A green home is one that is eco-friendly and is at harmony with the environment. You can help the environment by making your home greener. Here is how you can do so by adopting a more energy-efficient and earth-friendly lifestyle.

Read the following top ways to green your home.

1. Upgrade to greener appliances.
Make your home energy efficient by upgrading to greener appliances. Replace old appliances with energy-efficient models that are Energy Star rated to scale down your energy bill. According to the Energy Star site, use of energy-efficient appliances in just one in 10 homes is equal to planting 1.7 million new acres of trees.

2. Temperature control.
More than 50% of a home’s energy bill is from heating and cooling appliances. Moderating the thermostat according to the weather goes a long way in reducing energy consumption. Other energy saving methods include using a modern furnace, cleaning its air filter every month and the use of ceiling fans instead of air conditioners.

3. Saving water.
There are hundreds of ways one can save water and reduce energy consumption. A few include fitting faucets with aerators and installing water efficient low-flow toilets.

4. Clean with green products.
Buy green household cleaners that are made of natural, non-toxic substances instead of toxic ones. Carpet and window cleaners containing grain alcohol, detergents made of coconut or other plant oils etc. are bio-friendly.

5. Energy-efficient lighting.
Replace incandescent bulbs with Compact Fluorescent Light bulbs (CFLs). CFL bulbs use 66% less energy and last 10 times longer.

6. Use recycled paper.
Whenever you buy paper, get 100 % post-consumer recycled paper. These consume less virgin pulp and keep waste paper from ending up in landfills. You can also save more trees by opting out of junk mail lists. Using unbleached paper is more eco-friendly as the bleached paper process results in the creation of harmful byproducts. Also, eschew paper and plastic bags and carry your own cloth bags for shopping.

7. Bamboo floors.
Bamboo floors are more environmental friendly than hardwood floors. Bamboo matures in four to six years while it takes 50 to 100 years for typical hardwoods.

8. Shun plastics.
Plastics are not bio-degradable. They produce harmful greenhouse gases that contribute to global warming when processed, burned or dumped into landfills. The best way is to avoid plastics, the next best thing is to reuse and recycle them.

9. Eco-paint.
Use environmentally safe paints that are organic and solvent-free to paint your home.

10. Green your garden.
Avoid synthetic fertilizers and chemical pesticides. Instead use organic manure such as compost and non-chemical pest control methods.

by Real Estate Advisor
About the Author:

Poway Real Estate San Diego Condos Carmel Valley Real Estate

Buy the book: Green This!

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If you’re remodeling your home, or building your dream home from scratch (lucky you!), installing a brand new floor might be on your list. There are many flooring materials to choose from, each with different pros, cons, and looks. If you are trying to live green (make environmentally friendly remodeling choices), you may want to consider an eco-friendly flooring material. There are quite a few options out there, so let’s take a look:

Cork Flooring
You’re probably familiar with the cork you find stopping up wine bottles, of course, but you may never have walked on a cork floor. It’s the same material, just formed into tiles or planks and stuck down on the sub-floor. Since it is lightweight, installation is fairly painless.

Cork is considered eco-friendly because it’s harvested from sustainable resources. It comes from the bark of the cork oak tree (which can be collected without harming the tree itself).

Cork’s unique look makes it a fun floor choice, but there are practical reasons for choosing it as well. It acts as an insulator, absorbing sound and softening impacts (for instance, if you lay cork in the kitchen, a dropped dish probably won’t break). It’s also an easier material to stand on for long periods than floors made from ceramic tiles, stone, etc.

Reclaimed Hardwood Floors
If you love the look of hardwoods (who doesn’t?) but can’t reconcile yourself to having trees cut down just so you can get a new living room floor, there may still be a way for you to get the floor of your dreams. Think reclaimed wood.

Reclaimed hardwood floors are made with timbers recycled from old structures, such as dilapidated barns, schoolhouses, libraries, etc. There are a number of companies who buy the wood that would otherwise end up in a junkyard and refinish it to create planks suitable for residential floors. So basically you can a new hardwood floor without any new trees being cut down.

