7 Home Health Products to Throw Away!

You Really Don’t Need These 7 Home Health Products!

 

Home health products are not always healthyRegular readers know that EcoFriendlyLink promotes a green and ecofriendly lifestyle which is healthy for us – and for the planet too.

So today I’m going to look at 7 common home health products that are anything but healthy.

You might be surprised – look around your own home. Once you’ve read this, you may wish to throw some stuff away!


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Home Health Product #1:- Breath-Freshening Mouthwash

home health product mouthwashOf course – fresh, minty breath is nice! But if you’re healthy, and brush and floss your teeth every day, then you probably don’t need mouthwash.

Products may advertise plaque protection and other benefits, but studies show that they mainly freshen breath only.

If you have persistent bad breath, it may be linked to another issue (e.g. gum disease, tooth decay, diabetes) which mouthwash won’t solve.

What to do instead: Most people can get by very well without this home health product.

Home Health Product #2:- Anti-bacterial Soap

home health products anti bacterialYou want to get rid of the bad bacteria in your home and protect your family, so you buy anti-bacterial soap as the best home health product.   However, this ‘war on germs’ could do more harm than good. The good bacteria that live on your skin protect your immune system and help fight off infections.

When you strip yourself of bacteria with anti-bacterial soap, you may be killing the good germs that actually serve to keep you healthy.

Many anti-bacterial soaps are also chemical-heavy, and it’s better to reduce our exposure to multiple chemicals on a daily basis.

Now of course, in certain places anti-bacterial soap may be necessary – think hospitals and shelters for example.  People with compromised immune systems may also benefit from anti-bacterial soap.

What to do instead: The average healthy person can simply use any mild soap with water to safely wash their hands.

Home Health Product #3:- Redness-Reducing Eye Drops

home health products eye dropsThese drops may indeed make your eyes temporarily whiter and brighter, but they can cause unwanted side effects.

  1. They can become addictive
  2. Overuse can lead to dryness and irritation (the very problem you’re trying to avoid!)
  3. They can mask a bigger problem such as an infection, allergy or severe dryness problems.

This is a home health product which can cause more problems than benefits, and we can do without them.  “Normal” eye drops can help to reduce dryness, especially for contact lens wearers, but the redness-reducing eye drops are another matter.

What to do instead: Don’t waste your money on them. Healthy eating and exercise will give you clear, bright eyes.

Health Product #4:- Toothbrush Sanitizers

Do toothbrushes contain bacteria?  Absolutely!  But, according to the American Dental Association, there is absolutely no clinical evidence showing that using a toothbrush sanitizer provides health benefits over letting your brush air dry after use.

In fact, they recommend simply that you rinse your brush well after use and store upright to air dry.

What to do instead: Save money and Reduce your demand for new “stuff” by not buying an unnecessary sanitizer!

Home Health Product #5:- Facial Toner

home health products tonerCosmetic companies use the mantra “cleanse, tone and moisturize”.   Certainly, toners can restore the pH of the skin and help products to be absorbed easier.

But they may be too harsh, as well as a waste of money.

If you wash your face with a gentle cleanser, it probably won’t alter the pH of your skin, and so you don’t need a toner.

What to do instead: Cleansing and moisturizing are much more important!

Health Product #6:- Scented Feminine Products

These products feed off womens’ insecurities about their vaginal hygiene.  If you like to use perfumed tampons, sprays, powders and wipes, consider this.

The American College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists strongly warns against these scented products, because the vagina’s naturally acidic environment is generally enough to clean itself.

home health products can be misleadingTo stay fresh and healthy, wash with mild soap and water, or water alone.

Using scented products can actually increase your chances of infection and irritation. In addition, you’re applying artificial chemicals to a highly absorbent area of your body – and that’s not good.

What to do instead: Always choose unscented products, and opt for unbleached products that are ideally made from organic cotton.

Home Health Product #7:- Cold Prevention Remedies

There are loads of cold-prevention remedies on the market today, but do they work?  Nasal sprays, vitamin C powders….. buying them regularly costs more than you think, and in fact there’s very little clinical evidence to show that these home health products work at all.

What to do instead: Wash your hands frequently, sanitize your belongings, and don’t share things with someone who is sick.

 

Reduce and Save Money

Don’t bother with mouthwash, eye drops for redness, anti-bacterial soap, scented feminine products, toothbrush sanitizers, cold preventers and facial toner.

Reduce your demand for these home health products and you’ll be healthier, save money, and help to save the planet too!

