Most people think that a clean house means a healthy house but for the average home this cleanliness comes at the expense of exposing their families to hundreds of toxic chemicals which makes it more like a house of toxins which is far from healthy. Toxic chemicals in everything from laundry detergent, dishwasher soap and bathroom cleaners, to name just a few, can contribute to an array of health problems such as allergies, sinus problems, asthma and headaches. For more data on these chemicals read my post How Toxic Is Your Home? For those with children it is even worse for them since their immune systems are more fragile. Don't forget about our four-legged friends, pets are also exposed to these chemicals and due to their shorter life span they are even more affected by these toxic chemicals. They play on lawns that have been sprayed with toxic chemicals, put things in their mouths they should not and drink tap water that is full of chemicals including pharmaceuticals.

The majority of household cleaners and detergents use chemicals that are petroleum based which also increases our nation's dependence on imported oil. The National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health has found that one-third of the substances used in the fragrance industry are toxic. This includes fragrances in laundry detergent, cleaners (glass, bathroom, furniture polish, etc) and also things such as fabric softeners and air fresheners.

You can eliminate these toxins by cleaning your home with cleaning products that are green. Green means to use products and methods that won't negatively impact the environment with pollution and toxins or deplete natural resources. In the case of your home it helps to limit your exposure to these harmful chemicals that can affect your health. The more toxins and chemicals that are dumped into the environment the more you get exposed through the food you eat, the air you breathe, etc. When you use that tub and tile cleaner or wash your clothes with that "fresh" smelling laundry detergent or bleach your towels all of those chemicals are washed down the drain into our water systems where they filter out into the ground, our oceans and our air.

Going green can be a little confusing. There are a lot of products that label themselves as "natural" or "organic" and are not. Up until recently, there have been very few household cleaning products and laundry detergents that were actually organic. There is a company now called Greenology products that have the first USDA certified organic label on all their products(this is the only true organic label) including the first laundry detergent to be certified as such. You can check out their website at www.greenologyproducts.com  There is a place to type in your zip code and it will tell you the nearest store where you can buy their products. Surprisingly, Lowes in San Antonio carries their products. 

Getting rid of all the toxic cleaning products in your home (don't forget about your office as well) is huge step in going green and improving the health of your family. It is not that difficult to do. Good news Kermit, it just got easier to be green!

Cell phones contain toxic elements and should not be thrown in the garbage can. I think the best way to dispose of old cell phones is to send them to www.cellphonesforsoldiers.com . This is a recycling program that was started by a 13-year-old girl who became inspired after talking to soldiers who had returned home from Afghanistan and how hard it was for them to not be able to communicate with their families while they were away. You can go to the website and print a prepaid mailing label. Your old phone is sold to a recycling company, and they then use the money to buy prepaid calling cards that are donated to soldiers overseas. Another program is Call to Protect and they reprogram cell phones to dial 911 and gives them to domestic violence victims. Go to  www.donateaphone.com  for more information

Another good source for getting rid of your old electronics is a company called  www.gazelle.com  I have not actually used this company yet, but I have read some good things about it. They will actually buy your old electronics. When you go to the site just type in what you want to sell in the search bar and follow the prompts and they will even send you a box with a prepaid shipping label. This is a good way to get rid of old electronics and make a little cash. I have no idea what they pay, but even if you only got a little bit you are still disposing of these things responsibly.

As far as VHS tapes, I sent mine to  www.greendisk.com  but I had to pay them to recycle these. If you have 20 pounds or less just pack it up in a box and send it to them (instructions on how to do this are on the site) and they charge $6.95 for the first 20 pounds and $.30 a pound after that. I estimate the whole thing with the shipping and having to pay the recycle cost me about 20 bucks, but at least I know they were disposed of properly. You can also send them things like old mouse’s, computer cords and related items.

Rechargeable batteries,commonly found in cordless power tools cellular and cordless phones, laptop computers, camcorders, digital cameras and remote-controlled toys should not be thrown in the trash. These batteries contain heavy metals that are toxic to the environment, many national retailers accept these batteries for recycling, including Home Depot, RadioShack, Sears, Target and Wal-Mart.

Another way to really help the environment as far as batteries are concerned is to purchase an alkaline battery recharger along with rechargeable batteries. This is from a company called Pure Energy, which is an environmentally friendly company. These batteries can be charged over and over, and therefore have a very low impact on the environment. Plus, when they can no longer hold a charge they do not contain any type of toxic materials and can be thrown in the regular trash. This particular charger charges batteries for things such as your portable CD players, remote controls or anything else that takes regular alkaline AA and AAA batteries. You can go to  www.Sundancesolar.com  to purchase Pure Energy products. When you go to main page, just type Pure Energy in the search bar and you'll see a list of all Pure Energy products. Look for the Pure Energy battery charger with six AA batteries. It is around $25. You can also order some extra AA batteries and AAA batteries, since the charger only comes with 6 AA batteries. This will likely save you a lot of money in the long run since batteries can get pretty expensive. I believe they also have other sizes of batteries that can be recharged but you would need to purchase the recharger that goes with those particular batteries. I mostly use AA and AAA batteries so I just went with that.

