Why I Stopped Using Brand-Name Soaps and Detergents.

We are UNaware of what we use to clean ourselves and our homes.

Oh, how I keep discovering more and more unsafe products for human use and consumption.

If you live in New York, you might have heard on the news that the state has banned some ingredients in laundry detergents that are known carcinogens.

These ingredients were found in one of the most popular laundry detergent brands — Tide, among others.

To say I was happy is an understatement.

Unfortunately, there are still a lot more ingredients that need to be banned in this country. They're already banned in most parts of Europe, so why is it taking the U.S. so long to catch up to what we already know?

I have an answer, but if I say it, I'm sure I'll be called a crazy conspiracy theorist, and that's not the point of this blog.

The point is why I stopped using many well-known, supposedly best soaps and detergents for personal and household cleaning.

The majority are not safe.

I'm sure this one is no surprise after what I just mentioned. Unfortunately, it's not just laundry detergent you must look out for.

I've switched out my hand soap, body soap, dish soap, and the stuff I use to clean my wood floors. I stopped using bleach, Windex (any version of it), and anything considered a cleaning solution I've weaned out of and switched out.

Most of the ingredients in these products can cause a host of problems for us.

Skin irritation, sensitivity, and some even have endocrine-disrupting ingredients that mess with your hormones and fertility. Some have ingredients that are known carcinogens, as I mentioned.

What blows my mind is how people are okay with this or still keep purchasing these products because it's 'cheaper' — the few bucks I would save are not worth my health and future.

They are a marketing gimmick.

Corporations are very smart in how they advertise their products.

The front label makes it look like it will be the best thing you've bought all year, but once you turn the product around and read the ingredients list, the story is entirely different.

Whenever I pick up a new product, I think twice about purchasing it and always do a Google search.

I get a breakdown of the ingredients and see if anything is harmful.

I also use the Yuka app to get a clear read on the ingredients and their safety. Unfortunately, the Yuka app doesn't work on some products, but it's better than nothing.

Another marketing gimmick that these companies fool us with is making us think we need six different types of soaps or detergents to clean ourselves and our households.

This is not true. Next, I will show you what I've done to cut this down.

There are much better and safer alternatives that cost less.

I will give the two options you are probably tired of hearing about, but they are some of the best.

Baking soda and vinegar — I use vinegar to clean my wood floors and wipe my counters, and they look amazing.

I add baking soda to Castille soap to clean my sink, bathroom walls, fridge, counters, etc. Castille soap is another great option — I use Dr. Bronner's.

I went from buying cleaning spray for surfaces, bathroom soap, bleach, Windex, another soap for supposedly cleaning the toilet, etc., to just these three, and my apartment is cleaner and fresher than ever.

I feel a difference, too, with my mental clarity — when I cleaned with bleach or Windex, I got headaches.

I'm also saving a good chunk of money by not buying four or five different products with essentially the same purpose.

These companies always hope you’ll fall for this marketing gimmick — make you believe you need a bunch of products, so you buy way more than you need.

I'm not saying throw out everything you have right now and start over. You don't need to do that.

Like I said, you can wean out. Once you've used up, for example, Windex, buy distilled white vinegar instead to start wiping down surfaces.

It’s time we stop mindlessly giving our hard-earned money to corporations that create harmful products.

They've made it clear they only care about their bottom line, so let's stop feeding it.

Let's send the message that if they want to stay in business, they will have to care about a person's health and long-term well-being — buy products from smaller brands like Molly's Suds (the laundry detergent I use) made of safe and effective ingredients.

Become proactive about your household’s health and well-being. Study, research, and find better alternatives. You’ll be thankful you did.