On the one hand, I am a total Type A person who has to stay on top of all my household projects to avoid total anxiety. Plus, having a dog who sheds and a husband with terrible allergies, daily cleaning is an absolute must. But on the other hand, I really do not enjoy doing it, not only because it can sometimes be boring, but because of the irritation chemical cleaners bring to my body.
For awhile now, I have been experiencing bouts of redness and skin irritation on my face, and more recently on my back. It has been really frustrating, itchy, and at times, painful. I discussed it with my doctor, who told me that the chemicals in household cleaners/soaps/detergents I use are likely culprits for my health issues. I was surprised, because I never get cleaning products on my face or back, but she told me that coming in contact with certain cleaners any way, whether it be touching with my hands or breathing it in, can cause a reaction anywhere in or on the body, often times without us even being aware of it.
I found that extremely frustrating, as I absolutely need products that get the job done, and can't get by with a spray bottle of warm water and baking soda.
My cousin in law, Meg, kindly sent me some Plant-Based Young Living essential oil cleaning and household products to test out, and see what I thought about how well they worked (with adorable hand-made labels too!). To be honest, after years of using high powered clorox/ammonia products I had my doubts about how well they would get the job done.
The first item I tested out was the "Thieves Household Cleaner" which I used to clean my kitchen counters and bathroom. My first reaction was-- wow, this smells amazing. My second reaction was-- wow, this really works!! Meg mentioned that this could really be used anywhere, and she was right. I used it on my marble countertops, stainless steel sink, porcelain sink, laundry machines, etc. and it left them all shiny and clean without any leftover residue. I even ditched my usual elbow length rubber cleaning gloves to experiment on how it would affect my skin/body, and I had absolutely no sensitivity to it whatsoever. Victory!
Next I experimented with hand washing dishes with the "Thieves Dish Soap" which I diluted down with some water, at Meg's advice that a little goes a long way. Again, I ditched the gloves, and was really impressed by how gentle it was on my hands, but how well it worked on our dishes. It also smells absolutely amazing.
The last cleaning product I tried was the "Thieves Laundry Soap," and this was definitely the one I was most skeptical about. Meg told me that with HE machines you only need to use 1/4th of the jar she sent, which to me seemed like so little. I'm used to liberally filling up an entire cap and hoping it gets the job done. Again, the smell was so delightful and fresh, and I peered in mid-way through the cycle to see how it was looking and based on the sudsy-ness, I knew 1/4th of the cap was spot on.
She also sweetly sent me Lavender Hand and Body Lotion, which seriously smells like you're waking through a field of fresh lavender, and an Allergy Trio Roller (with diluted Peppermint, Lavender & Lemon) for application straight to the chest/ under the nose to help with breathing. Both awesome.
My doubts about how well these items would work compared to the chemical ones (many household cleaners have up to 62 toxic chemicals) were definitely proven wrong. Not only did they work, my peace of mind using them was really wonderful. I didn't have to worry about protecting myself, my husband, or my dog from any of these products. Now that is something special! And how cleaning should be, in my opinion.
If you are interested at all in learning more about detoxing your house or just non-toxic cleaners in general, please join Meg and I on Tuesday, June 14 at 8:30pm ET/ 7:30pm CDT for a chemical free home event on Facebook! Everyone is welcome, whether you just are curious to pop in and learn more, totally skeptical, or ready to start incorporating non toxic cleaners into your life. Meg is incredibly knowledgeable about all of this, and can give you lots more information if you are interested!
I've been using these for about a week now, and It feels so good to know that I am not hurting my body, but still able to get everything done around the house that I need to.
Hope to chat with you on Tuesday, and have a great weekend!! A big thank you to Meg for sending me these wonderful products!
xo,
Grace