Warm regards,

signature Clare

 

 

 

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7 home health products you can throw away, 7 home health products you don't need, 7 personal care products you don't need, ecofriendly, green, green living, health, home health, home health products, nontoxic, personal care, personal care products


    • Hi Octavio, aloe vera is wonderful! Sometimes though, because it’s cheap and readily available, it’s mixed with other ‘stuff’ which I personally don’t like. Doing a detox and clean is beyond the scope of this blog, but I think the plant has the most wonderful properties, and I also think we probably don’t use for everything we could. And of course that applies to many species of plant – which is another good reason for Living Green, to protect our rainforests so we have time to research how to use the plants that Nature provides. Thanks Octavio!

  • Clare, I am sure this is just the begining of a long list of things that the media has convinced us we should buy to be healthier, more attractive, etc and which in fact makes us less healthy.For example, all the products that have fragrance added to them….I am always searching for the “fragrance free” ones!
    Sonya Lenzo

  • These are excellent tip! I hate to admit it but I’ve been using allergy eye drops for years. I’ve tried to go without using a toner but my skin is still too oily, even at my age, and I can’t skip it but I’m looking forward to the day that I can.

    Sabrina Peterson, NASM CPT, CES

    • Hi Sabrina, for sure if the pH of your skin isn’t right, then toner may help. Just a suggestion: I wonder if it might be worth looking at why your skin is oily, rather than treating the symptoms? Then you might be able to get to the day when you can avoid toner! Thanks for your comment!

  • Clare,
    great tips for healthy living at home. I am not surprised that we sometimes buy and use products we don’t actually need. It is a social brainwashing.
    Thank you for opening my eyes.

    • Social brainwashing yes, and advertising too I suspect, and peer recommendations, and and and……but being aware, and not just buying on auto-pilot is what Living Green and this blog are all about. Thanks Margarita!

    • Great question Octavio!
      As a general rule:
      Any fruit and vegetables grown by you organically. They’re fresh, they don’t have food miles (transport), no toxic chemicals because they’re organic, and they’re good for the planet because by growing organically you’re not denuding the soil of its nutrients.
      Next would be organic fruit and vegetables from a local farm, for all the reasons above.
      Food you raise yourself such as eggs and meat from free-range humanely-treated chickens / fowl
      Then eggs and meat from free-range fowl locally to you.
      Sustainable, non-farmed fish, caught locally to you.
      (Because “fruit and vegetables” covers a multitude, that’s a lot more than 10, I know).

      • Clare,
        What about super foods like spirulina, algaem camum-camu? Any experience about that you can share here? Thanks
        Octavio

        • Okay Clare this is my last question, well, I really like this topics so. The problem is how to find reliable sources for this superfoods. What do you recommend for organic reliable online suppliers? Is there any certification for it?
          Octavio

  • In the Summer we tend to get quite a few spiders that like to attach themselves to our outside porch/patio. We make an all natural mixture of coconut oil and white vinegar and just spray it around the perimeter of our house (and especially in the corners) and the next day all of the spiders have left to find a new place to “hang out”.

    Yours In Health!

    G.E. Moon II

  • I agree … and you need to know how difficult that is for me as I was a packaged good marketer for years.

  • Clare,

    These are all excellent! I’m surprised at how many people don’t realize that antibacterial soap is not only unnecessary but that it is harmful in the sense that it contributes to antibiotic resistant bacteria strains.

    Cherie Miranda

  • Thank you for the reminder to not buy in to the advertisers sales pitch of, “buy, buy, buy – spend, spend, spend – and consume more.”

    Yours In Health!

    Dr. Wendy

  • Hi Clare!
    I totally agree woth you!
    There are so many things in the house that are not good for the enviroment and they only cost money and even our health.
    Those products remind me of cigarretes. Cost money and are very toxic in exchange of nothing good!

  • Hi Green Goddess,

    I like your simple list of home healthcare products that really so many of us simply do not need whatsoever.

    You make it easy to be green!

    Happy Dating and Relationships,

    April Braswell

  • Something that I never really think about, you make perfectly clear in this blog post! You are absolutely right, we really don’t need a lot of the things we buy.

    Mark Hogan

  • Wow! Clare I never knew that about anti-bacterial soap
    From the TV adds I guess I believed if it was good for the hospital it was good for the home – yet again you’ve given me lots to consider!

  • Good article Clare, I chatted with a surgeon once who said cleansing hands with yoghurt would promote good bacteria, and overpower any bad bacteria. Not sure it’s very practical but makes you think! Sue x

    • Sue, that is really interesting! I can see why yoghurt would work (although it would be a little messy!), that definitely makes you think! Thanks for your comment!

      • It’s probably more practical (and yummier!) to wash your hand with regular soap and eat the yoghurt. I hear kefir works even better (slightly more tangy taste than yoghurt). It should be yoghurt / kefir with “live” cultures. You can culture the kefir on your countertop (a lot cheaper than buying ready-made).

        • LOL! Yes, valid points about it needing to be live or pro-biotic yoghurt of kefir. I haven’t made my own – but so many people say it’s easy. Thanks for your comment!

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