Spring feels like the perfect time to reevaluate things in life like ditching old clothes or furniture and starting fresh! I figured while getting full swing into spring cleaning, I might as well reconsider some of the things I use to clean my space and try to go a greener route. I spoke to local expert, Julie Boucher of Own Your Happy about ways to go green when cleaning.

Julie, who started making her own laundry detergent 20 years ago, started the website Own Your Happy in 2013 to share as many DIY holistic recipes as possible, “I was always sharing random recipes with people. So instead of emailing a bunch of people, I decided to start Own Your Happy,” she says. She’s now on a mission to detox 1000 homes in 2017 with her tips and tricks! She is full of insight on how to approach a greener life and she’s compiled her own list right here to help you detox your home!

Read Julie’s list to help inspire a greener way of cleaning!

1. Take your shoes off
Wearing your shoes inside brings in pesticides, bacteria, germs, and petroleum by-products. Take them off before you come in and leave the toxins outside. Bonus? It’s free!

2. Rethink how you dust
Using most cleaners when dusting spreads toxins around your home. Switch to natural microfibre cloths which attract dust particles and can be reused.

3. Educate yourself
Read up on the brands you use on the Environmental Working Group site (www.ew.org – or download the EWG app). They break down the ingredients and grade products based on toxicity levels.

4. Pay close attention to greenwashing
Greenwashing is when a company presents an environmentally responsible public image but their ingredient list doesn’t add up. I used to swear by Method’s wood cleaner until I checked the EWG and realized it has a D-rating.

5. Start small
Focus on one area of your home first. I started with our cleaning products and slowly worked my way through our home. Starting small really helps you build the momentum to create long term changes.

6. DIY
The thing about living a more natural lifestyle is that you can usually find everything you need in your kitchen.

7. Reduce, reuse, recycle
My favourite part of living this way is using everything I have. I use an old glass spice container to house my dry shampoo and an empty Perrier bottle for my all-purpose spray.

8. Phase out the plastics
Plastics can leach into whatever they come into contact with and it’s a known fact that when the compounds that make up plastic are ingested, they damage the body on a cellular level. Switching to glass containers and reusable bags is a no brainer.

9. Air care
Fragrances emit numerous types of potentially hazardous chemicals so if you stop doing anything at all, stop using scented products. If you love the look of candles, switch to pure beeswax candles or salt lamps. They clean the air by releasing negative ions that can bind with toxins to help remove them. If you love a nice smelling home (who doesn’t?), purchase a diffuser and some certified pure therapeutic grade essential oils that offer a pleasant aroma and health benefits.

10. Check your beauty products
Women use an average of 12 personal care products per day which contains approximately 168 chemicals. There are safer brands out there like Beauty Counter, Haute Cosmetics and Ilia and the nail industry is finally starting to catch on with companies like Floss and RMS. I still have some makeup to get rid of but I’m using what I have and being choosy with their replacements or making my own.

Bonus for the ladies :: Pads and tampons are usually made from non-organic cotton and synthetic materials that have been soaked in pesticides and bleached. Reduce your personal landfill and toxic load and switch to a menstrual cup like the Diva Cup which can be now be found in most stores!

:: KUWK readers can go to the OYH website and use code KUWK to download a free DIY cleaning recipe ebook :: 

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