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The Chemicals In Your Closet

Katie Wells Avatar
Katie Wells

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Facts- The Chemicals In Your Closet
Wellness Mama » Blog » Natural Home » The Chemicals In Your Closet

If you’re here, that means you are interested in some aspect of healthy living. Maybe you are improving your diet, working on sleeping, or drinking more clean water.

You’re working to make sure that you are only ingesting healthy foods, and it’s important to make sure you aren’t using the unhealthy ones on the outside either!

Chemicals in Cleaners and Beauty Products

Most conventional beauty and cleaning products are full of questionable or outright dangerous chemicals that can be just as harmful to your body’s largest organ as the chemicals you ingest. If you’ve gone out of your way to clean up your diet, it is time to take the next step and clean up the rest of your life!

If you have kids, this is especially important as they are even more susceptible to chemicals in cleaning products, shampoos, lotions, plastics, air fresheners, laundry detergent, etc.

Unlike healthy eating, natural cleaning/ living is an area where it most definitely is CHEAPER to go the natural route. With a few master ingredients, you can keep you house and body clean for practically nothing. At my house, the ingredients I always keep on hand for cleaning are:

  • White Vinegar
  • Borax
  • Washing Soda
  • Baking Soda
  • Salt
  • Lemons
  • Liquid Castile Soap

For beauty/personal care, I can make practically everything with:

Not Convinced?

Here are a few basic recipes for homemade cleaners and beauty products that you can easily make:

Natural Cleaning Recipes

Natural Homemade Laundry Detergent
Natural All-Purpose Cleaner Recipe
Natural Oven Cleaning
Natural Homemade Glass Cleaner Recipe
Easy Homemade Scouring Powder Recipe
Floor and Tile Cleaner Recipe

Health and Beauty Recipes

Natural Homemade Substitutes for Conventional Beauty Products
Seven Natural Remedies you Already Have at Home
Seven Natural Beauty Tricks From Your Kitchen
Natural Homemade Baby Wipes-Easy to Make
Make Your Own Natural Deodorant With This Simple Recipe
Natural Homemade Toothpaste- Easy Recipe
UPDATE: Remineralizing Toothpaste Recipe!
Natural Homemade Sunscreen Recipe
Natural Bug Spray Recipes that Work
Health Tonic: Vinegar of the Four Thieves

The Challenge

You are eating healthier, now its time to stop inundating your body with junk from the outside!

I challenge you to hit the bathroom counter, cabinets, under the kitchen sink, etc and get rid of all the chemical filled products that aren’t good for you or your skin! Some examples would be: all purpose cleaners, glass cleaners, disinfecting sprays, conventional deodorants, lotions, toothpastes, soaps, beauty products, etc. Give them to a toxic waste disposal place or, if you aren’t sure you are going to make the switch permanent, put them where you can’t use them for a month and see how you feel then!

What products will you get rid of? What will you replace them with? Share below!

Katie Wells Avatar

About Katie Wells

Katie Wells, CTNC, MCHC, Founder of Wellness Mama and Co-founder of Wellnesse, has a background in research, journalism, and nutrition. As a mom of six, she turned to research and took health into her own hands to find answers to her health problems. WellnessMama.com is the culmination of her thousands of hours of research and all posts are medically reviewed and verified by the Wellness Mama research team. Katie is also the author of the bestselling books The Wellness Mama Cookbook and The Wellness Mama 5-Step Lifestyle Detox.

Comments

43 responses to “The Chemicals In Your Closet”

  1. Carol Avatar
    Carol

    I already clean with vinegar
    I also clean with borax
    Use salt scrub weekly
    I use homemade deodorant
    I make my own soap-and yes it takes a while for a batch to be ready!

    Reply
  2. brookie Avatar
    brookie

    I just made homemade toothpaste…my girls are even using it!
    Our all-purpose cleaner is vinegar & water–we have little bottles in all the bathrooms. That way, the kiddos can help clean & I don’t have to worry.

    Reply
  3. Jim Avatar
    Jim

    I wash my face with honey.
    I use homemade apple mint facial toner.
    I use all natural toothpaste.

    Reply
  4. Emily Avatar
    Emily

    soap – bought homemade soap from a local lady
    laundry detergent – going to give soap nuts a try
    windex – homemade glass cleaner
    lysol all purpose cleaner – homemade all purpose cleaner
    lysol floor cleaner – vingar & water
    comet – homemade tub scrub
    hand soap – castille soap & water
    facial wash – homemade soap
    deodorant – trying your homemade recipe…good so far
    toilet cleaner – vinegar & baking soda
    lotion – coconut oil
    baby diaper rash cream – homemade w/ coconut oil, shea butter, baking soda, lavender oil
    dish soap – homemade
    facial toner – apple cider vinegar
    bug spray – going to try your homemade recipe
    baby wipes (never thought about this one…I mean what could be harmful in baby wipes, right?) – making your homemade ones (thanks!)
    toilet cleaner – vinegar & baking soda
    bug spray – going to try your homemade recipe

    Reply
  5. York Avatar
    York

    I got rid of bleach, now i’m working on getting out the coconut oil, baking soda and vinegar to make some new products.  This week i plan on getting some essential oils for fragrance.  I’ve also got to work on finding some castile soap.  Where can you find this? Online?  Something else i did this week was i “bleached” out a spot on some clothing with lemon juice instead of bleach.  Worked great!

