Good (and Safe) Housekeeping Most people, even those who do not like to clean, enjoy the feeling of a sparking fresh home.  We take pride in the way our home looks and smells after we have spritzed, scrubbed, wiped, polished, vacuumed, and mopped.  But, have you simply exchanged the dirt and grime for a coating of something even more dangerous?  Take a look at those household cleaners under your sink and in your laundry room.  Many of them list an abundance of toxic ingredients including petroleum distillates, mineral spirits, formaldehyde, and others that have been proven carcinogenics and mutagens. According to the EPA, 50% of all illnesses can be traced to indoor pollution, which can be directly related to the use of household cleaners.  Animals have faster metabolisms and smaller lungs so their bodies have to work harder to eliminate toxins. Dogs can sense odors at concentrations nearly 100 million time lower than humans.  They can detect one drop of blood in 5 quarts of water.  Cats can smell 30 times better than humans. It’s time to throw out those toxic chemicals.  You can still get your home spic and span, while keeping your families, pets, and the environment safe.  It’s easy to switch gradually to natural cleaning products.  As you run out of existing supplies, start buying natural products such as borax, hydrogen peroxide, vinegar, and baking soda.  If you don’t feel like you have the time to create your own home cleaning products then look for products make by companies such as Seventh Generation, Ecover, Life Tree, and Naturally Yours.  We owe it to ourselves, our families, and our pets to make our homes as toxin-free as possible.  We want to spend as many years with our loved ones as we can.  A naturally cleaned home will help us toward that end.