Yuck, bleck, ugh! That’s what goes through my mind when I think about all the toxins lurking in our houses. Long before it was on everyone’s radar, my stepfather, a mechanical engineer, was always reminding us to be careful with household chemicals, don’t let them touch your skin, careful of the fumes from them, open the windows, air out dry cleaning and shower curtains, use nail polish remover outside!, keep the thermostat low, turn off the lights, consume less, recycle, compost- the list goes on. He earnestly drove a tiny car for years, putting along in the slow lane, while others drove bigger and faster cars. His knowledge came from years working for engineering firms and as a professor and having understanding and insight into chemicals, waste, limits on resources and their impact on the future of the environment.
What to do…
Since having my daughter more than two years ago, these matters went from subconscious, ingrained habits to a forefront priority to make sure I am doing all I can to make our home a safe place. And with the more knowledge I gain I find that many of the things he preached over the years are becoming a bigger part of what we all need to pay attention to, some of which are toxins in the home. I have dutifully draped my shower curtains outside to gas out for 4-5 days and since they been on the market been using EVA curtains instead. We compost, try to use as many non-toxic household products as possible, keep chemicals off our lawn (aka the clover patch- whatever, it’s green), rarely dry clean our clothes (only the ones that can’t be washed with water), use safer bath products. Today, we are at an advantage and disadvantage, every year there are more chemicals on the market but there is a greater awareness, demand for safer products and availability to information on how to make your home a safer environment. Everywhere you turn in your house there might be something unhealthy, here’s where to look.
This is a huge subject so I am going to list some articles and provide links to some good resources out there, including an article I wrote for a friend’s blog about indoor pollution and solutions. Please comment with any questions or ideas you might have and I will do my best to get you the answers.
Helpful Links
Top Ten Products for Your Non-Toxic Household
EcoMall’s guide to non-toxic product ingredients and safe substitutes
More non-toxic homemade solutions and recipes
The Green Guide Household Buying Guide
SafeMama’s and The Soft Landing Shower Curtain Reports
HealthyTot’s Phthalates and Safer Cleaning Posts
Once again, thanks for the great resources Amy!