Last summer I started detoxing our home, partially for general health reasons but also because during my research when we were trying to conceive, I learned a lot about hormone disrupters in our homes that can affect fertility. So I wanted to tackle those, along with generally “cleaning up” the products in our home. This is the update on what products I’m still using and what I’ve changed up.

Week No. 1 | Scented Plug-ins UPDATE

I started off with Week 1: Scented Plug-ins. These are bad bad bad, you guys. Synthetic fragrance is just BAD. You can read more about why in that blog post. This being said, a lot of my detoxing efforts were about going fragrance-free in our home; where and how.

My first efforts were trying something new with the scented plug-ins. I found something online about pouring out the liquid from plug-ins and replacing them with pure essential oils. This totally worked- but only for a few days. Real essential oils are expensive, so unfortunately this wasn’t something I could maintain.

Instead, I use a diffuser in the living room sometimes. These also use essential oils, but I don’t go through them nearly as quickly as I would have re-filling 4 plug-ins throughout the house once a week.

Remember: your home doesn’t have to smell like laundry detergent, cleaning products or candles to smell clean. A clean home doesn’t smell like anything!

Week No. 2 | Laundry Detergent UPDATE

The following week last year I talked about going “free and clear” and fragrance-free with laundry detergent. This is a big one because, think about it: all day you live in clothes washed in laundry detergent and all night you sleep in sheets washed in laundry detergent.

I searched through the Environmental Working Group website for one with a low rating that I could easily access from a store nearby or on Amazon. The EWG provides ratings on products based on what ingredients are in them. The lower the rating, the better. I landed on the Whole Foods brand unscented detergent, which I have really liked.

Something to note that I learned during this process: One day I was in Target and didn’t feel like stopping at Whole Foods but I really needed laundry detergent so I used my Think Dirty app on my phone to scan a bunch to find the best one. The best one, with a rating actually even lower than the Whole Foods one, was Seventh Generation’s unscented free and clear. I used that for a month or two. But unfortunately I recently noticed that on the EWG it’s actually rated pretty badly. I’m afraid Think Dirty might be in bed with some “clean” brands, so I decided to trust the EWG more. That being said, I’ll stick with the Whole Foods 365 brand, the Seventh Generation detergent packs/pods, or Everspring. These all have A ratings on EWG and are available on Amazon, at Target, or at Whole Foods.

Also: EWG has their own product scan app, too! I just recently discovered it. It works like Think Dirty— you just scan the barcode on the product and it’ll provide their rating based on the ingredients. Unfortunately not every single product is on there but it’s a good start.

I encourage you to look up the brand you currently use. I think you’ll be surprised. For example: Target brand’s BABY “free and clear” detergent has an F rating, and Method and Mrs. Meyer’s detergents have D ratings.

I have to admit I miss the smell of clean laundry. The only thing I can recommend for this is adding a 2-3 drops of pure essential oils to the liquid detergent for a little somethin’.

As for dryer sheets, the EWG tells us there are not many great options. The best are B rated. I have been using Grab Green Natural Dryer Sheets primarily and another option is Love Home and Planet brand. FYI your Mrs. Meyer’s, Snuggle and Bounce brands are rated F! Eeek!

Week No. 3 | EMF Protection UPDATE

I’m still all for EMF protection, especially on your cell phone and laptop if you’re on it a lot. Read my original blog post about it to learn why.

I bought different ones for my new laptop from my friend’s aunt’s company this time, just because I trust them a little bit more than Amazon and I like supporting friends, but the ones on Amazon are probably fine too. I still have the ones from Amazon on my microwave and Wifi router.

Week No. 4 | Scented Candles UPDATE

Candles are one of my favorite things and I won’t let them go. I told my husband when we first started dating that if he didn’t know what to get me for a gift for any holiday, a candle and/or a message will always do.

During my initial research for this detox, I learned how toxic synthetic fragrance is, and unfortunately it’s a primary ingredient in traditional candles. You can read more about that in my original blog post here.

I learned that candles should be made with pure essential oils for fragrance, and without paraffin wax, dyes, or lead wicks. The best option for wicks is cotton or wood.

My two favorite brands are Park and Madison and Fontana Candles.

Park and Madison is local to Charleston! Look specifically for their Aromatherapy blends. These are made with pure essential oils. They make your house smell like a spa.

I discovered Fontana Candles on Instagram. My favorite one of theirs that I’ve tried is Geranium. It’s a fresh / green scent and it’s the most potent I’ve tried— essential oil-infused candles tend to give off a lighter fragrance.

Week No. 5 | Tupperware Alternative UPDATE

I don’t have anything new to report here. I am still pleased with this glass set and this glass set and we use them verses plastic tupperware for food storage 95% of the time.

Week No. 5 | Aluminum-free Deodorant UPDATE

This is a big one!

I tried aluminum-free deodorant for about 8 months in 2015 and then gave up. I decided I would give it another gallant effort during this detox project.

I went through THREE brands before I found the true keeper. By the way, check my original post about how I switched to aluminum- free deodorant including the reasons why I did, plus crucial 8 tips for making the switch.

I started with Noniko. It was one of the better ones for me, but after awhile I caused too much irritation in my under arms and I was fed up.

Then I tried Ursa Major. It was fine, but it rolled on wet so I never felt completely dry, plus I would still kinda smell when I sweat and I definitely don’t need that! Also the scent was a little too manly for me.

Next I tried Myro. I thought the packaging was cool when I saw it at Target. None of it was cool. The container itself would sweat and melt in my drawer, leaving sticky mess to wipe up all the time. Plus it went on wet, which is just a no-no when it comes to applying something that you want to keep you dry.

Finally, I tried Native. *praise emoji* What took me so long?! My friend recommended it to me because we had been going back and forth on different brands we’d tried. It goes on like a normal deodorant and feels like a normal deodorant. I still sweat a little (inevitable with aluminum-free because there’s no antiperspirant), but I never feel like I smell. Overall it’s by far the best of the 8-9 brands I’ve tried over the years. Honestly, I’ll never go back to the old stuff! 10/10 Highly recommend.

That’s all my updates about 9 months later. I’m proud of myself for committing to these changes and even finding better solutions for some of them along the way. DM me if you have any questions about any of this!

Detoxing My Charleston Home | UPDATE