We just wrapped up September’s SIMPLIFY Home workshop, teaching students to make their own natural homecare products. SIMPLIFY Home is about keeping it real – simple, practical and effective solutions that we can easily integrate into our lives to create a home we love!
Everyone was surprised to learn how simple it is to turn everyday kitchen ingredients – into powerful multi-purpose cleaners. And what I know after years of doing this – is that it saves money, reduces the amount of waste that comes out of your home and the amount of chemicals that come in!
But what about the things we buy? Today I want to share a lesson from the workshop that helps you take control over the products you allow into your home. It’s a tried and tested system to help you when you’re out shopping. You’ll be able to make better choices and avoid information overload. It’s a technique that I use which helped me come across Ecover, a range of plant-based cleaning products that I use in my home.
A Simple System for Choosing Green Cleaning Products
The only way to know if a product is safe is to become informed. But, honestly, it’s incredibly difficult to keep up. There are thousands of potentially harmful chemicals in our household products – and one chemical can go by 6 different names.
Don’t feel stressed if you get confused by labels – they are often designed to be tricky and greenwashing is a very real thing. A product may appear to be safe, but can still be loaded with junk.
Simplifying your life is about making those better choices – but not becoming a slave to them!
We don’t want to be spending an entire afternoon in the supermarket deciphering labels. I’ve been there, and I’d rather be getting on with my life! So – throughout the years, I figured out a way to shop better. We live in a modern world, we have technology at our fingertips – so lets use it!
I’m going to show how to make informed choices within seconds. You’ll reduce toxins, support better brands and feel good in your home!
Here’s what you do
The next time you come across a product – before you buy it, check out the Environmental Working Group’s Guide to Healthy Cleaning. It’s a fantastic resource to help you make informed choices. It lists out the ingredients and gives it a health score rating. Green is good. Red is bad.
What will you find?
EWG has 2,000 home care products listed, but if the brand you’re searching for doesn’t show up in the database – then type in the ingredients and you’ll get its health score rating. If you see red (which is unhealthy) within the first 3 ingredients – look for a product that has a healthier score rating. Browse the Top Products category to find good brands!
If you can’t find ingredients listed on a bottle – It’s a good indication that this brand is not being transparent and open with you. Move on and find another company that is willing to have an open communication with their consumers – Little Green Dot
Get started with EWG – start by looking into some of the products that you’re currently using. You may be surprised at what you discover!
We go into this and more automated systems to keep your home stocked with safe and natural products in my workshops. But for now, give EWG and Ecover a try! I love using them both!
