Did you know there are more than 60 toxic chemicals in the average American household!? Those chemicals could be wrecking all kinds of havoc on your body and those who live in your home. From something simple like a headache to endocrine disruptors to cancer. These chemicals are no joke and should be avoided at all costs. I know it can be a little overwhelming to go through the ingredients of every product you use, so that is why I am here to help you navigate this world to a more natural lifestyle. Together we will work on detoxing your home one room at a time, but today let’s focus on detoxing your kitchen.
The space where you might spend the majority of your day, preparing meals, cleaning, and laughing with your family. This space is so important, and several chemicals could be lurking right in plain sight. Before we jump into some of these products that could be potentially toxic, I want to tell you about an app that could make this process easier for you. Have you ever heard of the app called Think Dirty? I would highly recommend you downloading it as it can easily help you scan products in your home and break down the ingredients for you. Products listed on the app are given a rating from 0-10, with 0 being the cleanest and 10 being filled with chemicals. This tool is helpful, but I wouldn’t just rely on this solely. Please use this tool along with doing your own research on ingredients so you can be sure you are providing the best environment for your family.
Most of our products that we are going to focus on detoxing in the kitchen are going to be found around your kitchen sink. Around your sink, you might find products such as hand soap, dish soap, dishwasher detergent, cleaning sprays, and even hand lotion. When buying these products, you want to make sure they are free from phosphates, phthalates, sodium laureth sulfate (SLES), sodium lauryl sulfate (SLS), dyes, synthetic fragrances, and chlorine, to name a few. Let’s jump right in and talk about some of my favorite products for the kitchen and some easy DIYs.
Soaps and Detergents
When you spend a lot of time in your kitchen, you might find yourself constantly washing your hands at the sink. It is important to find a hand soap that kills bacteria but is gentle on your skin and does not contain harsh chemicals. If you haven’t realized yet, I want you to take away from this post that you do NOT need toxic, harsh chemicals to kill bacteria and clean. My favorite home line products are the abode line. You can read more about them here. We are going to focus on some of these products throughout this post.
The abode foaming hand wash concentrate is by far my most used product from the abode line. It smells amazing, is tough on dirt and grease, but also very gentle on your hands. You can buy the refillable dispenser, which has fill lines for the concentrate and water or find a dispenser of your own that is relative in size. This hand wash is toxic-free and also very sustainable for the environment. Reusing a dispenser over and over again, shipping a concentrate instead of a ready-to-use product (that is about 90% water), and having an aluminum concentrate package helps not only your home but also helps you watch out for the environment. I don’t want to get into that too much in this post but for more on that, be sure to read through the abode line article.
Staying on the subject of soaps, let’s talk about dish soap next. You guessed it the abode line also has a dish soap that follows right in line with the foaming hand wash. It has an extra cleansing power with added Grapefruit essential oil and cleans/kills bacteria on your dishes while also being gentle on your hands. It is very important that you are cleaning your dishes with a toxic-free cleaner since your food will be cooked, plated, and ate off of these dishes. You do not want to be consuming the chemicals that stick to your dishes from those harsh cleaners.
The same thing goes for your dishes that go through your dishwasher. I know the struggle of trying to find a dishwasher detergent or pod that actually gets the dishes clean and is chemical-free at the same time. I searched and searched, and finally, the abode line was created and came to the rescue. The abode dishwasher pods are a very close 2nd to the hand wash for me. These things can clean and make the dishes sparkle like no other chemical-free pods I have found before. Check out the reel below I made for my friends on Instagram. I intentionally put super dirty dishes in the dishwasher without rinsing them to try out these pods on my own. Do you think they passed the test?
Are you someone who prefers to do DIYs? If so, check out this DIY dishwasher detergent.
Hand Lotion
Now that your hands are clean and your dishes washed, let’s talk about another product that might be sitting at your kitchen sink. Until recently, I have never had lotion at the sink, BUT that has changed. No matter how gentle a hand wash is, your hands will tend to get dry at some point with frequently washing them and possibly being out in the harsh weather (homestead wife here).
The abode hand lotion has the same uplifting smell as the abode foaming hand wash and can be stored right beside it with the same beautiful glass dispenser bottle. It has a lightweight formula with no silicones but yet is so moisturizing without the greasy feel. It is definitely a needed product right next to your hand wash.
Cleaning
Keeping a kitchen clean can be a hard task, but it can be so much easier when you have a great surface spray that is also non-toxic. The abode line would not be complete without the multi-purpose surface cleaner, and of course, you can get the matching bottle to go with your other products. I love how everything matches and can help make your kitchen look modern and clean.
The surface cleaner comes in a concentrate form, just like the hand wash. This helps cut down on the carbon footprint, and the concentrate comes in a glass bottle for easy recycling. It is recommended to use the concentrate in a 1 (concentrate) to 9 (water) parts mixture. The convenient glass spray bottle is the perfect size to add the concentrate and fill the rest of the bottle with water. No measuring or thinking is required.
The key component in the cleaner is Thymol, a natural compound found in several plants and oils. Thymol is an antimicrobial, antifungal, and antibacterial substance that can damage the cell wall of bacteria and fungi. With the cell walls damaged, the bacteria and fungi are no longer able to cause disease or illness. That is some strong cleaning power packed into a non-toxic concentrate.
Here is a great DIY glass cleaner. This is also helpful for cleaning the microwave and refrigerator.
Air Freshener
The last bit of detoxing for your kitchen we are going to talk about is freshening the air. Most likely, all those air fresheners, candles, or even wax melts that are making your home smell like fresh baked cookies or Christmas morning contain chemicals. The good news is, it is super easy to replace them with a natural option, AND you can create your own new aroma each day depending on how you are feeling. Another win-win is that not only will this aroma help your home smell amazing, but it also has benefits for emotions and helps cleanse the air.
It’s time to throw those toxic air fresheners out and replace them with a diffuser. There are tons of diffusers out there, and you can find one that matches your décor and style. Just fill with water and add a couple drops of your favorite essential oil(s) and start that baby up. Goodbye to those headaches from those harsh chemicals and hello fresh air and uplifting or relaxing mood (whichever you pick). This is by far the easiest way to eliminate lots of toxins in your home and help you accomplish that toxin-free household we are all striving for.
Make This Your Journey
If you are just getting started on eliminating toxins in your home, it can be overwhelming at times. I suggest focusing on one product at a time and slowly working up to your whole home. Detoxing your kitchen is the first place I would start but grabbing a diffuser first is the best way to work it into every room in your home. My advice would be to replace one toxic product a month. If you need more help or advice on getting started, please feel free to reach out at any time. I am here to service you and help you walk through this journey (non-toxic friends are the best).
All you need to know about diffusing essential oils
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