Hazards of Household Cleaners
Toxic chemicals surround us and contribute to allergy issues, breathing problems, pollution of lakes and streams, and general overall health of our planet. One contributor of these toxic chemicals is household cleaners. Have you ever wanted to know what’s in the cleaner you are using? That should be an easy thing to find out, right? Read the ingredients label, right? Wrong.
The ingredients label for most commercially available cleaning products does not contain a listing of what is actually in the product. Thanks to Earthjustice, a non-profit public interest law firm, some of this information is becoming available. Actually, one of the Earthjustice lawyers recently came upon a law in the state of New York. Since 1976, the state regulations authorizes the Commissioner of the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation to require disclosure of the chemical ingredients and health risks, in manufactured household products. Read more about the New York Supreme Court Case here: http://www.earthjustice.org/news/press/2010/environmental-and-health-groups-face-off-against-household-cleaner-giants-in-court.html
Some companies, the SC Johnson Company, makers of many household products, including some well-known products as “Pledge” and “Windex”, have created a web site with detailed information regarding product ingredients. http://www.whatsinsidescjohnson.com/
Another maker of household products, Simple Green, has filed a disclosure report: http://www.earthjustice.org/library/legaldocs/simple-green-cleaning-products-report.pdf
Proctor & Gamble, Colgate-Palmolive, Church and Dwight, and Reckitt-Bensicker have refused to disclose their ingredients.
Baking soda, vinegar, lemon juice, and handcrafted liquid soaps make fantastic household cleaners! http://www.facebook.com/l.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.naturalhomemagazine.com%2FLeafy-Greens%2FMake-Your-Own-Nontoxic-Natural-Cleaners.aspx&h=5bb26ae51b10d6206dd219cfe68791c8
But, if you find you just have to purchase a bottle of household cleaner from the grocery store shelf, please visit one of the previous listed links and consider a product from a company that is willing to reveal its ingredients listing.
Hydrotherapy
Many of us use the shower rather than the bathtub. Showers are quick and easy, that’s true. But, how about giving yourself a spa experience and use your bathtub? Hydrotherapy, water therapy , used for treating pain, illness, and disease, has been used for centuries. One type of hydrotherapy is soaking in a bath. Soaking hydrotherapy has many benefits, including:
- Pressure on joints may be reduced
- Muscle tension may be reduced
- A calming, relaxing effect may be noticed
- Circulation may be increased
- Pores are opened, which allows the skin to hydrate and soften
Adding salts to your bath offers increased benefits. I prefer Himalayan Pink, Dead Sea Salt and Epson Salt (Magnesium Sulfate) in my bath. Why?
Pink Himalayan salts contain 84 trace minerals and Dead Sea Salts contain 21 minerals. These trace minerals, including magnesium, calcium, sulphur, bromide, iodine, sodium, zinc and potassium. These minerals are needed for good health and are lost throughout the day by physical exercise, stress, and by improper nutrition. Adding these minerals to a bath soak enhances the bath water for deeper detoxification and cleansing effects. When the salinity, or salt content, is higher in the water used to soak, then the bacterial count on your skin is reduced. Salts help to soften the bath water, which aids in softening the skin and easier shedding of dead skin cells; while the trace minerals provide nutrients to newly forming skin. Epson Salts (Magnesium Sulfate), another mineral, is absorbed thru the skin and helps replenish magnesium, a natural stress reliever, in the body.
So rather you are suffering from stress, sore muscles, tired feet, or just need a good nights sleep, treat yourself to a soothing, relaxing, detoxifying spa experience right at home and take a bath with bath salts!
