At one time, not very long ago my home was the classic smells of wall plug ins. Scent boosters, fabric softeners and candles – and I loved it. I loved having all the cozy things, the routine I had re filling my cute jars in my laundry room with my detergent pods and matching scent beads. I had the fragrance wall plug ins in every room. Candles were lit every night, for all my showers. I didn’t know it then, but I know better now. They were all filled with hormone disrupters, and carcinogens and who knows what else.

Don’t get me wrong, I miss it. I miss the esthetics of having all of that, it was the normal and I didn’t think twice about it. Becoming a mama with a baby that had so many sensitivities truly changed everything in my life and in our home. It’s like the blanket was pulled back from over my eyes and I realized that almost everything I used on a daily basis was a contributing factor to skin irritants, headaches and maybe even the reason it took us a little longer to start our family.

It didn’t happen over night. I slowly started where I knew it could make the most difference and that was in my laundry room. I took out all my scented items, I switched over to all Liquid Laundry Detergent Free Clear, 141 Ounce, 94 Loads

I took out my fabric softener, fabric sheets and scent boosters all together. Now, I just use these dryer balls Smart Sheep Wool Dryer Balls – 6-Pack – XL Premium Natural Fabric Softener Award-Winning – Wool Balls Replaces Dryer Sheets – Wool Balls for Dryer – Laundry Balls for DryerYou can always dab a little essential oil on them to give your clothes a little added scent. I chose to stay away from any scented essential oils simply because I’m just not in a place yet where my baby can handle much on her skin.

Then came my wall plug ins & candles. Oh my goodness this one saved me so much money in the long run, I never realized how much money I was spending at Bath & Body. I miss my cute seasonal items, candles and plug ins that I would purchase religiously. I swapped them out for a natural wax melt alternative Happy Wax Vanilla Lovers Scented Natural Soy Wax Melts – 6 Oz Total – Includes: VanillaBeanLatte, VanillaSugar and VanillaSandalwood I love my wax warmers and this is one thing I just cannot, not have. Something about a home that smells yummy is just a must for me.

From time to time, when I shower I’ll still burn my favorite candle because well, self care and remember were kinda crunchy over here. Having the balance is what this is about and its been the only way i’ve been able to stay sane trying to make such drastic and healthy changes for my family. It can, and it will become overwhelming on trying to figure out where to start, what needs to be changed, and what to swap it out for.

So, my recommendation on starting to make the change to low tox is to simply start where I did. Switch out your current routine for free & clear laundry products and change your home scents to soy/non toxic items and minimize burning candles.

I hope this helps some of you find a place to start. I cannot emphasize it enough, this is and should be a balance. Little by little, one day at a time making positive and healthy changes will make this sustainable long term. You don’t have to go absolute savage and throw your entire house away. I mean, if you want to then more power to you.

Happy detoxing! Or should I say, happy de-scenting?

Until next time,

Kinda crunchy mama.