1.30.2020
Going Green ... How It Feels Now
As you know I decided last year with my husband's cancer battle to go green in our home. I was very committed to making a safe home for him and for our family and I am so thankful I took the challenge. I made a number of changes to our home, most importantly to cleaning supplies and things we put on our bodies, and every one of my changes is still in play today. I have learned so much along the journey and I hope to share those with you just in case this is something you wish to tackle in your own homes and for your life as well.
The biggest thing I can say is how much easier it was than I thought it would be. It sounded like such a big job when I started and I recall thinking I would do the best I could and make changes when I needed to. What I did not realize was how simple it would be and how much money I would save in the long run. Also time, it is so time consuming to purchase things to clean your house so often when you really do not need to do so. The biggest push back I have received from our family has been in the areas of toothpaste, shampoo + deodorant. We are as close as I can get for now with the thought that I will keep working my way to getting them all on the green plan sooner rather than later.
I think the easiest way to share our changes would be by area of the house and our life. I am also linking the posts I wrote last year so you can go back and read the details of anything I miss today. If you have any questions most definitely let me know ... I am here to answer anything I can.
The journey began when the Hubs started his daily chemo. About the same time I switched my beauty to a green line after learning about so many issues people have with beauty products + absorption into your system. Our skin is the largest organ we have and it is very susceptible to the products we use. Six months later I attended a Young Living essential oils class and was blown away by the information I learned. After doing research and speaking to our oncologist it was apparent to me I had made a number of blind decisions when it came to our home. I needed to make some changes and stat.
First of all ... Cleaning Products
This was a huge change for me and probably the most satisfying. I walked room to room and gathered every single thing I used to clean our home and scanned it in my Think Dirty app. I was shocked to learn so many things were classified as dirty and harmful. Not only that but I had so many products. As in boxes and boxes of products. I was using a different item for each item in our home. I had toilet cleaner, counter cleaner, tub cleaner, glass cleaner, floor cleaner, shower cleaner and so many more. When I made the switch to Thieves products I realized I could use one cleaner on every single thing. It was both eye opening and shocking to me that I was making such decisions without doing more research. But when you know better you do better and I chunked a number of them that were really dirty, donated some others that were in the middle zone and shared some with neighbors.
The biggest thing I can tell you about this decision is two fold. One I have saved So. Much. Money. Last year I spent $740 and that includes every single thing in this list ... laundry soap, dish soap, household cleaner, foaming hand soap (five bathrooms + kitchen sink), bath soap, and dishwasher soap. Divided over the 12 months of last year that is $61 a month for every single thing we use to clean our clothes, dishes and home. I promise you that is a whole lot less than I spent the year before and I love using products that warm me to drink a little more water if I accidentally ingest them. This year I have yet to purchase a product with left over from last year. All of the Thieves products are concentrated so you dilute them before using.
Laundry Room
I did the same scan of all of the products in our laundry room and found so many things high on the dirty scale again. I was so shocked at how many decisions I made because I loved how something smelled vs the safety of the product. I replaced my laundry soap with Thieves and my dryer sheets with wool balls that I add Thieves spray or Lavender oil spray to for a yummy scent. I bought about two dozen wool balls for the dryer and with the exception of a few I have misplaced we still have them all. I think my laundry even looks cleaner and I know it is definitely safer and clean without residue.
Kitchen
It was another scan of products and anything on the dirty side left the building. I also changed out our plastic Tupperware pieces for glass ones to keep the left overs from being stored in plastic. I also cut down on our paper towel consumption and bought more kitchen towels. I love having less paper waste with this change. I bought both a reusable coffee cup and water cup for my trips to Starbucks. I don't always remember them but it has definitely cut my use of plastic and I love the little discounts. I had long since been using reusable totes for groceries and Target runs and now our plastic bag use is reduced to just the Hubs and I recycle the ones he brings home.
Bathroom
So same story with the bathrooms + showers, so many products we no longer use. I changed out my shampoo + conditioner with Beautycounter products and Nathan's with Young Living shampoo. I also swapped our toothpaste, mouthwash, my deodorant (he is holding out 😧), hand soap, and cleaning products. I wrote this blog post on healthy hair and I still love using these tips. My hair truly looks so shiny and stays clean much longer. I will admit the only not clean beauty products I do use are mascara + dry shampoo. I can't find products in either category I love but I will say I use a whole lot less dry shampoo then I used previously.
Essential Oils
I absolutely love my essential oils and I am so thankful I took the plunge to try them out. I can now giggle at myself for my "before using oils" mentally of what they were and how you use them as compared to my "using oils" life. I use oils every single day. I diffuse them, I roll them, and I add them to food and water. I am 100 percent an oil junkie. I have learned so much about essential oils, the right kind to use, and how they can be so beneficial to support your physical and mental health. We started using them after Nathan was already on chemo and his white blood cell count was trending downward and within weeks he was stronger and slept better and I can tell you without a doubt his immune system was supported by his oil use. We have been so very blessed, other than the side effects of the chemotherapy + the crazy time in the hospital after surgery he has yet to be sick once with a common illness. No colds, no flu, no stomach bug, nothing at all.
And for me ... I am using my oils daily to support my physical and mental health. As I am typing my diffuser is running with orange, grapefruit, and purification and my kitchen smells amazing. And for me smells and sounds are so critical to creating relaxation. I use Vetiver, Lavender, Peace & Calming, and Frankincense during the day for emotional support and Thieves, Lavender, Cedarwood, and Rosemary at night to sleep. I also roll my Progressence Plus on my wrists for hormonal support every single night before bed and the smell is so calming to me. While we were in the hospital I diffused oils daily, even in the ICU. The smells helped bring a component of home and the oils helped calm us both during really hard days. On top of that so many nurses would stop and ask us why our room smelled so good and then relationships began. It was so supportive to both of us.
Clearly I can not say enough about Young Living essential oils and the changes they have made in our lives over the last year. You can read so much more in this post and learn how to start your oil journey there as well. I do only use Young Living and recommend you do the same. Not all oils are created equally and you want to make sure you do not cut corners when you are rolling and breathing them.
So ... have I inspired you to go green in your life and your home? I know it was a "no look back" decision for us and I am so thankful I did it. If you want to know anything please let me know, let's chat about it and I will do my best to help you along the way. I feel so much better knowing my home is safe from chemicals and our products are helping our bodies and doing no harm in the process. I hope you have enjoyed following along and please let me know if you have any questions at all.
Happy Thursday to you!
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I took the hair washing lesson to heart and now do exactly that - my hair is very silver and I have to be more careful than ever. I love how my hair looks now and it is so shiny! Have had a MP stolen from me! But I did buy the small one and it never leaves the house now. Been doing the glass thing for a while and I am a champion re-cycler. I have recently moved and some of my neighbors are horrified by my level of re-cycling! One woman removed my bag from the recycling bin, telling me it was all wrong! We just have to keep teaching! Great post!
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