If you’re wondering if these reused boards are structurally sound, they are. In fact, many people tout them as superior to the planks made from today’s trees. The wood used in these older buildings came from old-growth forests, from older first generation trees; on the other hand, today’s hardwood floors are made from wood harvested from tree farms, where the trees never truly reach maturity before being cut down.

Have a floor made from reclaimed wood and you’ll be getting quality, character, and history in one swoop.

Bamboo Flooring
Bamboo is another flooring material that is catching on in popularity. It is considered eco-friendly because bamboo is a fast-growing grass, rather than a tree, and farms can grow a shoot to maturity in just a few years.

Though bamboo is somewhat similar to hardwood floors, it has a distinct look, and some people prefer that uniqueness to hardwoods. It is a sturdy, durable material and will last just as long as wood. Though there aren’t as many varieties as there are species of wood, different finishes can create different looks for you to choose from.

The three flooring materials we have discussed–bamboo, hardwoods, and cork–are all considered eco-friendly. As an added bonus, they are all relatively easy to maintain. No vacuum cleaner required here! They are also good choices for allergy sufferers. With bamboo, hardwoods, and cork, there is no place for pet dander, pollens, mold, mildew, dust, etc. to hide. Compare this to the nooks and crannies you get with carpets, and you’ll see why more and more people are choosing these other materials.

by Ivan Cuxeva Jr
About the Author: TC Thorn writes on many home improvement topics, such as wood flooring, bamboo floor cleaning, and kitchen floor ideas.

Buy The New Flooring Idea Book
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It is no wonder when you consider that most homes contain toxin soaked carpeting, formaldehyde soaked particleboard, toxic household cleaning supplies, PVC, offgassing, dry cleaning, plastics and much more. If it was manufactured in a lab, odds are it is not good for you or your family. The short and long term dangers are compounded if you have children or pets.

The good news is that it is not terribly difficult or expensive to start greening your home. Gaiam has a nice article called 5 Easy and Cheap Ways to Green Your Home and the list includes:

1. Take your shoes off at the door to avoid tracking in lead, pesticides and other contaminants. The good news is, your home will stay much cleaner too.

2. Get rid of vinyl (PVC) which is commonly found in shower curtains, kids toys and backpacks. Look for the #3 or letters PVC. Why get rid of it?

“PVC frequently contains notorious phthalates to make it soft. According to the Children’s Health Environmental Coalition, these phthalates are known to cause liver and kidney damage, endocrine disruption, reproductive system damage and, possibly, cancer, and they can easily leach out of PVC. And finally, harder PVC often contains lead and cadmium, two heavy metals that have also been linked to a host of health issues, including cancers.” Gaiam.com

3. Switch to green cleaners because traditional household cleaners turn your indoor air and surfaces into toxic hazards. There are many green cleaners on the market today and they are a step in the right direction but making your own cleaners with vinegar, baking soda and salt is the most healthy, inexpensive, non-toxic and earth friendly way to clean your home.

4. Use indoor plants. They look great, are positive feng shui and yes they absorb toxins from the air. The best plants for toxic absorption are ficus, spider plants and English ivy.

5. Open your windows even if it is for a few minutes a day and yes, even in the winter. Even adding a little fresh air to the mix will help dilute the toxins in your household air.

Curtains, couches, and carpets - could these possibly be common sources of air pollution? While many would quickly answer no, these porous household furnishings can and do contribute largely to air pollution that, according to the American Lung Association, eighty-seven percent of Americans fail to consider: the pollution of indoor air.

In fact, practically all surfaces found inside a building take in common, everyday chemicals, such as cleaning supplies and pesticides, and continue to release these harmful fumes back into the air long after their initial absorption. Consequently, unless action is taken to rid the air of these persistent pollutants, many buildings stay continuously contaminated.

