Domestic Detox

How to get your home safe and eco-friendly

Tuesday, 13 Mar 2012

Not to alarm you… but your home just may be slowly killing you. Think your floor cleaners and dishwashing liquid are getting the job done? They’re also slowly destroying your nervous system. And you might want to evaluate that air freshener – studies have shown that phthalates (read: very bad chemical) in them cause developmental and reproductive problems. Mums: the side-effects are worse on kids, especially infants.

Time to junk the bad stuff and replace it with non-toxic and readily available options out there.

Home

First to go: the cleansers. We particularly love Method for its friendly price points and its effectiveness (the packaging helps, too) and recommend the squirt + mop all floor cleanser ($5.95 for 739ml, available Method Singapore). The multi-surface cleaning spray ($6.25 for 828ml, Method Singapore) is a definite bang for your buck, and since we’re not Martha-Stewart-a-different-cleanser-for-every-item types, we use this one for everything.

Kitchen

For everyday stuff (say what, you mop those floors everyday? Well doh, so do we…), we swear by 7th Generation Natural Dish Liquid ($9.50 for 739ml, CHOOSE. by Olive Ventures). Super gentle, super effective, and no dry, cracking skin after. We also like IDOCARE 5X Concentrated Dishwashing Liquid ($4.95 for 500ml, CHOOSE. by Olive Ventures) that doubles up as a fruit and veggie cleanser.

Laundry Room

Now march yourself off to the laundry room and scrutinize those labels. Prepare to battle your newest worst enemy: dryer sheets. These buggers coat your clothes with a layer of chemicals that can actually lead to liver cancer! Trash the lot and try these: Lavender Fields’ Concentrated Laundry Detergent ($12 for 30 loads, IDOCARE) and 7th Gen Natural Fabric Softener ($15.20 for 1.18l, CHOOSE. by Olive Ventures) for the washer, and ingenious funny-looking dryerballs to soften fabrics and cut drying time by 25% ($35.50 for 2, CHOOSE. by Olive Ventures). Yea, we were skeptical too, but they do work.

Bedroom

Everyone loves a house that smells good, but nobody suspects they’re being killed by it. Fact: a study on rodents revealed that phthalates in air fresheners (present in almost every kind) causes birth defects and disrupts hormone levels. So peel your trusty Glade off the wall and try burning a 100% natural beeswax, soy, or plant-based wax candle instead (try Lights of Bliss). It smells good, is good for you, and let’s face it, way classier than arming yourself with a can of air freshener.

Want to find out more on how to detox your home? The eco-savvy Militza of Little Green Dot is holding a workshop at Smitten to teach us how to detox our homes by making our own non-toxic cleansers! RSVP ASAP ‘cos seats are limited.