CONDOATLANTA - Atlanta Townhomes, Condominiums & Lofts

02 January 2012

New Year, Healthy Lifestyle...

Happy New year! It's now 2012, and we wanted to start the New Year with some thoughts and techniques on how to enjoy your home without unnecessarily using chemicals that are unhealthy for you and potentially harmful to the environment. There are many additional ideas and products out there, so please take this as a starting point and go from there...

Baking Soda - this is non-toxic, non-abrasive, and great for cleaning virtually everything, including laundry, teeth, kitchen countertops, bathrooms, etc.

Vinegar and lemon juice - these make fabulous cleaners, and will cut through varnish, grease and more. They're also great in the clothes washer for bright colors. Avoid using bleach whenever possible.

Hydrogen Peroxide - A disinfectant that has no odor and leaves nothing alive on the counters. It's also great to give to a dog (in a small quantity - always first check with your veterinarian) that has eaten a "non-food" item, and you want it back.

Detergents - use dye- and perfume-free detergents, and read the labels... try to use products labeled as "eco-friendly", or "environmentally-friendly". Here's a personal favorite: http://www.seventhgeneration.com/

Try to avoid keeping pesticides or anything toxic AT ALL EVER under your kitchen sink or bathroom sink, in your pantry, your closet, and preferably never in your home anywhere. These things can leak into the air and slowly poison your environment.

If possible, try to spray for bugs OUTSIDE your home ONLY. If you can, avoid using any pesticides inside your home. The very best way to keep bugs out is to seal the areas where they can enter, and make certain they cannot find anything to eat. If you drop a food crumb on the floor, and ONE ANT finds it, others will follow. Cleaning the ant trail with a generous amount of vinegar will help resolve this. If any other bugs get into the home, for instance, under the sink, borax sprinkled on the area may take care of the problem, and then have the exterminator spray outside.

Leave your shoes at the front door. Your shoes pick up all kinds of things you wouldn't want to end up in your air or your food. If you have the option, leave them in the garage. Same with visitors.

Please, avoid using any chemicals in your toilet bowls or tanks. They're almost always poisonous, corrosive, and very bad for the components in the toilet. Additionally, toilets create a "plume of mist" when they are flushed. You do not want to be breathing the vaporized chemicals. Use about a half bottle of white vinegar in the TANK, let it sit all day, or overnight, then flush a couple times. You can also use it to scrub the toilet bowl.

For personal care, check out the natural section for shampoo, soap, etc. We like Dr. Bronner's: http://www.drbronner.com/DBMS/SFNT.htm

We hope this is helpful information, and encourage you to seek and support those products that promote healthy living.