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Posts filed under Green Living. Show all blog posts.
Playing with Fire
Candles are often overlooked as a cause of poor indoor air quality and can affect our health. Paraffin candles are unfortunately the predominant ones on our shelves. Why? Paraffin is cheap—it’s basically the final by-product in the petroleum refining chain…petroleum sludge, if you will. When paraffin candles are burned, they emit toxins and soot that is harmful to our health (think second-hand tobacco smoke). Why would you want that on your birthday cake as everyone important to you gathers around?
When we make better choices and buy, for example, beeswax candles, we support beekeepers and bees, and they are better for our world and the air we breathe in our homes. Pretty simple. Beeswax candles leave your air fresher and cleaner—they are a true air purifier and they are the only candle for those with chemical sensitivities or allergies. Also, make sure to select 100% pure beeswax (candles can be labelled as beeswax candles even with only 10% beeswax and many are blended with cheap paraffin to cut costs).
Beeswax may be more expensive, but they have a much slower burn rate, so you’ll be able to use them over and over again.
Light, burn safely, blow out. And repeat often. Celebrate happily and in good health, for you and the world.
In honour of Earth Day, I have some simple suggestions on how to ‘green’ your home and improve your family’s overall health.
Still rocking the Teflon, non-stick pan set from your wedding registry? Stainless steel, cast iron, and the latest in earth-friendly cookware are a better alternative. The ‘King of Non-Stick’, Teflon, is produced with highly toxic chemicals that are a likely human carcinogen. While on the topic, avoid using the self-clean option on your oven because these ovens are lined with non-stick services that emit toxic fumes during the ‘cleaning’ process.
Avoid using chemicals to mask odours. Room deodorizers (or plug-ins) are the worst culprits for spritzing chemicals around a room. Instead, open your windows and let the sunshine and fresh air into your home. Sunlight is a natural killer of bacteria. Fresh air and plants will also remove odour, improve air quality, and save you money!
There’s no need for fabric softeners and dryer sheets. Dryer sheets provide a double whammy of skin irritation and airborne toxins for your family to ingest. Walk around your neighborhood on a beautiful, clear morning and you’ll smell the homes that are using dryer sheets from outside. Think of how high the chemical concentrate from those sheets must be if you can smell it in that context. There are healthier alternatives to keeping your clothes soft.
Start cleaning and laundering with eco-friendly cleaners. Not only will the fish thank you, but your health will improve, too. And your children can safely help you clean using a microfibre cloth or washing dishes with eco-friendly soap because the toxic ingredients are gone.
Being green definitely has its benefits.
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