Switching to Safer: Three Products at a Time! (Winter Holiday edition)

With the Holidays here and my husband on school break until the New Year, we will spend a lot of time at home.  That means the house with get dirtier faster, there will be more meals to make, and an opportunity to dress up for some Christmas festivities. Before the New Year even begins think about taking these three steps toward a safer holiday season.

#4- Counter Bin for Compost Pile

Fresh vegetables are a staple for our family meals.  I realized that I was putting so much in the trash that could be added to compost.

“Food scraps and yard waste currently make up 20 to 30 percent of what we throw away, and should be composted instead. Making compost keeps these materials out of landfills where they take up space and release methane, a potent greenhouse gas.” – EPA

Having a bin right on my counter makes it simple to throw the scraps into as I am preparing a meal. This gives my counters more space for cooking the other dishes and I can take the compost out at my convenience.

My bin is a simple plastic one for now, but I’d love to get a wood and stainless steal bin like this one at World Market in the future.  Not only would the stainless steel’s ability to reduce odors save me from having to hold my breath every time I open the lid, but the wood will compliment our other wooden kitchen accents.

#5- Norwex Clothes Embeded with Silver (Antibac)

Though I love a clean house, I can’t say I love being the one to clean it.  Earlier this year my new friend, Eve, allowed me to be the host of a Norwex social and benefit from their amazing host rewards program.

About $350 worth of other free products have helped us go from toxic household cleaners to eco, animal, and baby friendly cleaning options. I use one Envirocloth to clean everything kitchen-related and one to clean everything in the bathroom.  And with our seven month old starting to eat solids, it’s super easy to wet the Envirocloth to “turn on” the silver imbedded microfiber, which then picks up bacteria on her highchair tray…and in reality the entire highchair.  After the bacteria is picked up, the silver suffocates it and the bacteria can no longer spread. No cross contamination. I wash clothes in hot water once a week. So easy!

Fun Beauty Tip:  I use the Body Cloth as a makeup brush cleaner for my blush and eye shadows.  The BackLock technology keeps my brushes from building up bacteria that then transfers to my palette or onto my face. Brushes should be cleaned 2-3 times a week.

#6- Charcoal Bar and Mask

Maybe everyone in your family is on the Nice List but this is the one time they will want to be on the Naughty List and receive coal in their stocking.

Formulated with binchotan charcoal from Japanese ubame oak, the Daily Detox Charcoal Set from Beautycounter gently washes away impurities without harsh surfactants…meaning unlike other brands does not dry out your skin!! This lovely detoxifying duo is a MUST in my husband’s daily routine.

Fun Fact: The bar is great for eliminating human odor for the hunter in your family.

Our bar, kept in a soap dish and used daily, has lasted since March and still has lots of life, but with the current Holiday Gift set offering FULL SIZE charcoal mask and bar for the price of the mask ($48) I couldn’t help but stock up.

The mask unclogs our pores and absorbs excess oil immediately.  We use the mask 2-3 times a week or as needed on blemishes. It instantly reduces pore sizes and helps reduce inflammation/breakouts.  I don’t have to worry about looking like Rudoff at our Christmas party.