Pollution of air does have a serious and direct effect on human health. For example, asthma, allergies, and cancers can often be linked to air pollution. And while many think of outdoor air as the primary culprit, the Environmental Protection Agency states that the air inside is actually two to ten times more polluted than that outdoors.

This dangerous indoor air pollution comes from many sources, including perfumes, fireplaces, pesticides, candles, smoking, cleaning supplies, dust, construction materials, mold, and people. Chemicals such as pesticides, for instance, which are created to kill insects and other pests, are made up of both active chemicals and inert solvents that are extremely toxic, and as mentioned above, are often re-released into the air for prolonged periods of time.

Therefore, because many of the sources of indoor pollution cannot be eliminated, the air itself must be disinfected. To do this, the United States Centers of Disease Control recommends using a UV air purifier that employs a HEPA filter along with ultraviolet light. In addition, the U.S. Department of Agriculture states that a UV clarifier which generates negative ions is highly effective in ridding the air of bacteria and dust.

Many UV air purifiers on the market incorporate all of these methods. Together, they are able to remove and/or kill virtually all particulates and micro-organisms found in the air. This is extremely important; while the hairs in our noses filter larger particles, smaller particulates pass through to our lungs, resulting in serious health risks.

A HEPA (high efficiency particulate air) filter will trap 99.97% of these dangerous particulates a minute as small as three-tenths of a micron (which is 1/25,400 of an inch). Being trapped by the UV clarifier, they cannot again enter the air. Depending on the amount of pollution in the air, A HEPA filter often lasts several years, making the ultraviolet air purification system extremely cost-effective.

Some of the particulates passing through a UV air purifier are micro-organisms, such as bacteria, viruses, and mold. As these microbes pass by the ultraviolet germicidal light, their DNA is mutated, making it impossible for them to reproduce and grow. The HEPA filter works with the ultraviolet light as it captures hazardous microbes, allowing the ultraviolet light of the UV clarifier ample time to destroy all micro-organisms and render emitted air harmless.

Finally, negative ions work to attract positively-charged fine particles, including dust and mold spores. As negative ions attach to the positive particulates, they form clumps, become heavy, and fall to surfaces where they can be vacuumed or dusted. As these positively-charged fine particles are pulled from the air, a host of dead skin, dust mites, and bacteria, which would be inhaled, are removed, leaving the air safe to breathe.

In addition to a HEPA filter, ultraviolet light, and negative ion generation, it is important that an ultraviolet air purification system employ a fan. Just as placing the fan of an HVAC system in the constant-on position will help the system’s filter trap contaminants as air moves through, an ultraviolet air purification system must produce a constant flow in order to keep air moving through the UV clarifier so hazardous particulates can be trapped and killed.

Indoor air quality, according to the EPA, ranks number one as the United States’ environmental health problem. Therefore, every piece of technology that can be utilized by a UV air purifier should be incorporated as each plays an important role in the effectiveness of an ultraviolet air purification system. The HEPA filter, ultraviolet germicidal light, negative ions, and fan work together to rid indoor air of pollutants that will persist unless action is taken against this dangerous pollution.

About the Author:

Clean Air with Ultraviolet offers low-maintenance, energy efficient products that will minimize indoor air pollution. For more information on indoor air purifiers or the benefits of air purification, please visit Clean Air with Ultraviolet.

Buy the Honeywell HHT-145 HepaClean UV Antibacterial HEPA tower 3-in-1 Air Purifier
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We tend to think of cotton as pure and natural and images of pretty fluffy white seed heads come to mind. It is the most celebrated and popular fabric the world over and due to its enormous commercial value to so many countries is a significant part of foreign exchange earnings.

However there is another side to the coin which consumers may not be so familiar with. Cotton uses more pesticides per plant than almost any other crop in the world. Growing and harvesting 1lb of cotton fiber (which is enough to make the average tee shirt) exacts a deadly cost to the earth’s air, soil, water and ultimately animals, all of which has an dramatic impact on global health. Furthermore policies and routines employed within the industry ranging from crop subsidies from the wealthy nations to sweatshops which cause misery and poverty.

