For a long time, I reacted to anything off in my body the way most of us do. I looked for the symptom, found something that stopped it, and moved on. That's how we learn to think about health, and it has its place.
Over time, something changed for me, mostly my mindset. When I lower the load on my body step by step, it has more room to regulate itself. This post is about the small things in your home that can weigh on you.
This is general information, not medical advice.
Why the small things get overlooked
Most of us start with the obvious products: household cleaners, laundry detergent, maybe skin care. They get attention first because they're easy to spot.
Then come the smaller things. They sit in drawers and under the sink. You use them all the time, they don't feel like products, and so they rarely make it onto a list. That's the next layer. You don't have to keep everything in view from the start. Swap things piece by piece, one step at a time.
The cleaner I was afraid to buy
For a long time, I hesitated to buy a household cleaner. It looked expensive to me. Then I realized it's a concentrate, and one bottle lasts forever.
There are many ways to clean with fewer harsh ingredients. This one convinced me with how well it works and with my own research. Today we clean only with plant-based products, for our cats and because I love walking barefoot. That way we support our bodies and put less strain on them. It's also better for Mother Earth, because we put less strain on the planet.
What I let go of
I never used dryer sheets. They're among the most heavily perfumed things in a house. I use wool dryer balls instead, and I love them because they reduce static in the laundry.
Candles were harder. I used to light them almost every day in almost every room, at least in the dark season. Not anymore. Now I notice how awful the candle aisle smells when I walk past it.
I wrote about this in one of my recent Weekly Wellness emails: burning scented candles release formaldehyde and fine particles into the indoor air. If topics like this interest you, you can sign up for my Weekly Wellness below.
Scented trash bags went quickly. I always found them awful.
The laundry
I add 30 drops of a wonderful essential oil blend to my bottle of plant-based laundry detergent. On the wool dryer balls, I put four to five drops per ball. The blend has clove, cinnamon, lemon, rosemary and eucalyptus radiata. The scent is heavenly, and it's natural. I look forward to it every time I open the machine.
The kitchen
In our kitchen, we store food almost only in glass. We have glass bowls, and the plastic bowls have mostly disappeared. We pay attention to which materials touch our food.
For sponges and brushes, I keep searching, and I've found good solutions. They're not always available in Panama, though (or I not always find them). So I stock up when they're back in supply, and I'm happy with that. Most of the time we manage well.
What matters most to me is that I can wash them or dry them quickly. Then they don't turn musty in our climate.
Humidity in Panama
Here's what we do at home: we keep the air moving. Our closets stay mostly open, and ceiling fans keep the air circulating. Good air circulation is essential.
We clean regularly. Once a week a housekeeper comes and cleans the floors and the whole house from top to bottom, plant-based of course. That works very well for us.
In the bathroom, a dehumidifier runs after every shower. It's one of the helpful devices we've added, and by now we own several. It shows the current humidity before I switch it on. We always aim to stay below 50 percent.
Every two weeks I put a waterless diffuser in the closet, with the same wonderful blend I use for the laundry. The same blend runs in the bedroom every evening for about half an hour to forty-five minutes. The room smells lovely, and I look forward to a restful night.
We also have an oil blend I like for neutralizing odors. It works well because it neutralizes odors instead of covering them with fragrance.
When strong cleaners are too much
Turn a bottle of conventional household cleaner around and read the warnings. Many say that breathing in the fumes is harmful. It's easy to overlook because we use these products so often. That's why I avoid them, and it's a big reason I clean the plant-based way today.
I made the switch because I wasn't feeling well, and I gradually removed everything from my life that didn't do me or my body any good.
If you still clean with strong products that carry warnings, open a window or a door while you clean. A few rules help:
- Always follow the directions on the label.
- Use only one product at a time.
- Protect yourself with gloves and a mask when you use strong products.
- Never mix products.
- A better alternative is plant-based cleaning products.
If you'd like to know more about how to protect yourself, reach out. Send me an email or comment below, and I'll get back to you.
You decide what to change first
When you see the list, it can feel overwhelming. Try not to change everything at once.
- Start with the product you use most often. Frequent use adds up, so it belongs at the top.
- Replace the product that just ran out with a better one, for example one with fewer harsh ingredients. I'm happy to help you with that.
- Look at the products with the strongest smell. That's a clear sign it's worth a closer look.
Keep what works
I don't believe in throwing away products you've already paid for. Go step by step instead. Use things until they're finished, then replace them. So use what you have, and choose the replacement with more care.
The walk through your home
Here's a small exercise. Walk through your home with your phone or a notebook. Look in every room, every drawer and every cupboard, and write down what you notice. Read the labels of products you've used out of habit but never read. After ten to twenty minutes, you'll know what to replace next.
Stay in touch with me
Every week I send you my Weekly Wellness: small, doable steps for your everyday life, seasonal ideas and simple habits that fit your real life. You can sign up for free here.
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