Homemade Cleaning Recipes & Tips

Have you heard of the Clean Fifteen™ and Dirty Dozen? The @environmentalworkinggroup’s Shopper’s Guide to Pesticides in Produce™ is updated every year since 2004 and ranks the pesticide contamination of 46 popular fruits and vegetables. You can enter your location and email address to get a downloadable version of the Clean Fifteen™ and Dirty Dozen™ lists on their website to help you reduce exposures to toxic pesticides.

Most pet-care products, pest control sprays, insecticides, fungicides, pesticides and herbicides are especially dangerous. These formulas contain powerful, active ingredients designed to kill their intended targets quickly.

Not only do these deadly concoctions terminate a variety of pests, but they also wipe out harmless, beneficial insects that naturally control these unwanted nuisances in the first place. If a formulation is highly poisonous and lethal to pests and insects, it is likely to have repercussions over time on the overall health of humankind, our pets and the planet.

Substantial human exposure to these deadly formulas is easy, as they are readily absorbed on contact with our skin and when inhaled thus posing a serious threat to our wellbeing.

Conventional pesticides and chemical treatments have been proved to cause headaches, excess salivation, muscle twitching, nausea, diarrhoea, vomiting seizures, loss of consciousness and may even be responsible for cancer, nervous system poisoning and other fatal diseases.

To reduce our risk to these products, it is crucial that we switch to chemical-free, environmentally friendly alternatives. You can rid your homes and gardens of unwanted pests and insects through the use of essential oils and citrus fruits, which is a far safer and more humane way for all concerned.

From offices to homes, room to room, we are repeatedly bombarded by technology, emitting electronic pollution and radiation. Appliances such as computers, televisions, microwaves and clock radios to commodities, for example, electric blankets, lights, phones and remote controls, resulting in a device being permanently switched on in our home.

Even at low levels, accumulative exposure to these pollutants may pose significant health implications including fatigue, infertility, immune disorders and even cancer.

We can, however, effortlessly reduce our exposure levels by only employing these items as and when we actually need them, and ensuring all lamps, lights and other electrical devices are switched off before going out or to bed. Do not use dimmer switches or touch lamps, as they produce more radiation; stick to conventional lights and lamps and have dimmers removed by a certified electrician.

Do not leave electrical items on standby; always make sure that appliances are turned off at the socket.

There is mounting controversy over the safety of microwave ovens; even so, there is no doubt that they do produce radiation. If you must cook with a microwave oven, never stand directly in front of it while it is cooking, never put your face up to the glass and always keep young children and animals out of the kitchen while it is in use.

Bedrooms are designed for rest, relaxation and sleeping and should be electrical-free zones. Remove computers, televisions and mobile phones from the bedroom and replace electric blankets with thick duvets and electrical clock radios with battery-operated alternatives

Finally, make a concerted effort to limit the use of wireless technology; for instance, mobile phones, iPads and tablets, computers, cordless phones, Bluetooth technology and baby monitors.