Organic cotton growing aims to work with nature and uses biologically based and not chemically based growing systems to raise crops. Farmers focus on managing rather than eradicating pests and weeds and help maintain an ecological balance. They have options to control weeds which include hoes, crop rotation, intercropping, mulches etc.

Beneficial ants are encouraged which feed on the cotton bollworm by planting sunflowers for example. Because the pesticides used in conventional cotton growing not only kill cotton pests but also eliminate helpful insects the balance of nature is overturned and there is an increased need for toxic chemicals. This has become known as the “pesticide treadmill”.

In California five of the top nine pesticides are carcinogenic (dicofol, naled, cyanazine, propargite and trifluralin).

The World Health Organization estimates that at least three million people are poisoned by pesticides every year and 20-40,000 more are killed.

Apart from problems associated with growing conventional cotton and processes involved in creating the fabric the dyes are further concerns. Toxins in the dyes affect skin and other organs. People with skin conditions such as eczema may be even more affected by chemicals and dyes. It has been suggested that babies have an increased likelihood of being affected because their skin is thinner and their bodies are still growing.

Basically the choice of whether or not to buy organic cotton is a personal one but I believe that there is a strong case to do so.

by Linda Sones
About the Author: Owner of an online shop selling organic cotton baby clothes and baby toiletries + handmade soap

Buy Organic Cotton, From Field to Final Product

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If you are like many people you live life to the fullest and take each day as a new day. You take care of yourself and your children as best as you can.

What if I told you that your home may be filled with toxins that are harmful to you and your children? Many people have no clue about the dangers that are present in their homes and the effects of chemicals and toxins.

Americans suffer from more degenerate disease then ever before. There is a definite link between the “Epidemic of Degenerative Disease” and the increase in the development of synthetic ingredients used in personal care products and home care products.

Many people do not consider their home to be a toxic waste dump and the facts may surprise them. The average home today contains 62 toxic chemicals. That is more than a chemistry lab! More than 72,000 synthetic chemicals have been produced since World War II, and those are the same chemicals that have been found in many homes across the nation!

Here are some facts about products that are found in many homes.

• Bleach has been linked to reproductive problems in men and learning and behavioral problems in children.
• Everyday household cleaners are the number one cause of poisoning children.
• Behavioral problems have been linked to exposure to toxic chemicals and molds.
• Carpet cleaner solution is extremely toxic to children. The fumes given off by carpet cleaners can cause cancer and liver damage.
• Laundry detergents, household cleaners and pesticides have been linked to breast cancer.
• Glass cleaners often may contain ammonia. Fumes from ammonia can irritate skin, eyes, and respiratory system.
• Toilet Bowl Cleaners are one of the most dangerous cleaning products. Can contain chlorine and hydrochloric acid. Harmful to health simply by breathing during use.
• Formaldehyde, phenol, benzene and toluene are found in common household cleaners, cosmetics, beverages, fabrics and cigarette smoke. These chemicals are cancer causing and toxic to the immune system.
• An EPA study stated that the toxic chemicals in household cleaners are 3 times more likely to cause cancer than outdoor air.

These are proven facts and back-up the real dangers in many products in our homes. If you use store bought window cleaner, disinfectants, carpet cleaners, make-up , degreasers or stain removers, you should be aware that all have been found to contain very dangerous chemicals and toxins. These toxins have been linked to cancer, immune system disorders, liver damage, and many other very common health issues many American’s face today.

So, what can people do to protect themselves and their families? Remove all toxic products from their homes! By removing those products and utilizing natural or organic made products, you will increase your chances of a healthy life and improve your health greatly!

About the Author:

Safe Wellness Products combines the best of science & nature come together to create healthy lives and toxin free homes! If you are concerned about you or your families health and wellness, we can help you create a more earth friendly home and eliminate toxins from your home! Visit http://www.safewellnessproducts.