    Reply
  6. Libby Avatar
    Libby

    oh I forgot a very important one for my family because we are in our pool all summer-we switched to a natural mineral sunscreen instead of the store versions and I tell everyone that I know about how bad they really are for you 🙂

    Reply
  7. York Avatar
    York

    I have been waiting for this challenge!  I really want to try some of these recipes and now here is my chance to try.  I am keeping some of the things in a box for 30 days just to see how i do.  I’m really nervous about giving up some of my products — especially the ones that keep us smelling good!  LOL

    Reply
  8. Libby Avatar
    Libby

    lastly, I switched most of my conventional cleaners like tub cleaner and chlorox wipes…

    to homemade versions consisting of any combination of white vinegar, water and baking soda,to which I add essential oils for the pretty scent! Whew, we’ve been busy around here ?

    Reply
  9. Libby Avatar
    Libby

    I also got rid of all my conventional facial cleansing products because they were reted as not very safe…

    Reply
    1. Pam Avatar
      Pam

      and either bought safe and natural products or made homemade  versions of facial products, like face wash, toner and exfolliator

      Reply
  14. Libby Avatar
    Libby

    now, the things I am working on getting rid of:
    first my old deodorant, I tried your homemade version and I got a rash from it

    Reply
    1. Libby Avatar
      Libby

      I am trying to use just plain cornstarch powder and we’ll see if that works.  baking soda plain gave me a rash too

      Reply
  15. Cecilia Powers Avatar
    Cecilia Powers

    oh, i just thought of something else… i use the diva cup instead of pads or tampons

    Reply
  16. Nina Avatar
    Nina

    I started my health journey this June and have already begun to do some of these changes. (Hope this counts). All homemade ingredients are natural 🙂 
    Liquid Dawn dish soap- Diluted castile soap and water 2:1409- diluted castile soap for granite counters with microfiber cloth disinfecting- homemade all purpose cleaner and disinfectantDeoderant- homemadetoothpaste- homemadesos pads- baking soda and scrub brush or scouring sponge padlaundry detergent- homemade windex- vinegar/water in a spray bottlepledge- homemade in a spray bottle with microfiber clothspray and wash for laundry stains- borax/ washing soda- peroxide combo/ peroxide/ washing soda/ biokleenbleach- boraxbleach toilet cleaner- homemade toilet scrub and homemade scouring powdersoap in shower- castile in spray bottle 409- homemade purgo floor cleanerSoon to make baby wipes *your recipein the process of ordering #2 foam pump bottles to add water and castile soap for bathrooms/kitchen/showerdawn- to cut gooey stickers etc. oil works great!Cascade- costco natural dishwasher detergent/ and soon to use my homemade dish detergent (after much trial and error)Spray for odor- cinnamon leaf essential oil on que tips dropped in garbage cans/ also vinegar and baking soda 

    Reply
    1. Cecilia Powers Avatar
      Cecilia Powers

      ooo, thanks, i was wanting a recipe for dish soap and i was thinking to use castile. so you use 2 parts castile to 1 part water? 

      Reply
  17. Jamie Avatar
    Jamie

    glass cleaner- natural glass cleaner
    spic and span- all purpose natural cleaner
    facewash
    conditioner
    hair volumizer- for your new recipe for hairspray using lemon and sugar
    sunscreen- ordering ingredients to make your homeade version
    toothpaste- baking soda
    handcream, body creams, and lotions… all now for coconut oil

    Reply
    1. Nettie Avatar
      Nettie

      Please tell me  what your formula is— I would really appreciate that.

      Reply
      1. Cecilia Powers Avatar
        Cecilia Powers

        there are a ton of non-shampoo recipes, even specifying for hair type. mine has castile soap, jojoba oil, orange essential oil, and as bad as it is, i forgot the other stuff. i looked for the recipe and i can’t find it. but you can good no-poo or non-poo recipes and you can find a lot of stuff!

        Reply
      1. Cecilia Powers Avatar
        Cecilia Powers

        1 cup baking soda
        1 cup borax
        1/2 cup salt
        1 packet lemon kool aid (unsweetened) {optional}
        mix together
        i store in an old applesauce container and use just enough to fill the soap thingy. 🙂

        Reply
      2. Jamie Avatar
        Jamie

        Thank you so much! I am new to all of this and eager to try some new recipes!

        Reply
  20. Cecilia Powers Avatar
    Cecilia Powers

    i have done this challenge for a while and can’t really find anything… but what i have done over the past few months, if it counts:
    -toss deodorant
    -i used to love 409, not sure why, but i did… and no more!
    -i use baking soda for the toilets, sinks and shower
    -i make my own laundry soap
    -and get goat’s milk soap from a friend
    -vinegar as a rinse aid and fabric softener
    -my face scrub is a wonderful mix of brown sugar and olive oil
    -and oil cleansing method of castor oil and olive oil with some yummy scent in it
    -water bottle with lavender for the “smell good stuff” that helps my son go to bed
    -hair spray with water, salt and orange in it… and soon to be hair gel with chia seeds

    i did toss out the bath and body works lotion my little princess came home with from a friend’s house… she won’t ever know! and the coconut oil is so much better

    Reply
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