Tips to Create a Safer,
Healthier Arizona Home
Studies abound documenting how pest control and house-
hold cleaners endanger our family’s health making them
up to seven times as likely to contract certain types of
cancer as well as a cadre of other ailments.
• The key is to make a decision to move in right direction,
not change everything at once.
• A change here and there is what it’s all about! Here are
ten tips that can start you on the path to a safer, less toxic
home:
• Cleaners with synthetic fragrances and phosphates are
one of the biggest problems. Avoid heavily scented
anything and switch to natural alternatives like Seventh
Nature Has the
Generation or Melaleuca.
• White vinegar makes a great weed killer at full strength,
Best Solutions
or dilute it in a spray bottle for kitchen and bathroom
to
cleaning. It prevents soap scum build up, inhibiting mold
and bacteria growth so you’ll not only get clean healthy
Detox Your Home
results, you’ll create surfaces that stay cleaner longer.
• Olive oil has amazing health benefits. It also makes a
great polish for wood furniture.
by elizabeth Hillestad • This one may sound funny but Vodka makes and excel-
lent way to get a streak free shine on any surface.
F
rom laundry detergent and cleaning agents, to weed
and pest control…We are all becoming more con-
• Replace the “germ hotels” we call sponges with cotton
scious of what we bring into our homes and expose
dishcloths that you can launder.
to our family, pets and the environment.
• Avoid air fresheners and switch to soy-based candles.
At some level, we all know that nature has better solu-
Open your windows everyday to air out odors and air-
tions than the chemical companies but what to do and
borne toxins that are trapped inside.
how to make choices that are safe, effective and afford-
• Use deodorant instead of antiperspirants and ensure
able can be confusing.
aluminum is never an ingredient..
• Launder clothing instead of dry cleaned whenever
Are Pests Bugging You? possible. Ensure your dry cleaner does not use trichlo-
All of us living in Arizona must contend with desert roethylene or PERC and remove the plastic bags before
pests – from scorpions, ants and roaches, to other creepy, hanging up your clothes.
crawly, itchy bugs. But few people realize the risks asso- • Leave your shoes at the door! Not only will your floors
ciated with making the simple choice to coat their homes stay cleaner but your shoes pick up an array of toxins
and properties with the pesticides to control them. during the day which you then deposit all over your home.
When you coat your property with substances that leave • Avoid pesticides at all costs. Use natural pest control
a trail of instantly dead bugs, there should be little doubt alternatives when making the important decision of how
about toxicity. When those poisons wash into the soil to eliminate bugs from your home.
around your home, the bugs come back so you are forced
to repeat process of toxifying your home environment
over and over.
There are hundreds of things we can do to live safer,
healthier, more environmentally friendly lives that don’t
It Costs No More to Do the Right Thing take any extra effort or cost! Just try a couple tips from this
The good news is that you have a choice. There are many list and keep an eye out for a few more things you can
safe and natural substances that can make your home and change next month. They key is to start the journey!
yard an undesirable habitat for pests. And there are natu-
ral cleaning alternatives to harsh chemicals and bleaches For more information, call 623-533-3890 or visit
for cleaning carpets, clothes and homes. www.naturalhomesolutions.com. See ad page 45.
“Next time a pest control professional tells you their treatment is perfectly safe ask them
to spray some in their mouth to prove it!” Elizabeth Hillestad, Natural Home Solutions
Pr i n t e d o n re c y c l e d Pa P e r t o Pr o t e c t t h e en v i r o n m e n t
April 2009 9
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