One of the most important problems your child with cerebral palsy (CP) is challenged with is ‘respiratory difficulties’. Poor respiration has serious consequences on your child’s overall health and well-being.
The cleaner your home is, the more respiration problems you may trigger in your child with CP, because of toxic cleaning products made from petroleum-based chemicals.
The Dr. Mercola site, which is the second most visited Natural Medecine site in the world, proposes these easy suggestions to use safe household cleaning products:
‘You can reduce your chemical exposure by eliminating chemicals in your home, and using only natural cleaning products that are plant based. They are more expensive, but usually more concentrated, and worth it because they are safe.
Another alternative is to make your own natural cleaning products. Using homemade natural cleaning products maks “cents,” because it is cheaper, healthier and non-toxic, and it is fun.
All you need is:
- Baking soda
- White vinegar
- Borax
- Hydrogen peroxide
- Liquid castile soap
- Organic essential oils (optional)
- Mixing bowls
- Spray bottles
- Micro fiber cloths
Baking soda is great to scrub your bath and kitchen.
- Put it in a glass grated cheese container with a stainless steel top that has holes in it, and just sprinkle the baking soda on the surfaces and scrub. You may add a few drops of your favorite essential oil to this. Lavender and tea tree oil have anti-bacterial qualities.
- Can also be used as a fabric softener in your laundry.
Baking soda and apple cider
- Clean the tub and the drain
Vinegar can clean almost anything in your house
- You can add liquid castile soap, essential oil (optional), and filtered water, then clean floors, windows, bath, kitchen, etc.
- In the laundry, use vinegar in the wash cycle to prevent fabrics from fading.
- Vinegar can also be used as a fabric softener.
Never use dryer sheets — they are toxic too.
- Use vinager to clean windows.
Commercial window cleaners contain butyl cellosolve — a toxic ingredient that is not listed on the labels, so vinegar and water is much safer. Use a micro fabric cloth, not newspaper, which contains toxic dyes.
Borax
- is a good laundry booster and cleaner (it can even remove mold) — and is safe and non-toxic. You may make your own cloth detergent by mixing 1 cup of natural soap flakes, ½ cup of borax and ½ cup of pure washing soda.
Hydrogen peroxide
- is a disinfectant, and is safer to use than chlorine bleach for disinfecting and whitening. Lemon juice is also a natural whitener.
Liquid Castile Soaps
- can be found in health food stores and are safer than commercial liquid cleaning products.
Organic essential oils may be used in homemade cleaning products depending on your personal preference and tolerance to these scents. Never use synthetic fragrances or air cleaners.
Making your own natural cleaning products is rewarding and fun, and you can use the natural scents that you prefer while ensuring that your home is safe from dangerous chemicals that are harmful to your CP child, and your entire family’s, health.’
Do not overlook the importance of keeping your house free of chemicals as much as possible. Just switching to these simple safe cleaning tips may bring significant improvement to your CP child’s health and happiness, in only a few short days.
Source: http://www.mercola.com/