it look for items that haven’t been treated with any types of chemicals such as scotch guard.
I hope this helps you during your spring cleaning this year and will make you think twice before purchasing these products again! I’d love to know what non-toxic products you keep in your home and what you are planning to throw out during spring cleaning this year!
Much Love,
