Time to get serious about ridding your home of toxic chemicals!

Stay-at-home mom’s have a  54%  higher risk of developing cancer due to their exposure to toxic chemicals in cleaning products with in the home.  Young children are also at risk to exposure to these same chemicals. The immature bodies of growing children lack certain detoxification mechanisms and are more prone to the damaging effects of substances like ammonia, sodium hypochlorite, isopropanol, phthalates, etc.  Phthalates are found in many children’s toys including little rubber duckies. Although great efforts have been made by many to have dangerous chemicals banned, including phthalates from children’s toys, one only has to take  a look around to see that we are failing as a society.

If you want to immerse yourself with knowledge on the dangers of chemicals found with in our home and our environment and the impact including the increased cancer rates we as a society are now facing, I encourage  you to read the following book by Rick Smith and Bruce Lourie; Slow Death by Rubber Duck. The effects of chemicals that we are exposed to and chemicals that end up in our bodies is now affecting reproductive systems and literally, our future generations.

Even if one takes a novice logical approach to house hold cleaners, if  your cleaning products have warning labels on them warning you to keep them away from children, rest assure, they are not safe. What is the first thing a new parent will do when bringing their baby home?  One dutifully goes through and baby proofs one’s home, especially from the cleaning products we have under our sinks.

The concept of something smelling “clean” is an interesting thought.

By definition, if something is truly, “clean”, it is “free from pollution; unadulterated; pure”.

So why do so many companies, when advertising their cleaning products, promote the “fresh clean smell of  lemon”, for example, or “like an ocean breeze” , or ” Lavender Clean”, “Mandarin Sunrise”, “Sparkling Wave”. All these “Smells” are created with toxic chemicals which are damaging to our health.

We need to take a serious look at what we are exposing ourselves to and our children. Cancer rates continue to go up and the exposure to chemicals continues to increase.

We need to take control of what we can. We can not stop big corporations from using the toxic chemicals in the products they make but we can stop purchasing these products and look for alternatives, safe products that are guaranteed to be free of chemicals.    Why not invest in your health and well being and rid your home of toxic chemicals.  Think of the peace of mind you will have if you take the initiative to rid your home of unnecessary chemical exposure and know that your children can roll around on the floor safely.

It is important to do your research on products you are considering. Many companies claim to have safe products but lack the integrity behind their claims.  I have found SHAKLEE to be the company I trust for safe cleaning products and personal care products.

Shaklee has been in business for over 50 years and they are the only company I know of that offers a 100% money back guarantee. You can use the entire bottle and send it back empty and you will be refunded for your purchase if you are not satisfied. Shaklee’s Basic H general purpose cleaner can be used on any surface area you can think of, it is completely safe for your children and pets.

As much as I commend parents for locking up their chemicals, putting them out of reach of little wee ones,  this does not eliminate  your children to the exposure of the toxins when one uses the product to clean surfaces such as floors that little babies crawl on. Any parent who has watched their asthmatic child struggle to breath, lying in a hospital bed, as I have, knows the fear and stress involved and all you want as a parent, is for your child to get healthy and be able to  BREATH.  When my oldest was five years old, he had his first major asthma attack which put him in the hospital for 4 days. In order to get his little lungs to respond, the doctor prescribed prednisone which is a steroid. There are many side effects to using prednisone including excitement, restlessness, weight gain and long term, it can stunt a child’s growth. Have you ever tried keeping a five year old, calm and still, in a hospital bed for 4 days while the drugs he is on are making him hyper? I wish I had heard of Shaklee back in 1994 when my little guy was sick. Shaklee was started in 1956 by Dr. Forrest Shaklee who believed in the benefits of natural health products, avoiding heat processing and chemical additives.  Life is about options and when we learn of better options, we make better choices.

Laundry is another area of concern. What do you consider to be a “fresh laundry scent”. I worked with a friend who LOVED the smell of the laundry pods. I didn’t have the heart to tell her that she loved the smell of toxic chemicals. How many more stories are we going to read of little toddlers ingesting laundry pods and being rushed to hospital. A Paediatrics Study found in 2012-2013, that 17,230 children under the age of 6 got into trouble with detergent pods.  Two-thirds of the children were between the age of 1 and 2. An updated article by Sharon Terlep in the Wall Street Journal had the following head lines;

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Laundry Pods More Dangerous to Children Than Other Detergents, Study Finds
Concentrated packs tied to two deaths, another two dozen life-threatening poisonings from 2013 to 2014

“Procter & Gamble Co., maker of Tide and Gain laundry detergent, last week said its single-dose detergent packets will soon come contained in a hard-to-open resealable plastic bag designed to keep children out. The company also rolled out an advertising campaign that encourages parents to keep the laundry packet containers closed and away from children.

P&G shares the commitment of many groups to improving safe use and storage of laundry” packs, a P&G spokesman said. “This year alone, P&G has taken significant steps by introducing child resistant packaging, increasing strength of the film to withstand the force of a small child and adding a bitter taste to the outside of the film.”

Manufacturers have so far resisted additional steps such as changing the formulation or appearance of the packets themselves, which critics say too closely resemble candy or toys.”

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It is my feeling that logic would suggest changing the formula so all are safe, but money dictates the actions taken and the bottom line is profit, rather than people. No advertising campaign that “encourages parents to keep laundry packet containers closed and away from children” is going to dismiss the curiosity of a young child who sees bright colours!  We all get busy, and little ones get curious, it only takes a second and your life is turned upside down. Respiratory disorders including asthma are exasperated by the chemicals in many laundry detergents and can lead to serious medical conditions.    Why not use a laundry product that is guaranteed safe!

More and more people are discovering the ease of ordering on line and the convenience of having product shipped directly to your home which makes our lives a little less hectic and crazy. Give your family the gift of a safe clean home.

So are you taking care of your home and your children and your chemicals?

Do you have your ducks in order?

 Are you doing the best that you can for your family and their needs for a safe environment.

For as little as $10.00 you can get started, or  for just under $20.00 you can get a Basic H Kit with three spray bottles, for general purpose cleaning, windows and degreasing.

For just under $120.00 you can take care of your cleaning needs and laundry needs with a Get Clean Starter Kit.

Take the time and take care of your loved ones! Don’t put it off another day,  you will have the peaceful knowledge of knowing that your home is safe, for your family, your children, your friends who visit with their little ones and your grandchildren. There will be no chemicals under the sink that could cause a danger to any little visitor.

Have a great day!

Heather Ainslie

www.heather.myshaklee.com

Basic H^2® Kit

Basic H^2® with 3 spray bottles