How to Identify Hidden Villains in Your Home: A Room by Room Guide to a Toxin-Free Home
Common household products are full of harmful chemicals and toxins that can cause harm to your precious family, without you even realized it!
As consumers, we get caught up in the ease of grabbing a product off the shelf and being on our way. We blindly trust well-known brands and stores to provide us with products that work and are not harmful for our family’s health.
But what if we stopped to read the labels more often?
What if, instead, we equipped ourselves with the knowledge to decide for ourselves what works and what is good for our family’s health?
I believe that using toxin-free, natural products for health, home and beauty will have short and long term benefits for your family.
I understand that making the change to a toxin free home can feel very overwhelming and uncertain.
My hope and desire for this platform is to share the things I have learned along the way to help you learn and understand why a non toxic lifestyle isn't just for me… it is for everyone.
It is very overwhelming to think about replacing all of the products in your home with alternatives that actually work. I’ve always found it helpful to break information down into smaller chunks, rather than feeling overwhelmed at the sheer amount of knowledge out there. So, that’s how we’re going to approach this together.
We’re going to walk through our homes, room by room, and learn how to identify products and ingredients that could be harmful to your family’s health.
Then, we’ll look at clean, natural products that actually WORK, so you can confidently ditch and switch your household products one room at a time.
9 Ingredients to Avoid in Household Products
A simple google search can show you the harmful affects of the following chemicals, please do not take my word for it, research for yourself… knowledge is power! I have found informing myself very empowering when it comes to making healthy decisions for what I bring into my home… I started out uninformed and truly felt that if stores sold something it must be ok, here is a little of my story from the beginning.
Although there are MANY more harmful chemicals in everyday products, here are nine of the most harmful ingredients that are commonly found in off the shelf household products, and WHY you should avoid them:
Sodium Laureth Sulphate
Purpose: cleaning/foaming agent
Commonly found in: beauty products, cleaners, and self care items
Problem: Sodium laureth sulphate can cause skin irritation, respiratory system irritation, and is a possible cause of some cancers
Further reading: Sodium Laureth Sulfate — toxicity, side effects, diseases and environmental impacts
Coal Tar Dyes
Purpose: colour
Commonly found in: cosmetics, candy (like m&m’s), and processed foods
Problem: Coal tar dyes are a by-product of hydrocarbon solvents, which contain high levels of lead, mercury & fluoride and can affect a person’s level of concentration; over time these ingredients have also been found to speed up the progression of Alzheimers
Further reading: The Dangers Of Coal Tar Dyes In Food And Cosmetics Explained
Trislosan
Purpose: synthetic antibacterial agent
Commonly found in: cleaners, soaps, and personal care products
Problem: Trislosan is an endocrine disruptor and possible carcinogen, and overuse of this chemical is thought to be a contributor to bacterial resistance
Further reading: The Dangers Of Triclosan And Triclosan Side Effects Explained
Fragrances
Note: There are over 3000 ingredients that fall under the term “fragrance” so when you see it on the ingredients list you cannot be sure what exactly they are!
Purpose: synthetic aroma/fragrance
Commonly found in: almost everything that has an aroma; ALL personal care products, candles, cleaners, laundry products.
Problem: Synthetic fragrances can trigger allergies, asthma, and other respiratory issues
Further reading: Fragrance
Formaldehyde
Purpose: preservative
Commonly found in: almost anything: air fresheners, skin care products, nail polish, clothes, hair products, wood & laminate floors, furniture, carpets, and the list GOES ON!
Problem: Formaldehyde is a known carcinogen; exposure to formaldehyde can cause eye and skin irritation, headaches and is associated with increased risk of cancer
Further reading: Facts about Formaldehyde
Dea (diethanolamine) ingredients
Although the European Union has classified DEA as harmful to health and prolonged exposure, DEA compounds in cosmetics is currently unrestricted in Canada!
Purpose: foaming agent and thickener
Commonly found in: soaps, shampoo and conditioner.
Problem: Diethanolamine can cause mild to moderate skin and eye irritation, and high doses of these chemicals have been shown to cause liver cancers and pre-cancerous changed in skin and thyroid.
Further reading: Cancer-Causing Chemical Found in 98 Shampoos and Soaps
Parabens
Purpose: preservative
Commonly found in: make-up, moisturizers, hair care products, and many others
Problem: Parabens are a suspected endocrine disruptor (ie. something that disrupts the hormone system in our bodies)
Further reading: The Hidden Dangers Of Phthalates And Parabens In Consumer Products
Dibutyl Phthalate
Purpose: preservative
Commonly found in: aerosols, paint, cosmetic production, and perfumes
Problem: Dibutyl Phthalate can cause damage to the liver, kidneys, lungs and reproductive system
Further reading: The Dirty Dozen: Dibutyl Phthalate
BHA (butylated hydroxyanisole) & BHT (butylated hydroxytoluene)
Purpose: synthetic antioxidants used as preservatives
Commonly found in: personal care products
Problem: BHA and BHT are linked to liver, thyroid and kidney problems in rats and mice, and there is evidence that these chemicals interfere with hormone function
Further reading: The Dirty Dozen: BHA and BHT
In addition to the problems above, many of these ingredients have also been found to have detrimental affects on our aquatic ecosystems and animals.
I believe a lot of humans are dealing with bioaccumulation just from living, eating and breathing. The term bioaccumulation means “the accumulation over time of a substance and especially a contaminant (such as a pesticide or heavy metal) in a living organism” (source: Webster’s Dictionary).
Most often these chemicals come with the warning that reads “used or consumed or exposed to [insert one of many chemical names here] in small amounts does not pose any long term health affects”. While this may be true for a single exposure to a single chemical, when we consider the fact that we use multiple products that contain multiple ingredients, more than a few times a day, that is cause for major concern.
A Room by Room Guide to a Toxin-Free Home
Having a baby was the start; my light bulb moment… it wasn’t just me anymore, another precious little life depending on me and I wanted to make sure I was equipped to make the best decisions for us and for her future. I held the cards when it came to what came into our home, so I began the slow process of researching and learning.
At the beginning of chemical discovery, I thought “natural”, “green” and “no additives” were safe products. Quickly I realized that those were just marketing buzzwords and I had been duped! Learning who to trust and what information was unbiased took time and a lot research, thankfully that is my jam and I LOVE doing it.
I found Young Living early on and was so happy to learn that they were a holistic wellness company, and known for SO much more than just essential oils. Young Living was a one stop shop for me to confidently swap out harmful household products for trustworthy, truly clean alternatives!
Over the next few months, we are going to walk through my house (and your house too!) and learn which products to ditch and switch to something better for your health and home!
Would you join me in the journey to a toxin-free home, one room at a time?
Download the ‘Hidden Villains in Your Home’ cheat sheet!
I’ve put together a downloadable cheat sheet featuring the 9 ingredients to avoid when buying products for your home.
Print it out or save it to the camera roll on your phone for quick reference when you are at the store or cleaning out your cupboards.
Join my email list and I’ll send the ‘Hidden Villains in Your Home’ cheat sheet to your inbox. You’ll also be the first to know when the next part of the room by room series is posted!
Disclaimer: I am not a medical professional. The information on this blog is not intended to cure, treat, or heal any disease. Please use essential oils and other Young Living products at your own risk (and with lots of common sense).
Photography by Kim Norcross.