If you have athletic shoes that are still wearable One World Running will send still wearable shoes to athletes in need in Africa, Latin America and Haiti go to  www.oneworldrunning.com  Nike also has a program that reuses old shoes and turns them into playground and athletic flooring. For more information go to  www.Nikereuseashoe.com

Compact fluorescent bulbs can also be recycled. They are great for saving energy but not so great for the environment. These bulbs contain mercury. You can take them to your local IKEA store for recycling. There are other companies that will recycle them but they charge up to almost a dollar a bulb. This would be a good option for a business since they could probably write it off and help the environment. I am happy to see more and more businesses involved in recycling and using greener products. It shows a more responsible business in my opinion. I am much more likely to patronize a business that makes an effort in this area than one who does not given the choice.

Of course, you should never throw any kind of toxic chemical into the regular trash or the recycle bin. Things such as containers of drain cleaner, bleach, ammonia, bottles of fingernail polish remover, insecticides, old paint or any petroleum-based cleaning products usually have to be taken to a hazardous waste drop-off in your city.

So if you don't have time to plant trees or join Greenpeace then you can help the environment by recycling responsibly. Now go hug a tree!

When you are in an infrared sauna you do not feel like you can’t breath or have to get out for a minute due to intense heat like a conventional sauna. Infrared saunas are pretty maintenance free. You can put them just about anywhere. I have had mine for almost 2 years and I have had to do absolutely nothing to it. The infrared technology came out of NASA so there is actual science to back this up.

I did quite a bit of research on the companies that sell infrared saunas and I bought mine from  www.sunlighten.com  There are different ways to generate infrared heat and their carbon heating system is the best. I was also able to order it in an untreated wood so the materials used to build the sauna are not toxic in any way. It does not make much sense to buy something for detox and then sit in wooden box that has been treated with harmful chemicals and inhale them.

These saunas are very easy to put together. I hired a guy and he put the whole thing together in about 30 minutes. They are magnetic pieces that just snap together. It has a glass door. I think that is the only thing that requires a tool (installing the glass door). If you move or want to move the sauna then just unsnap it, take the door off and that’s it. It is not heavy. Mine has a radio and CD player inside of it. I got the one that seats three and it is very comfortable for me and my husband to sit in there and have room to move. Sunlight saunas has a very informative website and their sales people are very helpful. You will probably want to call if you decide to order. Please tell them you were referred by me.

Asthma and other respiratory ailments are increasing at high rates. When you wear perfumes you are not the only one that is breathing in all these toxins but you are forcing those around you to breathe them as well. I have to get on my soapbox a minute regarding perfume etiquette. I do not know why when people fly they think it is okay to douse themselves with scented products including perfume and then get on an airplane where the air quality is poor anyway and subject everyone around them to inhale these toxins for 3 or 4 hours. On more than one occasion I have had to change seats and not been able to sit with my husband because someone next to me had on perfume or cologne that gave me a sick headache within 5 minutes of sitting next to them. I had a guy come and install my satellite dish and set up my TV’s last week and he was wearing aftershave and by the time he left I had a headache. Okay, I am stepping off my soapbox now.

Most people who wear perfume or cologne cannot smell it after a while and put more and more on. This is because these toxic chemicals are desensitizing their olfactory (sense of smell) senses. With all the chemicals that we ingest and are exposed to why subject yourself to even more toxins when it is not necessary. Get yourself some high quality essential oils and use those (make sure they are 100% pure essential oils). They are not toxic and some have therapeutic qualities. A small amount will not leave you over-powered and probably will not bother others. The manufacture of perfumes creates tons of chemicals that are dumped into the environment that we all get exposed to including children whose immune sytems are more fragile. Every small thing you can do, like not buying or wearing perfume, adds up to help this planet and first and foremost makes you and your family healthier.

Look on the list of ingredients and if you see the word fragrance or scented anywhere on it do not buy it. The exception to this is if the scent or fragrance comes from 100% pure essential oil. It will state this if it does. Check your laundry detergent, fabric softener, shampoo, conditioner, all hair products, any kind of soap that you use, lotions, etc. for fragrance. You might be suprised at how much exposure to chemicals you are getting. See my post on Toxins In the Home for more data regarding this.

