There may still be snow on the ground, but Spring is officially here and one sign of Spring is the urge to clean house!

But before you reach for those commercial cleaners and sprays, stop and think about what is really IN your household cleaners. You’d be surprised to learn that many are filled with toxic or hazardous chemicals that can harm you, your family and your pets. When we use these chemicals to clean our home they can linger in the air for you and your family to breathe them in! The chemicals in cleaning products can enter our bodies by absorption through the skin or through ingestion of household dust. Chemical residues can even be left on dishes and cutlery! And when cleaning products are flushed down the drain, they can have a serious impact on our environment.

Research shows that there are hundreds of harmful and potentially DANGEROUS chemicals that can be found in household products, but here are the top 5 chemicals that are most common and that you should be looking out for:

• Acetaldehyde:

Linked to some cancers, toxic to reproduction and development, immunotoxin, non-reproductive organ system toxin, skin, eye and lung irritator.

• Alpha Terpineol:

Can cause central nervous system damage and respiratory problems.

• Propylene Glycol:

Can cause cancer, allergies, and is toxic to the immune and non-reproductive organ system, is classified with “enhanced skin absorption” and irritates the skin, eye and lung.

• Butyl Cellosolve (also known as ethylene glycol monobutyl ether):

Potentially neurotoxic, may cause damage to the brain and nervous system.

• Ethyl acetate:

Linked to developmental/reproductive toxicity, neurotoxicity, organic system toxicity and skin, eyes and lung irritator.

So how do we get our get our homes clean and smelling fresh while protecting our family from germs if we can’t use these products?

Look to nature!

Essential oils have been used for centuries to clean our homes. They contain anti-pathogenic properties, which can help to clean your home and keep it smelling fresh. Not only are some oils anti-bacterial, anti-fungal, and even anti-viral, but they can cut grease, dissolve grime, and remove odours! Plus, it’s more economical as just a few drops of essential oils can go a long way!

Here are just 3 simple ideas for how to swap your harmful product for a healthy one:

Natural Fabric Softener:

Fabric softeners promise soft, fresh-smelling clothes, free of static and wrinkles. But in order to do this they coat the fabric with a host of harmful chemicals. Not only do some of these chemicals remain on the fabric and come into direct contact with your skin, but when these chemicals are exposed to high heat they are released into the air which can reduce the air quality of your home.

Vinegar makes an excellent natural fabric softener, and you can add a drop of two of lavender for a relaxing scent!

Simply add half a cup of white vinegar to the rinse cycle container in your washing machine in place of a commercial fabric softener. The acid in the vinegar not only neutralizes smells/mildew/bacteria, but it also helps break down detergents so little soap residue is left, helps keep dark/color dye lasting longer, and softens the fibers of fabric for fluffy laundry every time. You do not smell the vinegar at all. But if you wanted a relaxing scent you can add a drop or two of you favourite essential oil like lavender to your sheets or towels.

Natural All-Purpose Cleaner:

All-Purpose Cleaners are some of the worst culprits for DANGEROUS chemicals. All you have to do is look at the Skull & Cross Bones symbol, the Flames symbol, or the Poison Control number on the bottle to know that you are dealing with a hazardous product! These are put there to warn consumers about acute health hazards associated with just a single or short-term exposure to the chemicals in the product!

Luckily we can learn from our ancestors who for hundreds of years have known and used key elements in nature to stave off germs naturally!

Historical data talks about this one mixture in particular that was used to help keep merchants safe from the Black Plague in the 15th century. It contains the essential oils of Clove, Cinnamon, Lemon, Eucalyptus, and Rosemary. Thieves who rubbed on the oils to prevent illness while they robbed graves during the plague also used this blend!

This combination of oils is also found in Young Living’s Thieves Household Cleaner. It is the perfect blend for household cleaning, not only because of its anti-bacterial and anti-viral properties, but also because the oils work to dissolve grease and grime.

To make your own Thieves blend combine:

4 drops of Clove

3 drops of Lemon

2 drops of Cinnamon

1 drop of Eucalyptus

1 drop of Rosemary

Add this blend to 4 cups of distilled water, also add 2 Tablespoons of Vinegar. Pour into an empty spray bottle. Use to clean, no need to rinse!

Air/Fabric Refresher:

We have ALL used air fresheners at some time, or have seen countless commercials for fabric refreshers and plug-in or home scent sprays, but these air pollutants can reek havoc on your respiratory system and can be especially dangerous for pets and small children!

