Category: Clean Living

Self-Care September Day 29: Nurture Your Green Thumb

9/29/2020

You may have heard the urban legend that a NASA study concluded having certain types of plants in your living space can purify your air.

While the study, done in the late 1980's, is scientifically valid, the takeaway that putting a peace lily in your bedroom will create more oxygen at night isn't exactly right. (To create these kinds of results, you'd need close to 1,000 plants in a 10x10 room.)

However!

Bringing plants and greenery into your living space can still be considered self-care. Co-exisitng with other living things that you’re caring for can bring you joy, happiness, and a sense of purpose, which affect your mood in positive ways.

I love accessorizing my house with houseplants - I love how they breathe life into a space and the way you can cultivate a loving relationship with them. And if you start small and pay attention, it's much easier to keep them alive than you might think. You can get the hang of learning the plant's language and the beauty they provide is worth the extra effort!

Benefits of Houseplants

Boost mood, productivity, concentration, and creativity
Reduce stress, fatigue, sore throats, and colds
Humidify the air
Beautify a space
Help to clean indoor air by absorbing toxins
Add life to a sterile space, create privacy, and reduce noise levels
Therapeutic and cheaper than a therapist

Houseplant Tips

Pick a spot for your plant to live, they don’t like to be moved around. In fact, the majority of plants don’t like change, but sometimes they need it to thrive (just like people!)
Remember that light is food for a plant. You can read more about why, how much, and what type of light your houseplants need in this article from The Sill.
Pick a day to water your houseplants and stick to it. Make sure to water evenly around the soil. I use "Water Wednesday" as my weekly reminder to check if my plants need a drink - some do each week, some can wait for two weeks. ("Thirsty Thursday" is another cutesie way to keep track of your watering day.)
Remember plants don’t like their “feet” constantly wet, so water in small amounts, taking care not to overwater. Overwatering can lead to bugs!
Related, don’t let your plants sit in water. I like to water mine in my kitchen sink or bathtub so they can drain well. If you choose a planter without a hole on the bottom, be sure to place some small rocks under the dirt so the water doesn’t saturate the roots.
Plant in a big enough planter so they have room for the roots to grow. I tend to initially leave mine in the plastic container they came in and just put them in baskets or pots until they need something bigger.
Dust your plants and talk to them as you do! You can use a wet rag to clean the leaves, and coconut oil is also great to rub on the big leaves to make them shiny and new, but not if your plant sits in direct sunlight - the oil can burn the leaves if that's the case.
Some plants like having their leaves misted, so I use a DIY Plant Spray I made to do exactly that. I also spray the top of the soil with it to deter bugs. In a 16oz spray bottle, I mix 1 cap of On Guard cleaning concentrate, 10 drops peppermint oil, 10 drops wild orange oil, 10 drops Clove oil, and distilled water. Peppermint, wild orange and clove oils are all natural pest deterrents.

Troubleshooting

Brown Leaves– When houseplants get brown on their leaves, it’s generally an indication of poor watering habits. The best way to water a houseplant is to thoroughly flush it until water runs freely out the drainage holes. Shallow watering can cause brown tips on the leaves.
Yellow Leaves The most common reason that plants’ leaves turn yellow is because of moisture stress, which can be from either over watering or under watering. If you have a plant that has yellow leaves, check the soil in the pot to see if the soil is dry.
Gnats Reducing excess moisture is a key to getting rid of gnats in houseplants. Add a thin layer of pebbles or gravel to the top of the potting soil in your indoor plant containers. Clean your catch trays. Insert sticky traps into your houseplants.
Common Reasons Houseplants Die include not getting enough light, watering the wrong way, giving too much fertilizer, the air is too dry, or you think it's dead but it's not.

Great Beginner Houseplants
Philodendron

This plant has a reputation of being one of the easiest houseplants to grow. It's a perfect plant to hang from high places or place on high shelves because the leaves can trail up to 10 feet!
Bright, indirect sunlight
Water once a week or even every other - check to see when the top part of the soil is dry. Don’t let the roots sit in water.

Succulents

Bright, full sun is ideal, but medium, filtered light can work, too
Water every two weeks for smaller succulents or monthly for larger ones. Do not overwater - you run the risk of them sitting in the water which will cause plant to rot. Better to error on the side of a thirsty succulent than a drowning one.