Buy: The Healthy Home, An Attic to Basement Guide to Non-Toxic Living
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Intuitively the link between decluttering and creativity makes sense doesn’t it? Creativity thrives in the land of new ideas and open thinking, while clutter tends to be characterized by clinging on to old ideas, attitudes, habits and possessions. In order to free yourself up to be fabulously creative, you often need to be prepared to let go of the clutter first. Inspiration is unlikely to emerge unless you’ve created a space for it.

Clutter generally builds up quietly and imperceptibly over time. The reason for this is that not all clutter starts out its existence as clutter. If you think about the clutter in your life at the moment, you can probably recognize that much of it was originally useful and meaningful. It’s the passing of time and the moving on to different phases of your life that convert many of your once-wonderful ideas, items and relationships into life clutter.

You’ll probably find that, strangely enough, some of your old clutter consists of items and ideas that were once your creative playground. Many of yesterday’s creative sparks evolve into today’s clutter. It doesn’t mean that they weren’t creative at the time or that they had no worth, simply that time has passed and they are no longer current. I like to imagine them as the creative stepping stones that have brought me to where I am now - I couldn’t have got here without them, but their value is now in the past and by clinging on to them, I prevent myself from moving forwards.

That’s why decluttering has to be a way of life, a state of mind and an ongoing activity. Particularly during the times when you want to produce creative output.

There’s an important distinction to be made between clutter and creative messiness, though. A reader of my newsletter wrote to me about her decluttering routine: “I am an artist and always clean my entire studio before beginning a new series of paintings. Sometimes this might take two days! I put everything in the correct place, vacuum, wash windows, rearrange the feng shui, etc. When I am finished, I bless the space and then proceed to totally mess it up with all my creative materials and energy!!!”

The space you declutter may be a physical or a mental one - the important thing is that it’s clear, and that’s what allows it to be a creative start point. It liberates you to get out all your colored pencils, all your bright ideas, all your interesting words… to throw them in, mix them around and to make a gloriously creative mess. Then comes that amazing flow experience of being totally absorbed as, from the mess of creative potential, a sense of focus gradually emerges.

Most times, for me, I don’t think the focus would come unless I allowed myself the creative messiness first.

In this context, then, clutter is the stuff that blocks you from having the clear space in which to get creatively messy.

It may be environmental clutter - physical things gathering dust and taking up your creative space. That’s generally the most obvious kind of clutter to spot and to do something about.

But it may be mental or emotional clutter. For example: the internal voice that says you should be getting on with something more important, or the fear of producing creative output that isn’t perfect first time. These thought patterns and emotions are clutter too.

To embrace decluttering as a way of life and turn it to your creative advantage, there are three key skills to develop:

= Recognizing clutter before it even enters your life and stopping it at source

= Acknowledging which of your previously useful thoughts, attitudes and items have now turned into clutter

= Being prepared to thank the clutter for its earlier usefulness, then let it go

What life clutter would you like to thank for its usefulness, before letting it go and freeing yourself up for new creative ideas and output?

About the Author:
Mary McNeil is an experienced, ICF-certified life coach, natural born planner and declutterer extraordinaire! She works with her clients on a variety of decluttering, success and creativity projects. Check out her 30-day home learning e-course => Declutter Your Way To Creativity

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An ancient Chinese art of placement, Feng Shui literally translates as ‘wind-water’. This science balances the five elements - earth, metal, water, wood and fire, correcting the flow of energy in your environment thus setting the stage for positive happenings. It has successfully been applied by companies like Walt Disney, HSBC, Citibank, etc.

The environment in homes and offices is constantly influenced by the ‘chi’, i.e. the energy that comes in. This has a direct impact on the occupants and various aspects of their life such as health, success and opportunities.

