The Green Parent

Your Kid Friendly Guide To Earth-Friendly Living!

Ensure your Home is Healthy for You and Your Kids

healthy-familyA  few simple tips that will benefit your health, the earth and your wallet

 

As parents, we are always concerned about the health of our kids, but oftentimes it is difficult to determine the safety of everyday products found at home. To help ensure that you are creating a healthy home environment for your family, we have tapped Jennifer Schwab, director of sustainability for Sierra Club Green Home, to provide the following handy tips that will help make your home more sustainable and healthy.

– Harmful chemicals can be found in household cleaners that are used on the surfaces of your home.  Whether it’s countertops, tabletops, toys, windows or doors, little hands that love exploring are sure to come in contact with countless such surfaces on a daily basis.  These chemicals can cause teary eyes, burning nasal tissues, an itchy throat, a headache, or even dizziness. Create your own non-toxic cleaner by using basic ingredients such as baking soda, lemon juice, liquid castile (or vegetable-based) soap, vinegar, and salt. Eliminating conventional cleaners can save you money awhile also helping kids with asthma and allergies to feel healthier.  If you prefer to buy cleaning products, we recommend JR Watkins, All-Purpose Cleaner.

 

– Synthetic bedding products are made from nonrenewable petrochemicals such as formaldehyde and other volatile organic compounds (VOCs), which can have a negative effect on health, especially among children whose smaller bodies are more easily impacted.  Switching to natural bedding can be healthier and increase the airflow around the body, which may allow you and your children to sleep better. Also, natural fibers are renewable, so buying cotton that is grown organically (without pesticides or synthetic fertilizers), will spare the environment.  Natural latex is my recommendation for mattresses.  Linen, hemp, and modal are also great fabric alternatives to conventional cotton.   

 

Use Eco Friendly Personal Care Products -When warding bugs off your family this summer, steer clear of insect repellants with the

synthetic pesticide, DEET. Some studies have found that DEET can slow motor skills and impair the central nervous system function in humans. Avoiding products with unsafe ingredients and/or reducing the use of unnecessary products will benefit your child’s health and save you money. As an added bonus, this can also benefit the environment by limiting the number of personal care products that are washed down the drain and sent coursing through our rivers, streams, and ultimately our oceans where they poison aquatic animals and ecosystems

 

Jennifer Schwab is the director of sustainability for Sierra Club Green Home, a recently launched Web site designed to educate and assist Americans on how to make their homes more energy efficient, environmentally sustainable and healthy. 

 

Photo by simmbarb

Post Info

Date
May 4th, 2009

Author
Jenn Savedge

Category
Green Your Kids

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