Snake Plant

Often called “Mother in-law Tongue,” this is another reportedly easy peasy plant to care for
Low light (this plant has even been rumored to survive in windowless office building!)
Low water requirements

Peace Lily

One of the most common houseplants because of how easy it is to grow
Keep the soil moist, but do not overwater. Peace lilies can tolerate short periods of dry soil, but their leaves will start to brown if neglected for too long.
Bright but not direct light

Self-Care September Day 29: Nurture Your Green Thumb

Pick a plant to welcome into your home. Love it and it will love you back.

I love you and will see you soon!
xo,
Coach Alex

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Why I Switched to Natural Cleaning Products (+Recipes to DIY!)

9/24/2020

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When I was diagnosed with an autoimmune disorder in 2019, I knew there was more I could do to hasten my healing beyond taking a daily prescription pill. I started scouring the internet and the library for resources regarding all the ways I could improve what I put in, on, and used around my body in an effort to support my health.

One of those ways was to change the cleaning products we used.

The Reasoning
Have you seen the documentary "Stink" on Netflix? It's eye-opening (and a bit jarring) to realize the way toxic chemicals in our everyday cleaning products can cause (and are causing! and continue to cause!) major health problems. Environmental experts estimate the average household contains about 62 toxic chemicals, from the phthalates in synthetic fragrances to the noxious fumes in oven cleaners.

Of course, we all want our homes to be sanitized and smell good, but here's the catch - most air fresheners and store-bought cleaning products are actually doing you a huge disservice when you use them in your home. In fact, a study by the University of California at Berkeley found that when used excessively or in a small, unventilated area, these products release toxic levels of pollutants.

Let me say that again - people are cleaning their homes with toxic levels of pollutants.

Ingredients in common household products have been linked to asthma, cancer, reproductive disorders, hormone disruption and neurotoxicity. I absolutely encourage you to do your own research, but please make it a point to look into what you are cleaning with. You can check this website to get a sense of how toxic standard household cleaners are.

We decided to engage in a gigantic "ditch and switch" from the toxic household cleaners we'd been using in our home to natural alternatives that I could make myself. I'd already been using doTerra essential oils since 2009 for the aromatic experience, but in 2019, I really dug into the ways I could combine them with natural cleaning agents like vinegar and castille soap to take full advantage of all their beneficial properties.

Even when the pandemic hit in 2020, we stuck to our all-natural cleaners because we'd already witnessed the way they effectively and consistently got the job done, and we stayed healthy.

The Major Players

Lemon Oil is is an amazingly powerful cleansing agent. It purifies both the air and surfaces and also works as a natural deodorizer.
Tea Tree Oil is another versatile, safe, and natural option. It has powerful antimicrobial, antibacterial, antiviral, antifungal and antiseptic properties that make it both a fantastic natural remedy for your medicine cabinet and a safe cleaner for your home.
Lavender Oil smells nice and supports calm and relaxation.
Purify Oil is a proprietary blend from doTerra designed to eradicate odors in a natural, safe way. Purify replaces foul odors quickly and is an effective cleaner throughout the home. (I use a few drops of Purify oil on my wool dryer balls that I use in place of fabric softener sheets.)
On Guard Cleaning Concentrate is another doTerra exclusive oil blend combined with plant-based derivatives to provide a non-toxic and biodegradable way to clean and eliminate odors. Not for use on hardwood floors or natural stone countertops.

The Recipes

All-Purpose
16oz glass spray bottle

2T On Guard Cleaner Concentrate
4T Vinegar
6 drops Lemon Oil
6 drops Purify Oil
6 drops Tea Tree Oil

*shake well*

Bathroom Counters/Surfaces
16oz glass spray bottle

2T On Guard Cleaner Concentrate
1/4C Vinegar
11 drops Lemon
11 drops Purify
5 drops Tea Tree

*shake well*

Bathroom Tub/Tile Paste
small glass container with snap-tight lid

3/4C Bon Ami
1/4C Castille Soap
1T Distilled Water
1T Vinegar
10 drops Lemon Oil
10 drops Tea Tree Oil

*add water as necessary to make the paste a spreadable consistency*

(Note: to clean our toilet bowls, I sprinkle Bon Ami in the bowl, then spray the Bathroom Surface cleaner on it, too. I let it sit for about 10 minutes before scrubbing the bowl with a brush and flushing.)

