Organic Household Items I Can’t Live Without

As we have prepared to bring a baby into our home, getting rid of any potential toxins and chemicals was essential to us! I didn’t want anything that could harm our little angel.

Since my husband and I switched to organic and clean living last year there were some growing pains! Finding the right products that fit our needs was hard. I have tried about a bazillion toothpastes, shampoos, cleaners, etc and I often felt like I could never find the right products. After over a year and a half of trial and error, I have finally found the things that I absolutely love. I have so many items that I can’t list them all here. The products listed here are the top items that I use every single day and have sitting around the house.

Dr. Bonners Castille Soap: 

Love, love, love!!! This stuff works miracles. It is totally clean, versatile, and smells great! One of the biggest problems in finding household cleaning items is that it needs to be strong enough to get those gross areas (like the toilet) but contain no chemicals or harsh smells. Dr. Bonners totally nails this.  The bottle has all of the directions and instructions that you will need to make different solvents for whatever you are using it for. It tells you how much to use, how to dilute it and so on. Comparatively, it is cheap too when you consider all of it’s uses. You can find a 32 oz bottle for $14. I have used it for a little while, and I also use the “Baby-Unscented” for baths for my little boy. Again, it has no harsh chemicals, it is soft and gentle on his skin, and I get to avoid the train-wreck that is Johnson & Johnson. You can use this stuff on literally everything from laundry, dishes, bathroom cleaner, body soap, you name it. Versatile, cheap, and one bottle will last you YEARS.

Homemade Toothpaste: 

I have tried literally every organic toothpaste out there, and none seemed to give me what I wanted. I felt like my mouth was dirty after every use, and I could feel the buildup on my teeth still.  I searched long and hard for a toothpaste that was right for me, and never found it. So, I decided to make my own! I used this recipe and I have LOVED it. After having braces for a total of 6 years growing up, I have very sensitive teeth. However, after using this toothpaste for a month, my sensitivity went away. Not to mention, my teeth are whiter and brighter than they have been in a long time! Some might have some qualms about this because it does not contain fluoride, suffice it to say that fluoride isn’t as good for you as you may have been led to believe.  Fluoride is the synthetic version of fluorine. Fluorine is super important and found in foods. Fluoride on the other hand is toxic.

Fresh Lemons: 

Lemons have just about every benefit you can imagine! They can be used for everything, especially your health. The proven health benefits include: combating cancer, clearing skin, boosting immune system, preventing asthma, helping with high blood pressure and obesity, helping with indigestion and internal bleeding and much more!

They also contain a plethora of essential vitamins and minerals including:  vitamin C, vitamin B6, vitamin A, vitamin E, folate, niacin thiamin, riboflavin, pantothenic acid, copper,  calcium, iron,  magnesium, potassium, zinc, phosphorus and protein.

Beyond the health benefits it has a high cleaning power as well. Lemon is very cleansing and works as a household cleaner. It can also be used to remove hard stains on clothing. We use it along with sun-bleaching to clean our clothe diapers.

Salt Rock: 

Salt Rock Lamps… sounds like some kind of hippie magic, right? Well, it’s not! And even if you just need a new night light- these are perfect for every household.

These lamps produce negative ions, which is very important in a home filled with electronics. Electronics produce positive ions which can induce sleep disorders, stress, allergies, and pollutants in the air. Negative ions help to neutralize those threats and balance the energy in the home. This also means that they cleanse and deodorize the air. This is great for those with seasonal allergies, like me! My husband and I put one in our bedroom and since then, and I have seen a significant improvement in my allergies.

Beyond that the soothing orange color can help promote sleep and boost your mood by building serotonin. Light and color therapy are powerful tools that can be used to improve health, but I will save my lecture for another post.

Magnesium Spray: 

Magnesium is the eighth most abundant mineral on earth, and the third most abundant in sea water. More importantly, it is the fourth most abundant mineral in the human body and it is necessary in over 300 reactions within the body. It has a plethora of benefits including: vitamin D absorption, Increases energy, aids in digestion and improves constipation, regulates calcium, potassium & sodium, relieves muscle aches and pains. It is crucial to your health in so many ways.

Most of us are deficient of it because of the lack of nutrients found in today’s genetically modified foods and even soil. As the soil is contaminated and filled with chemicals, the naturally occurring magnesium in the earth is depleted and not passed on to us through the fruits and vegetables that we eat. That means that it is essential to compensate for it somehow.

Often, people will take a magnesium supplement. However, because our bodies are unable to absorb such highly concentrated amounts of magnesium, we only absorb approximately 20% of the magnesium. The next best option is to get lots of organic leafy greens. These are rich in magnesium. However, for those that are deficient that is not enough. That is why a topical spray is the best option!

Each day after I shower, I spray about 10-15 times my entire body (except areas recently shaved- OUCH!) with a homemade magnesium spray. This way it absorbs directly into the blood stream and I get all of nutrients! For my spray, I use these flakes and combine 1/2 cup of the flakes with 1/2 cup boiling distilled water. I put it in a glass spray bottle and there you go! It is cheaper and much better for you. I’ve noticed a huge improvement in my digestion and other vitamin levels since starting.