i see trees of green

Creating a healthy environment in your home should take top priority.  Especially if you have a child or you are a grandparent, uncle or aunt and have children visiting your home. According to a 2002 study published in the Journal of Toxicology, children are more vulnerable to chemical toxins than adults. My favorite health company Shaklee has partnered with Healthy Child Healthy World a non-profit organization that is dedicated to protecting the health and well being of children from harmful environmental exposures. It is their combined goal to help educate the public about healthier solutions and products in the marketplace. They stress 5 Easy Steps to obtaining a healthy home.

1. Avoid using pesticides
2. Clean Safely
3. Help children breathe easier
4. Provide healthy food
5. Use plastics wisely

You can read the entire message at http://shaklee.com/causes_heal……hild.shtml

I believe that an informed consumer makes better choices. So, start to educate yourself. You can access a number of sources. If you want to find out about current products that you are using go to the National Institutes of Health Library of Medicine Household Products Database. Other sources of information would be the EPA sites, or University sites such as www.berkeley.edu  and  look for media releases that discuss household chemicals. You have alternatives that are healthy for you, your child, and the planet. So, why not take that step.  Make a choice to be clean, green and healthy.

When you walk into a home or a building and you can smell cleaning chemicals what is your first reaction? I know what mine is; let me out of here. The best cleaning smell is no smell.

One of the most dangerous cleaning product is toilet bowel cleaners. They can contain chlorine and hydrochloric acid which is harmful to your health simply by breathing during use.

Did you know that accidental ingestion of common household products is the Number ONE cause of poisoning of children. However, most poisonings happen slowly, by daily exposure to toxins in the air that we breath and by toxic chemicals that come in contact with the skin. Many household products contain known carcinogens and/or neurotoxins. Carcinogens are chemicals that cause cancer. Neurotoxins are chemicals that adversely affect the nervous system. So, if you are using cleaning products that are making you sick, then you have a choice; either stop cleaning or switch to products that are nontoxic and safe.  Check out www.shaklee.net/greenhome and if after doing so you have questions, click on contact me; sending me your e-mail and question.

If you are still skeptical about the effects of common household products on your familys health, don’t just take my word for it, become an educated consumer, check out some of the available research. Just know that there is a solution to the problem.

This post is for my niece Jody. She and I spent a few days together at her parents house last week. We were there because her dad, my brother is in failing health. Jody is a wonderful, caring person. She knows how to walk in to a situation, size it up and take action. It was her action that has inspired this message. She cleaned the tile floors in the kitchen using a popular supermarket cleaner. First, we need a disclaimer; Jody did not know about the harm that certain cleaners can do. Harm to herself, her family and her environment. So, I won’t hold her responsible for past choices. Also, in her own home, she says that hot water by itself usually is all that she uses on her tile floors. So, please Jody forgive me if I carry on a bit about the cleaners that are found in some households.

When running a race we do not all arrive at the finish line at the same time, if we did, it wouldn’t be called a race. The human race runs a bit like a foot race, in that we don’t all cross the finish line at the same time. We arrive at or make choices based on information available to us at a given time. So, Jody you are forgiven for not having the facts about cleaning products that are harmful. However, going forward, you will have the information to make a better choice if your are willing to check out the site listed here on my blog. First I must confess that I was older than you before I arrived at the finish line and realized that there are better and safer products available. I was in ill health and that was the driving force that pushed me over the line to investigate clean and non toxic products.

Have you ever noticed how many of the offensive cleaning products are green or blue? You don’t suppose that it is subliminal do you? But of course, we think clean when we see green. The color of trees and grass. How about blue, the color of the ocean, lakes and rivers. The particular cleaner that started the interaction, is a degrease. If a degreaser contains petroleum distillates and butyl cellosolve, which most do, they can cause damage to the lung tissues and dissolve fatty tissue surrounding the nerve cells. If the cleaner contains ammonia, the fumes can irritate skin, eyes and respiratory system. Some products can cause cancer and liver damage. The EPA says that only a fraction of the more than 75,000 registered chemicals have gone through testing for human health concerns. More than 9 out of 10 suspected poison exposures occur at home with household products.For

If you want to make a difference in your personal environment, start by checking under your kitchen sink. Household products are among the most toxic substances that we encounter on a daily basis. You may not have been aware or realized that these products can be dangerous to your health and the health of our planet. According to the Consumer Product Safety Commission; document#382, each year poison control centers report nearly one million children under the age of five are exposed to potentially poisonious household cleaners and medicines. They recommend safety latches and locks on cabinets. These same products are being breathed in by the person who is using them and in turn are dumped into our sewers where they eventually wind up in our rivers and streams. When I first found products that were environmentally friendly and non-toxic, I boxed up all of the old cleaners and set them in the garage until I decided to take them to the toxic waste site. You can learn about the latest greates cleaners that I use by clicking on the link to greenhome.

Newsweek Magazine, January 8,2007 has an article about the environment “Easy To Be Green” They reinforce the fact that household chemicals contribute to both indoor and outdoor pollution and they recommend using more natural cleaners. The article can be viewed at Newsweek.com http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/16……/newsweek/