Hey there!
Before I start, I feel like I should introduce myself 👋
I’m new here but hopefully I will become a familiar face (If Anneliese will have me!). I’m Alanna, I’m 28, a Wife, a Mumma to a beautiful two-year-old little man and the face behind the Instagram page Health and Herbals. I have a Bachelor of Medical and Health Science and I am currently studying to become a Naturopath so enabling and supporting people to feel their best both physically and mentally is something I am passionate about.
I approach the concept of health through the perspective that we are in good health when our bodies are allowed to function the way they are designed to. This is all well and good if we are all living on a tropical island, with no commitments, no bills to pay and no phone beeping at us every 3 seconds demanding our attention. But we live in the real world and we deal with all of those things and more on a daily basis so we need to do the best we can to learn how to support our health in this ridiculously fast paced world. Now, I’m not going to sit here and tell you that you need to eat the rainbow, exercise in a way that feels good for you and take care of your mental health (even though I just did…can’t help myself!), what I want to focus on here is what we can take OUT that will support not just your health but also that of your partners, your kids and anyone else that enters your home.
The phrase ‘ignorance is bliss’ could not be more fitting when it comes to the toxic load that our bodies are dealing with on a daily basis. Chemical ingredients in our personal care products, cleaning products, the food we eat and the air we breathe are all absorbed into our system and placed in the queue to (hopefully) be detoxified and eliminated by our bodies. The problem today is that the sheer volume of chemicals we are exposed too, as well as the nature of these chemicals, are becoming too much for our bodies to deal with effectively before they have a chance to compromise our health. A study by Harvard University in 2016 found 45 chemicals in indoor dust in places like schools, homes and gyms. The chemicals were derived from building materials such as flooring but also personal care and cleaning products. The chemicals found in this study were associated with hormone disruption, cancer and reproductive disorders...
So what are your alternative options? I’ve got you sorted 😉 But just for now, let’s concentrate on cleaning products!
1) LOW TOX SPRAY & WIPE:
- Thieves Household Cleaner: this is the product I personally use. It comes in a 426mL bottle but for most applications, such as a basic spray and wipe, you only need one capful of cleaner (approx. 10mL) in a 500mL spray bottle. Top it up with water and you are good to go! Just for context and dispel the myth that buying low tox products is expensive, for a retail customer, this would work out to $1.25/500mL bottle of cleaner….even less for a wholesale customer 😉 The Thieves range also includes a range of other household and personal care products including a dishwashing liquid that can be diluted to create 3 bottles out of just 1!
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Lemon/Vinegar Spray & Wipe: This is a great (and cheap!) alternative to your lemon scented chemical-based spray and wipe. Super easy to make but it does take a little patience and pre-planning. There isn’t an exact science to this one so you can play around with what works for you and adjust depending on how many lemons/how much vinegar you have on hand.
- Cut the rind from as many lemons as you like (I ended up using 4)
- Place in a jar and pour enough white vinegar in to just cover the rinds.
- Leave for approx. a week, depending on where you live. I would assume the lemon would infuse a little faster in warmer climates.
- Half fill a spray bottle with your vinegar/lemon mix (lemon removed) and top with water. You can, of course, adjust the concentration depending on how strong you require the cleaner to be.
2) MICROWAVE/KETTLE CLEANING: This one is super easy and again, uses the humble lemon!
- Cut a lemon into eighths (I do mine into quarter wedges and then in half). Quarters or even halves are fine but increasing the surface area of the lemon increases its concentration.
- To clean your kettle: place lemon in your kettle and fill your kettle ½-3/4 full of water. Boil 2 or 3 times. If your kettle is glass, you will be able to experience the pleasure (or horror) of seeing all of the residue build up lifting easily off the surface of your kettle.
- For your microwave: place lemon in a bowl with approx. 1 cup of water. Microwave on high for 2-3 minutes. You may need more or less time depending on your microwave, but you just need to create a steam which will then soften all the build-up so that it can be easily wiped clean. Plus, you get the added bonus of that fresh lemon scent (ACTUAL LEMON!!).
3) TOUGH/STICKY MARKS: three words….Lemon Essential oil. This baby gets everything off. Just place a few drops of a good quality oil on the corner of your cleaning cloth and you are good to go. I personally use Young Living and I haven’t found anything that it can’t deal with. Even my husband is impressed and that is a win in itself!
That’s all from me for now…even if reading this has just increased your awareness of what you are using around your home that is one small but important step to creating a healthy home for you and your family. As Anneliese said in her last blog, choose progress over perfection. If you have any questions (or your own recipes!!) please leave them below.
Alanna x
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💚 Alanna is a wife, mother to one little bear and the face behind Health and Herbals, an instagram account focused on promoting wellness & helping people transition to a low tox lifestyle. She has a Bachelor of Medical & Health Science & is currently studying to become a Naturopath. She has a passion for encouraging & supporting people in making better choices that promote their own & their families wellness in ways that are both achievable & sustainable
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