Instead of using harmful chemicals and fake fragrances, trying using the beauty of nature instead…use essential oils!

The added benefit is that instead of just masking bad odours, essential oils work to actually eliminate them!

Here’s a well-known essential oil blend for purifying the air/fabrics in your home:

1 drop each of:

Citronella

Lavender

Lemongrass

Rosemary

Myrtle

Tea Tree

Add this Purification blend to 2 cups of distilled water and pour into a spray bottle. Spritz the air, fabric, or any other surface. No need to rinse.

To learn more about these essential oils/blends and other ways to use them, call Sylvia 204-72-5348 or email sprovenski@gmail.com or visit CanadianMoms.ca

With the growing number of people experiencing stress and anxiety, it may be time to start investigating other healing modalities. As the Bars gain popularity, more and more people are looking for tools that work to create the changes they are asking for. Access BARS does that with ease and speed. Whether it’s sports performance, test anxiety, or daily stress, people have reported amazing changes in their life when they add Access BARS. The BARS is gentle and non-evasive and focuses on 32 points on the head which, when gently touched, trigger an electro-magnetic release of both physical and mental blockages. Each point on the head relates to an area of your life such as money, control, creativity, healing, sexuality, healing and communication. It works on the physical, mental, and emotional — on every level, and helps people to get rid of stress, sleep better, focus, and function with ease.

Wendy Omilanow

Reiki is a simple, natural and safe method of healing and self-improvement. Reiki Healing is used for treating physical ailments, speeding recovery from injuries and illnesses, reducing pain and swelling, aiding weight loss, treating insomnia, to name just a few. Reiki has the ability to quickly produce a state of deep relaxation, similar to meditation, which allows the body to return to its natural state of balance and heal itself if necessary. There is no risk involved in this type of alternative energy therapy. It works in conjunction with all other medical or therapeutic techniques to relieve side effects and promote recovery. A treatment feels like a wonderful glowing radiance that flows through and around you. Reiki treats the whole person including body, emotions, mind and spirit. Reiki has had positive effects on all forms of illness and harmful conditions.

Kori Gordon, Finding You – Body. Mind. Soul.

The use of cryotherapy or icing in the management of acute injuries has been widely promoted, accepted and practiced. It is even part of the old, easy formula: RICE (Rest, Ice, Compression, and Elevation) coined by Dr. Gabe Mirkin in the 1970s. The reduction of pain, swelling and improved function or return to participation have been promised through the use of this modality. However, clinical studies regarding its effectiveness are inconclusive and inconsistent at best. Although some studies indicate that icing may be effective in reducing pain, in some cases, excessive cooling may be damaging to tissues and may hasten a return to participation. Elevation, support, and controlled movements of affected area may prove more beneficial. But, if significant pain, swelling, bruising and the inability to move or weight bear persist, it is advisable to seek medical attention to rule serious pathology.

Paula Moreira, Physio4u.net

If you are waiting for life to be fair and compensate you for the energies and time you’ve put into it, expecting the outcomes you had hoped to receive…you might be waiting a long time! In my experience life doesn’t tend to work that way and a paradigm shift might be required. What life does offer is an incredible myriad of gifts in the form of extraordinary people and experiences with opportunities presented to grow you in ways you would have never signed up for willingly! The choice is up to you if you choose to stay a victim or take in these new experiences. Living life fully is about loving. It’s about learning and living the fine art of embracing what comes your way with gratitude and appreciation instead of wishing you can be or have something different than what is.

D’Arcy Bruning-Haid, Souls-Journey.com

Did you know that Manitoba Hydro offers a low-interest loan on solar thermal heat for your pool or hot water tank or infloor system? You can have a loan for up to $7500 this will not cover the whole system but can cover a lot of the cost. This can be paid right on your hydro account monthly, while you enjoy the savings of the solar thermal system. Did you know 1 manifold of 30 tubes can provide up to 7500 BTU of heating during peak hours of sun? Converted to kw is about 7kw’s of energy you are saving per hour when it is running. Solar thermal can dramatically reduce the amount of energy you consume! The Manitoba Green Energy Tax Credit can be applied in the year you purchase your solar thermal you get 10% of the cost back on your income tax.

Lorena Mitchell, President, Evolve Green, evolvegreen.ca