The goal of Feng Shui is to make certain that the chi is flowing properly in your environment. When the energy is aligned, occupants are more successful in their lives and businesses. Before getting down to the life changing process of implementing Feng Shui in your home or office, it is vital that you prepare for these changes to occur. One of the basic ways in which you can do this is by getting rid of clutter.

Clutter can be defined as possessions that you don’t use any more. These are often objects that we believe may one day be useful, broken items that we intend to repair someday and old clothes that we hope to fit into again.

Everything in your house has the potential to raise or reduce your personal Chi or energy. Each area of your home has a symbolic meaning with which you resonate at a deep level. Clutter and untidiness causes constriction and inertia in the corresponding aspects of your life.

Clutter blocks your progress in the areas of opportunities, wealth and relationships. Putting things out of sight is not the solution. The stagnant Chi will still be present. Cleaning the clutter from your environment creates a free flow of chi which in turn brings abundance into every aspect of your life.

The following are simple and powerful tips that anyone can implement in their environment without a consultant and reap the benefits immediately:

1) Sitting and sleeping in your auspicious direction will not only increase your abundance but will also have a positive effect on your health and well being.

2) Broken gadgets should be repaired or disposed off as these will cause the chi to stagnate. This in turn causes various aspects of your life to stagnate as well.

3) Washing the floor with salt water at least once a week will keep the bad energy at bay.

Make the Most of Your Living Area
1) The energy coming through the front door is an important factor that determines how happy and prosperous the occupants will be. Make sure that there are no obstacles in the path of the flow of chi.

2) Placing a frog with a coin in his mouth at the entrance of your home will invite abundance and opportunities for you and your family members.

3) While most plants, especially upward growing ones are auspicious in your environment, cactus plants should be outside your home.

Create a Comfortable Environment in Your Bedroom
1) A bedroom mirror that reflects the bed creates serious problems. From relationship problems to severe health problems, these are avoidable simply by removing the mirror or by covering it completely at night

2) Remove any water images from the bedroom. The same principles that apply to mirrors in your sleeping area are valid here.

3) Do not place your bed under overhead beams since this causes headaches.

Bathroom, Toilet and Corridors
1) Keep your bathroom and toilet doors closed and place a framed mirror outside the bathroom door to prevent wealth and opportunity from being drained out.

2) Placing a bowl of sea salt in your bathroom will eliminate negative chi from this area. The salt has to be changed every two days.

3) Use a six rod metal wind chime in the center of a long corridor to break the flow of harsh chi.

Enhance the Energy in Your Office Space
1) Keep your work desk a clutter free zone and deal with any outstanding back log of bills, memos, paperwork etc. Doing so will create opportunities and possibilities.

2) Position your desk so that you are able to sit with a solid wall behind your back to ensure that you have support in your business.

3) Avoid sitting directly in front of the doorway since the harsh energy will come straight to your table bringing a lot of problems and obstacles directly to you.

Things to Keep in Mind while Buying a House
1)Avoid buying a house facing railway tracks, located near a police station, hospital, open drains, graveyards, etc as these are inauspicious and bring in a lot of harsh chi. This causes severe health problems.

2) Bathrooms located in the middle of the house can cause your energy to drain away, leaving you feeling tired and lethargic.

3) Avoid buying a home with an entrance that is below street level. It is difficult for beneficial Chi to enter this type of building.

Author: Leo Velloz
About the author: Leo Velloz is a Feng Shui Consultant and founder of ‘Holistic Studio’ where he helps people achieve their goals and enrich their lives through Feng Shui, Aura Scan, Meditation, Healing . He has completed his Masters in Feng Shui under Lillian Too in Malaysia. You can contact him at leovelloz@gmail.com or visit his website at www.holisticstudio.com

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Many people often find themselves cleaning their home like crazy, because they want to make sure their home is clean for their children. Unfortunately most people have no clue about the harmful toxins found in many household cleaning products. Many mothers an fathers find themselves using bleach to clean items bought at yard sales, and even to clean walls or bathrooms.