Carpet Refresh
glass jar with small holes punched through lid

1C Baking Soda
30 drops Lavender Oil or Peppermint Oil

*sprinkle onto carpet for 15 minutes before vacuuming*

Furniture Polish
10oz glass bottle

1/2C Vinegar
1/4C Olive Oil
15 drops Lemon Oil
15 drops Lavender Oil

*shake well*

Glass Cleaner
16oz glass spray bottle

1t Vinegar
1 capful of On Guard Cleaner Concentrate
5-10 drops of Lemon Oil
Distilled Water

*shake well*

Granite Countertops
16oz glass spray bottle

1/2C Isopropyl Alcohol
1/2t Natural Dish Soap
1&1/2C Distilled Water
10 drops Lemon Oil
10 drops Lavender Oil

*shake well*

This is what works for our home. Of course, your mileage may vary, and as I mentioned earlier, I encourage you to do your own research. There are lots of options out there! Don't feel overwhelmed if your current cleaners get a toxic score on the Environmental Working Group's website or like you're doomed if you don't make a zillion changes all at once. If you do want to do your own "ditch and switch," just start replacing your current cleaners as they run out with natural, safer solutions.

Let me know if you have questions in the comments below. :)

I love you and I'll see you soon!
xo,
Coach Alex

P.S. Looking for more "ditch and switch" ideas? I invite you to check out my blog post 12 Changes We've Made to be a Healthier Home.

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Self-Care September Day 24: Deep Clean Something

9/24/2020

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Like many of our self-care tips, this one has both physical and mental benefits.

Cleaning is good for your mental health. This study showed how people who live in cluttered homes have higher levels of cortisol in their systems, indicating a direct link between your space and your stress. Visual clutter leads to mental clutter, even if you try to convince yourself this is just the way you are wired, and you've learned to live with it. Fortunately, this can be reverse engineered, meaning the more piles you get rid of, the calmer you will feel.

Cleaning is good for your physical health, too. A study from Indiana University found that people with clean houses are healthier than people with messy houses. Participants who kept their homes clean were healthier and more active than those who didn’t. In fact, house cleanliness was even more of a predictor for physical health than neighborhood walkability.

A clean home leaves fewer places for germs and bacteria to hide. It's true that some germs can be beneficial for strengthening our immune systems (this is why hand sanitizers should be used very, very sparingly,) but you'll want to pay regular attention to cleaning hot spots where too many germs put you and/or your family at risk for serious illness.

Germ hot-spots include:

Countertops (aim to keep non-food items off kitchen counters, and disinfect them before and after preparing food)
Kitchen sink (kitchens usually contain more germs than bathrooms - aim to disinfect your sink twice a week, including the sides)
Toothbrush holders (especially if they are kept in close proximity to a toilet, double especially if you aren't closing the toilet lid before flushing each time)
Kitchen sponges (microwave them or run them through the dishwasher to zap bacteria on a weekly basis, and change them out regularly)
Carpet, bedding, upholstery (dust and allergens build up over time, contributing to allergies and asthma)
Remote controls, keys, cell phones, keyboards (these are good contenders for daily cleaning)
Same with doorknobs, cabinet/faucet handles, light switches, and drawer pulls
Cutting boards (use different ones for meat and veggies and disinfect after every use)
Pet bowls and toys (ideally, you're washing their food/water bowls daily and sanitizing toys regularly. Keep in mind that fewer toys equal fewer germs floating around your house)
Hand towels (especially when you entertain)

Self-Care September Day 24: Deep Clean Something

Pick one (or two or all) of the places listed above and spend some time today cleaning it completely and thoroughly. Repeat regularly for maximum health benefits.

Just writing this article has me itching to go give my house a nice, solid cleaning, so I'm off to do just that.

(Interested in making your own safe, natural cleaning products? Check out this blog post where I share the recipes I use!)

I love you and will see you soon!
xo,
Coach Alex

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12 Changes We've Made to be a Healthier Home

1/31/2020

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Since being diagnosed with an autoimmune disorder last year, I've made a bunch of small changes, one by one, in an effort to decrease our contact with toxins and increase our overall level of health and wellness.

These changes have also led to stronger immune systems in our bodies - we get sick a lot less than we used to around here, and when we do get sick, we bounce back faster than before.

If you are thinking about doing a "ditch and switch" to less toxic products, you might find inspiration from these 12 changes that we've made (or in some cases, are making) so far.

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Self-Care September Day 29: Nurture Your Green Thumb

Why I Switched to Natural Cleaning Products (+Recipes to DIY!)

The Major Players

The Recipes

Self-Care September Day 24: Deep Clean Something

12 Changes We've Made to be a Healthier Home

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