I have always been slightly suspicious of the many products that are available to help with the endless task of housework and the message from the marketers of these products that we must annihilate all bacteria and keep our homes sterile, spotless and germ free.
It was not until I gave up paid work to become a full time mother that I did anything proactive about my suspicions.
My instinctive maternal urge made me keep my tiny new-born away from anything potentially harmful, as I always believed that chemical cleaning products were probably more harmful to my child than a less-than-spotless house.
As a busy mum I certainly didn’t feel that I had the time to be scrubbing the oven with bicarb or rinsing the bath out with vinegar. I just used basic products like a scouring agent and dishwashing detergent for just about everything.
But when my second child was born he was plagued with red, sore eczema all over his face and body. This is not uncommon in babies but it persisted well into his first year.
I decided to find out why. I stopped washing his clothes in powders that contained phosphorous or petrochemicals and - surprisingly - the eczema disappeared.
Recently, I have become involved with the Safer Solutions program as a community educator. To practise what I preach I have become even more proactive about chemicals in my home. I now use many of the natural cleaning products such as bicarb, lemon juice, borax, pure soap and micro-fibre cloth products.
Sometimes, I still use mild detergents and scouring agents but I feel happy in the knowledge that I am not exposing my children to toxic chemicals.
The toxic load in my home is low and I have reduced it using simple measures. As a bonus, I rarely have to push my trolley down the cleaning aisle at the supermarket.
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