Why should they not? I mean the bottles do not say how toxic it is! All the manufacture cares about is making a parent think the product is great to kill germs, so as parents we buy them. They fail to alert users of the toxins contained in these cleaning products. Most parents find themselves cleaning off the baby’s crib, toys, and floors with cleaning products, that are leaving more toxins behind than the toxins they are cleaning because the companies are NOT required by law to alert the consumer!

Here are some facts about common household cleaning products found in many homes across the globe today!

Formaldehyde, phenol, benzene and toluene are found in common household cleaners and all have been linked as cancer causing and toxic to the immune system.

Children are highly vulnerable to chemical toxicants. Pound for pound of body weight children drink more water, eat more food and breathe more air than adults. The implication of this is that children will have substantially heavier exposures than adults to any toxicants that are present.

Most children at young ages spend much of the day putting things in their mouths. Especially toddlers, they seem to put anything and everything in their mouths that they can get their hands on. In 1998, scientists at Rutgers University discovered that pesticides sprayed in a home evaporate from floors and carpets, and then re-condense on plastic and foam objects such as pillows and plush toys. By observing how frequently a group of pre-schoolers put clean toys in their mouths, the researchers calculated that contaminated toys are likely to give young children much higher doses of poison than adults would get in the same environment.

Babies do not excrete contaminants or store them away in fat in the same ways that adults do, making the poisons more available to affect rapidly growing bodies. Furthermore, because a baby’s immune system is not fully functional, a baby’s body cannot counteract toxic effects as well as an adult can. In an adult, a blood-brain barrier insulates the brain from many of the potentially harmful chemicals circulating through the body. But in a human child, that barrier isn’t fully developed until six months after birth.

A pregnant woman can also pass the toxins from common cleaners to their unborn child! Many contaminants such as dioxins and PCBs have an affinity for fatty tissue. During pregnancy, women mobilize their amassed stores of body fat to provide nourishment for their growing babies; the contaminants in the fat are then passed to their children. Nursing mothers also transfer a good portion of their lifetime accumulation of chemicals to their babies.

Children that are exposed to toxins in the womb are at greatest risk of all. Because cellular structures change so rapidly during embryonic and fetal growth, a toxic exposure at the wrong moment can permanently alter further development. According to Dr. Landrigan, the central nervous system is especially vulnerable. To function properly, the developing brain must lay down an intricate web of interconnecting neurons. Small doses of neurotoxins during critical periods of brain development can alter those crucial neural pathways - one mistake early on, and the brain may be forever changed in subtle or serious ways. Government and university scientists are currently investigating the possibility of a connection betweenfetal exposures to toxins and developmental disabilities such as attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).

As a parent you SHOULD be concerned about this! Cleaning your home with toxic products are literally breaking down your children’s bodies and adding onto the changes of cancer and other life threatening health concerns.

Even if you had no clue about this concern, until you just read this article, now is the time to take action! You can start by only bring into your home toxin free cleaning products! Get rid of any products that are not eco-friendly. If a product is eco friendly, that means it is safe to have in your home! If it is safe to have in your home, it is safe to use without having to worry about the harmful effects!

Visit http://www.safewellnessproducts.com today and view the entire selection of all natural eco friendly home care products. All cleaning supply products are nontoxic, natural, concentrated, contain no phosphates and are a biodegradable formulas! This means they are safe to have in your home. Concentrated cleaning products will last longer than the store bought products, so you will be saving money and cleaning the toxins from your home!

Author: Danni Vickers
About the author: Safe Wellness Products combines the best of science & nature come together to create healthy lives and toxin free homes! If you are concerned about you or your families health and wellness, we can help you create a more earth friendly home and eliminate toxins from your home! Visit http://www.safewellnessproducts.

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I never really understood why I avoided certain products but I just felt that they had no place in a clean, classy life. I have had fairly heated disagreements with my significant others who proclaimed me a prima donna or worse. Now that I know these products are toxic, I have to believe that my instincts were protecting me. Incidentally, I also detest carpeting and canned foods but that is a topic for another day.

