What do you Mean Cleaning Kept you Sober?

Okay, so remember when I told you about how my new friend Kelly texted me at the exact right moment with her risk-free Norwex business offer? And at that time I was certain I did not need this business in my life; however, I was obsessed with the cloths and what they were capable of. I could not stop researching about the toxic chemicals in cleaning products under my sink. I spent my time watching videos and reading discussions/scientific studies; proving that these common cleaning products were significantly hurting our bodies from the inside out - AND NO ONE EVEN REALIZES IT!

Whether I liked it or not, I was going to be telling everyone what I was learning; I was convinced education was the way to help my friends and family see what I have uncovered. Stephie Ratfink strikes again (IYKYK). I spent the next five years of my life dedicated to this mission.

I found myself sneaking out of the office each day to avoid the post-work drink; instead, looking forward to researching more about how dryer sheets and air fresheners are some of the most toxic things found in the average (U.S) home. I needed to learn so that I could educate; I took pages and pages of notes, writing is how I retain, and I had to retain in order to effectively share. My mind was blown - the research is there and linked directly to Volatile Organic Compounds (VOC's) and fragrances found in those products and they lurk in the air and floor of our homes long after they're released.

The more I learned, the more it made sense; the headaches when I cleaned the bathroom, the slippery surface after "cleaning" with stainless steel or dusting spray, coughing after spraying a myriad of "air fresheners" or surface cleaner.

I learned an analogy that referenced a camping hack where at the end of the season you stuff dryer sheets in the cabinets and drawers of a camper in order to keep mice away during the winter....lots of seasoned campers do this trick! How the heck does it work? It works because the mice can smell the toxic chemicals in the dryer sheet and their instinct tells them to stay away. Cool, so mice are smarter than we are...good to know! The toxic chemicals the mice were smelling are primarily from chemical-based fragrance, some added chem to help the fragrance stick to your clothing, plus a special nugget of toxins to help your clothes not be staticky. Oh goodie!

I was stunned to learn that disinfecting wipes only work when you use enough wipes to keep the surface visibly wet for 4 minutes AND you're supposed to clean the surface after because the chemicals in the container are super toxic. The purpose of a disinfecting wipe is to KILL the bacteria, but nowhere on the label does it advise that the product will also REMOVE the dead bacteria from your surface once killed. What does that mean? If you're letting the chemical sit for 4+ minutes, you have dead bacteria all over your surface. If you don't let the chemical sit visibly wet for 4+ minutes, welp, you still have live bacteria on your surface with a layer of some extra chem. Yum! I used to play a game with myself called 'how long can I make this ONE disinfecting wipe last? Let's just say, I was doing it wrong.

The final straw was when I saw a demonstration with a blacklight that showed every trace of where the disinfecting wipe went on the surface. You could see it spread around whatever funk I was trying to clean off my counter. I was disgusted and hooked on learning more, more, MORE because this is freaking NUTS! How did I go 38 years of life without knowing any of this?

Labels are confusing, and what I've learned is that it's intentional. They want you to believe the product is safe so they make money; I'm convinced they make the writing so small on these bottles to deter people from reading the label. There's a phenomenon called 'Greenwashing' where they present a product, and on its label it is described as non-toxic, green, earth-friendly...etc. A large percentage of these products have a label that is actually GREEN, because our brain associates that color with healthy, but when you look at the ingredients, there's nothing healthy about it. It's all the rage, and you're not a fool for believing it, they intended that to happen! Not all fragrance is bad, there are many brands that you can trust because they use plant based fragrances, not chemical based, and follow a strict ingredient funnel. Water lily scent from actual water lilies - what a concept! What does a moonlit path smell like anyway, and how did that candle company manage to bottle it? Eyeroll.

I have become passionate about this topic, and the emergence of this passion saved me from my alcoholism. I needed something to take my mind off what I was used to doing every day, and after over six years of diving into clean living, I'm not even close to done. I have so much to say about body burden that I had to delete 3 paragraphs because it needs to be its own blog post. I still talk to people every day that are where I was 7 years ago: clueless that my skin was a living, breathing, organ or that it is not good to spray toxins in the air of your home.

I am now focused on nutrition, supplements, and mindfulness to help my body and mind look and feel its best. That's a whole new ball of wax - you get what you pay for my friends, and it starts with the ingredients list.