See my post on the Top 10 Killer Household Chemicals to learn more about keeping toxins out of your home. Go through your home and gather up all the toxic cleaners, bug sprays, etc and dispose of properly. You cannot throw these in the regular trash. You will have to call your local sanitation department and ask them where to take them so they are disposed of properly. Most cities have a location where you can drop them off. I suggest gathering them all so you only have to make one trip.

The International Association for Research on Cancer classifies PERC as a probable carcinogen. Every time you bring dry cleaning home or wear anything that is dry cleaned you are getting a healthy dose of PERC. Personally, for a number of years I did not dry clean anything or buy anything that needed to be dry-cleaned. I just started washing everything that said dry clean only (other than coats or jackets which do not really need cleaning very often) and not one thing got ruined. Recently, I found dry-cleaners that uses eco-friendly solutions and uses a process called “wet-cleaning.” If you live in San Antonio the name of the dry cleaners is Clothesline and they have numerous locations. Not only does wet cleaning not use perc it uses less energy and the machines cost less than traditional PERC machines and the cleaner does not have to have toxic waste hauled away. PERC has been banned in California and hopefully will be banned entirely some day. If you do not live in San Antonio then do a search in your area for green dry cleaners and ask them if they use the “wet-clean” method. Just type in green dry cleaners and your city under search or keyword on your computer and hopefully you can find one near you. If not, let your local dry cleaner know that you won’t be dry cleaning anymore and why.

There is also something called the “Teflon flu” where after inhaling these particles the person gets flu like symptoms such as headache, chills, backache and a temperature between 100 and 104 degrees. It is temporary. Anyone with birds know that you cannot keep birds anywhere near the kitchen if you cook with non-stick because if they inhale these particles it is fatal to them. In light of all this, I have made a choice to not cook with non-stick pots and pans.

There are several good pans that do not have this coating. The one’s that I use now are called Green Pans from Thermolon and you can order them off of  www.hsn.com  I like them because they are a certified “green” product from the way they are manufactured to cooking with them. You can also buy Green Pan from Thermolon at Target. I have the set that first came out and I have had a few problems like after a while things started sticking. They say to not use non-stick spray and I think this happened (I have several persons in/at my household besides myself who use the pans). Also, they cook much faster and you do not need to use high heat and I think that this also happened.

I found another set of green cookware at  www.mercola.com  and I just ordered it. It is a ceramic material (much like the coating on the Green Pans) that is not supposed to leach anything into food. They have frying pans, pots and bakeware. You have to be a little bit more careful with it because even though it won’t crack or break from high temperatures it can break if dropped.

Apparently even stainless steel can have problems with things like nickel leaching into food. Even if you do not have concerns about Teflon, if you are going to buy pans then buy pans that are safer for our environment. By the way, Dupont plans to phase out Teflon by 2015 since the chemicals used to manufacture it are highly toxic to the employees of their plants and to the environment. The workers in the plant in Virginia have had major health problems and children with deformities. It is funny how they keep telling us it is safe but yet plans to discontinue making Teflon.

TOP TEN DEADLY HOUSEHOLD PRODUCTS

AIR FRESHENERS: Most air fresheners interfere with your ability to smell by coating your nasal passages with an oil film, or by releasing a nerve deadening agent. Known toxic chemicals found in an air freshener: Formaldehyde: Highly toxic, known carcinogen. Phenol: When phenol touches your skin it can cause it to swell, burn, peel, and break out in hives. Can cause cold sweats, convulsions, circulatory collapse, coma and even death.

AMMONIA: This is a very volatile chemical, it is very damaging to your eyes, respiratory tract and skin.

BLEACH: It is a strong corrosive. It will irritate or burn the skin, eyes and respiratory tract. It may cause pulmonary edema or vomiting and coma if ingested. WARNING: never mix bleach with ammonia it may cause fumes which can be DEADLY. Chlorine bleach (sodium hypochlorite), available alone and in detergents and other products, is toxic to fish and can bind with organic compounds in water to form organochlorines, which break down slowly in the environment and accumulate in the fatty tissues of wildlife. Chlorine is especially toxic to organisms that live in water and soil.

CARPET AND UPHOLSTERY SHAMPOO: Most formulas are designed to over power the stain itself, they accomplish the task but not without using highly toxic substances. Some include: Perchlorethylene: Known carcinogen that damages liver, kidney and nervous system damage. Ammonium Hydroxide: Corrosive, extremely irritable to eyes, skin and respiratory passages.

Dishwasher Detergents: Most products contain chlorine in a dry form that is highly concentrated. # 1 cause of child poisonings, according to poison control centers.

DRAIN CLEANER: Most drain cleaners contain lye, hydrochloricacid or trichloroethane. Lye: Caustic, burns skin and eyes, if ingested will damage esophagus and stomach. Hydrochloric acid: Corrosive, eye and skin irritant, damages kidneys, liver and digestive tract. Trichloroethane: Eye and skin irritant, nervous system depressant; damages liver and kidneys.