Plastics
I have always disliked Tupperware and other such plastics designed for food storage. I swore up and down that the food and water tasted different when stored or cooked in the plastic. I even used the argument with my ex-husband that nobody on the Food Channel (or restaurants) uses plastic bowls. Plastic in the kitchen seems so tacky and unnatural to me that I always made a point of using glass or ceramic. I even went so far to feed my cats out of glass bowls.

As it turns out plastic is very toxic particularly when microwaved. It releases dioxins into your food or water which are known carcinogens. Soft plastics are worse than the hard plastics and contain endocrine disruptors which can disrupt fertility, harm a fetus and more. Other molded plastics like the ones used for computer monitors release a dust which are now known to cause a number of health problems.

This is an excerpt taken from “Get Plastic Out of Your Diet“by Paul Goettlich at www.mindfully.org:

If one were to listen only to nonprofits and the industry, it would be natural to think that only the additives are toxic and migrate. But everything about plastics is toxic — both the additives and the base plastics. And both migrate in quantities that are problematic at extremely low concentrations. Some chemicals are obviously more so than others. But it is undeniable that they all migrate all the time into everything that they touch.

Even if it wasn’t toxic, there is something very unappealing about a scratched stained warped bowl vs. a beautiful clear glass, wood or ceramic container. If you are worried about breaking it then don’t drop it.

Particleboard
When I was in college I bought myself my first desk. It was roughly $100 and made entirely of particleboard covered in some sort of wood looking laminate It came in a box and I had to put the whole thing together myself. I was pretty proud of myself for purchasing my first piece of furniture and assembling the whole thing unassisted.

There is no question however, that I would have preferred a solid wood desk. I felt I could only afford a build it yourself model but that it was still cheap and tacky. Since that time I have made a point of furnishing my home with solid wood furnishings if at all possible. They just give me a better feeling which is a basic premise of feng shui.

As it turns out my instincts were right on target again. It turns out that both particleboard and plywood are made with formaldehyde of all things. This formaldehyde “offgasses” from porous surfaces and you breathe the result. Particleboard is made from a particularly toxic form called urea formaldehyde and it contains a large percentage of formaldehyde-containing glue.

Apparently you can buy sealants to prevent offgassing from dangerous surfaces but doesn’t it make more sense not to fill your home with this junk in the first place? Go a step further and purchase someone else’s used furniture made from quality non-toxic materials and reduce waste in the world.

Microwave
Other than making microwave popcorn, I have long despised microwaved food and beverages. I think they taste like crap. Even water that has been boiled by stove top or kettle vs. heated in a microwave tastes totally different to me. (I don’t know why the popcorn never bothered me).

About a year ago I found a study somewhere on the internet that showed a rise in white blood cell counts in people after eating microwaved foods. The interpretation? That your body sees microwaved foods and beverages as invaders rather than food. I took my microwave to the curb immediately and I refuse to eat or drink from a microwave since.

I have since read of people who do a simple “science experiment” with two plants. They water one plant with tap water or stove heated & cooled water and one plant with water that has been boiled in the microwave and then cooled. The result? The microwaved water plant dies. Check out this link to see photos of the alleged science experiment. In all fairness, check out this link which refutes the microwave water theory. Google “microwave water plants” and check out other people’s experiments for yourself.

Interestingly, most people I mention this to seem to think I am some kind of wacko conspiracy theorist and they are willing to risk raising their white blood cell counts for a bit of convenience. Even if I am wrong what did I lose? I am erring on the side of caution. Please dont forget that microwaved food still tastes like crap whether it is safe or not.

What is the moral of this story? If you are serious about taking an active and conscious role in your health and vitality then pay attention to your gut instincts. They could be right on.

www.whatstoxic.com
Img Source: http://flickr.com/photos/hotreactor/31878365/