With my second cancerversary (anniversary of the discovery/diagnosis of my cancer) quickly approaching, I’ve been looking for ways that I can improve my environment and my health. As I learned last year, this anniversary evokes anxiety in me, so I’ve also been trying to find physical things I can do to decrease stress.
Cleaning and greening have been my focus. I don’t even remember what set me off—maybe seeing a pile of clutter or a corner that needed to be swept. Ever since, I’ve been enjoying making my home as clean as possible.
During this time I also read a book, Gorgeously Green by Sophie Uliano. While I’m not a fan of the “girlfriend” style of writing, the book did help me get bitten by the green bug. Through the book and reading some web sites, I learned several things about living a greener life, such as:
- Most recycling centers will only take #1 and 2 plastics. Think milk jugs and water bottles. Yogurt cups are typically #5, which means you might have a challenge finding a recycling center that takes them.
- Not all plastics are safe for heating food. In fact, the only plastic I’ve seen recommended for microwaving is #5, and even that recommendation sounds pretty wishy-washy, as in “may be safe.” Take a look at this web site, for example: Microwave-Safe Plastics.
I inspected all of my plastic containers and found that most of them were badly scratched. The surface of some that I used frequently for things like tea had worn away. I ended up bundling up all of these plastics and driving 10 miles to a recycling center that would take plastics other than #1 and 2.
To replace my plastics, I ordered Pyrex containers and this awesome Bormioli Rocco glass pitcher.
With all of this organizing of my cupboards, I found and discarded expired food. I also was cleaning with a mixture of ammonia and water, resulting in my lungs feeling wheezy. That led to my reading up on cleaning supplies.
Do you know that most everything can be cleaned with baking soda, vinegar, and water? Maybe you were like me and had heard something like that before but had never put it to the test. Well, I’m learning that there is really very little you need in the way of cleaners in your home. Nobody needs a separate toilet bowl cleaner. Some sprinkled baking soda works as a great scrubbing agent. Vinegar and water works great on mirrors and inhibits the growth of mold.
Furthermore, so many of the antibacterial cleaners we keep have helped create the so called “superbugs” that are resistant to antibiotics. Bacteria has been overhyped. One of the best things you can do to keep your bathroom free of bacteria is make sure the lid of the toilet is down before flushing. I recall reading an article or seeing a story on TV showing that the spray from the toilet goes several feet if you don’t put the lid down, and I’ve been a closed-lid flusher ever since.
Another wonderful find: Dr. Bronner’s organic liquid castile soaps. These come in a wonderful variety of scents, like citrus orange, rose, lavender and almond (my favorite), and they can be used to clean almost everything–carpets, your body and hair, laundry, general cleaning. They’re free of the bad stuff, and the company has a really rich, impressive history worth reading about; they continue to make a difference through promoting organic farming and fair trade.
As I’m sitting here, wrapping up this article, there’s a gentle scent of almond in the air. A bottle of Dr. Bronner’s arrived earlier, and I had opened the lid to take a whiff. A couple of days ago I cleaned the carpet with a nontoxic cleaner called Ecover. Everything smells fresh and clean, not that suffocating toxic product scent that I used to associate with a clean home.
But what’s really nice is it feels good to have made some changes at home. It feels good to support responsible companies. And it feels good to know I’m doing little things that might make a difference, both for my health and the health of the earth.
Photo credit: miyukiutada