FURNITURE POLISH: Petroleum Distillates: Highly flammable, can cause skin and lung cancer. Phenol: (see Air fresheners, Phenol.) Nitrobenzene: Easily absorbed through the skin,extremely toxic.

MOLD AND MILDEW CLEANERS: Chemicals contained are: Sodium hypochlorite: Corrosive, irritates or burns skin and eyes, causes fluid in the lungs which can lead to coma or death. Formaldehyde: Highly toxic, known carcinogen. Irritant to eyes, nose, throat, and skin. May cause nausea, headaches, nosebleeds, dizziness, memory loss and shortness of breath.

OVEN CLEANER: Sodium Hydroxide (Lye): Caustic, strong irritant, burns both skin and eyes. Inhibits reflexes, will cause severe tissue damage if swallowed.

ANTIBACTERIAL CLEANERS: may contain: Triclosan: Absorption through the skin can be tied to liver damage.

LAUNDRY ROOM PRODUCTS: Sodium or calcium hypocrite: Highly corrosive, irritates or burns skin, eyes or respiratory tract. Linear alkylate sulfonate: Absorbed through the skin. Known liver damaging agent. Sodium Tripolyphosphate: Irritates skin and mucous membranes, causes vomiting. Easily absorbed through the skin from clothes.

TOILET BOWL CLEANERS: Hydrochloric acid: Highly corrosive, irritant to both skin and eyes. Damages kidneys and liver. Hypochlorite Bleach: Corrosive, irritates or burns eyes, skin and respiratory tract. May cause pulmonary edema, vomiting or coma if ingested. Contact with other chemicals may cause chlorine fumes which may be fatal.

OTHER NASTY THINGS THAT ARE AROUND YOUR HOME:

PESTICIDES: Most pesticides have ingredients that affect the nervous system of insects. Imagine what these extremely poisonous chemicals do to your body… or your baby's. Dimpylate: Better known as Diazinon, extremely toxic. Impairs the central nervous system. Chlorinate Hydrocarbons: Suspected carcinogen and mutantagen. Accumulates in food and in fatty tissue. Will attack the nervous system. Organophosphates: Toxic and poisonous. If you can smell it, your lungs are absorbing it.

FLEA POWDERS: Why put toxins on "man's (or woman's) best friend." Carbaryl: Very toxic, causes skin, respiratory and cardiovascular system damage. Chlordane: Accumulates in the food chain, may damage eyes, lungs, liver, kidney and skin. Dichlorophene: Skin irritation: May damage liver, kidney, spleen and central nervous system.

LICE SHAMPOO: Especially vulnerable are children. Lindane: Inhalation, ingestion, or ABSORPTION through the SKINcauses vomiting, diarrhea, convulsions and circulatory collapse. May cause liver damage, stillbirths, birth defects and cancer.

CAR WASH AND POLISH: Petroleum Distillates: Associated with skin and lung cancer, irritant to skin, eyes, nose and lungs. Entry into the lungs may cause fatal pulmonary edema, most marked Danger, Harmful or Fatal.

TAR AND BUG REMOVER: Contains XYLENE and PETROLEUM DISTILLATES. Xylene affects the central nervous system.

  If you are not familiar with any of this, do not go in to overwhelm. Even if you just start replacing one product at a time with something more natural, you are on the road to getting toxins out of your home. Going green can take some time. “Going Green" is a phrase referring to the pursuit of knowledge and practices that lead to more environmentally friendly and ecologically responsible decisions and lifestyles, thus helping protect the environment and sustaining its natural resources. I would not try to memorize all the chemicals listed above, or try and check labels for these ingredients.

Just start out with taking a general category such as laundry detergent and then chose a laundry detergent from one of the brands I have recommended. Laundry detergent and dishwasher detergent are the first two things I would replace with a more natural and eco-friendly brand. Phosphates, found in dishwasher and laundry detergents, cause algae bloom, which kills fish and aquatic plants, and produces chemicals that are toxic to animals and people who drink the water.

I would also get rid of all air fresheners including scented candles since these are a major source of irritants. Brands like Seventh Generation, Ecover, Sun and Earth and Mia Rose can be trusted. There are a lot of brands that claim to be natural, but they really aren't. Seventh generation products can be found at most chain grocery stores. If you really want to go green and cheap, you can use distilled white vinegar for just about anything. You can go to  www.vinegartips.com  and see their list of 1001 uses for distilled white vinegar. By eliminating toxic household products and eating certain organic fruits and vegetables (see my list of the top 10 foods that you should always buy organic) you can significantly reduce the amount of harmful toxins that you are exposed to without having to go to extremes.