As the gatekeepers of our homes, we have such a great opportunity to bring in healthy products and create healthy habits for ourselves and families. But sometimes that can feel overwhelming. What should you avoid? Is that ‘natural’ dish soap really all natural? Can you use these things around pets?
Well, that is where we come in! This blog should answer all your questions and leave you with a one stop shop for creating a truly clean home. So let’s dive in!
Creating a Truly Clean Home
Creating a truly clean home isn’t quite as simple as grabbing ‘natural’ products from the store when you’re grocery shopping. (Sadly the popular green cleaners are anything but green.) BUT it can be as easy as an online cart with a few essential oil-infused options!
Have you heard the term ‘greenwashing'? It is when companies throw catch phrases or use certain packaging to trick consumers into thinking they are purchasing a natural product, when in reality, what they are buying isn't natural at all. Unfortunately the majority of the ‘natural' cleaning brands out there do this, which is a huge reason we love the Thieves Home products! No phthalates, parabens, bleach, formaldehyde, or toxic chemicals in these products - just the power of plants!
A little sobering reminder that just because we assume it's safe, tested, and on our shelves for purchase, doesn't make it so.
The TSCA of 1976 (The Toxic Substances Control Act) grandfathered in approx. 65-100k chemicals currently on the market today (i.e. they haven’t had any safety testing & we know little about them).
Of the chemicals tested, toxic labeling is required only if 50% or more of the animals tested with the chemical die.
Under the TSCA, manufacturers are protected by trade secret laws that allow them to keep their ingredient list a secret. Sometimes that’s just to keep their competitors from knowing their formulas and isn’t hiding anything, but you’ll never know unless you can trust the way a company operates.
To date of this writing, the EU (European Union) has banned 1,300 chemicals in cosmetics; the FDA in America has banned only eleven.
I'm really not comfortable with using something that caused almost half of the animals tested to die. And is still unknown on people.
I'm also pretty uncomfortable with all the lack of disclosure in ingredients, especially fragrances. So grateful that we know that every, single fragrance in our products is a pure essential oil.
This right here is why we're taking it upon ourselves to become educated consumers.
WE must read labels.
WE must understand what is going on and in our bodies.
WE must protect our future and present children.
WE must take responsibility on ourselves to understand. And that's exactly what we're doing this month!
Even Young Living is constantly having to learn and grow as we discover new effects of products and combinations. You will see reformulations and changes as they constantly shift as our knowledge as a society grows. This is the mark of a company with your best interests at heart. No one will ever have all the answers, but we can always keep learning together!
What’s Under the Kitchen Sink?
Let's talk about the real “F word” - fragrance. Fragrance is a very loosely defined term when it comes to use in personal care and household products. Fragrance and synthetic perfumes are in EVERYTHING and problematic because companies aren't required to disclose the exact ingredients in the fragrances. Even ‘natural fragrance' is problematic. Just because something is natural, doesn't mean we want to rub it on our skin (ie: formaldehyde - a naturally occurring compound that we don't want on our skin!). As the world leader in essential oils, Young Living utilizes refreshing scents of the pure essential oils instead of fragrance.
One reason a company might list fragrance is because they are protecting proprietary information where another company can’t copy their product. That’s okay! But unless we know the company well, unless we’ve seen their values in action, it’s very difficult to know if the word fragrance hides a secret blend or a toxic cocktail. As the world leader in essential oils, Young Living utilizes refreshing scents of pure essential oils instead of fragrance. So when you see that word, you know exactly what you are breathing.
Many common cleaning products under your sink are considered hazardous substances and are regulated by the Federal Hazardous Substance Act. Ammonia and chlorine bleach can cause headaches, burn the skin, and irritate the eyes and respiratory tract. Accidentally mixing ammonia and chlorine bleach releases toxic chlorine gas that damages lung tissue and impairs lung function. Cleaning with bleach and Windex? A potentially deadly experiment.
Also, regularly cleaning with bleach—which generally contains chlorine, classified as a hazardous air pollutant in the 1990 Clean Air Act—is particularly harmful to kids because it can trigger and worsen asthma.
PS - Want to know a fun bonus of switching to Young Living products? You don’t end up with 16 different bottles of cleaner under your sink! You really only need a few bottles for your entire house (yep, including dishes!), which makes your cabinets easy to keep organized!
The Story & Science Behind Thieves Oil
Thieves essential oil is one of Young Living’s most popular products, and for great reason! The Thieves blend was formulated based off of research recorded in the archives of the British Museum library about a group of 14th century European perfumers and spice traders who rubbed oils on themselves while they robbed the dead and dying. One sniff (or quick PubMed search!) is all it takes to fall in love with this blend!
Pubmed.gov is full of complicated and hard to understand research showing study after study where essential oils prove their serious power over the bad guys in our bodies and homes. Like the study quoted below:
("In this study, 83 essential oils were initially screened for biofilm inhibition against Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Cinnamon bark oil and its main constituent cinnamaldehyde at 0.05% (v/v) markedly inhibited P. aeruginosa biofilm formation.")[https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25500277]
Not into all the science jargon? Let's break it down. The biggest and ugliest stuff that just keeps growing even when hit with the strongest drugs and chemicals? It apparently runs SCARED from these oils.
Thieves Household Cleaner
Thieves Household Cleaner is the perfect, versatile go-to for all your cleaning needs for a happy, healthy home. This Young Living exclusive includes only plant-based and naturally derived ingredients to effectively clean your home without taking synthetic shortcuts or using potentially harsh ingredients. Plus, the concentrated formula means that one 14.4oz bottle makes 20-30 spray bottles of standard cleaner! We love this household staple for everything from general cleaning to tough messes to DIYs.
WHY WE LOVE IT
Concentrated formula is easy to mix to create a variety of cleaning solutions for inside and outside the home
Safe to use around children and pets as directed
Provides an effective, deep clean with the power of naturally derived, plant-based ingredients that lift dirt, pet stains, dried-on food, grime, and more
Thieves Kitchen & Bath Scrub
Thieves Kitchen and Bath Scrub is the perfect naturally derived cleaner: tough on messes and safe for your family! You get the power of a surface scrub without all of the harmful chemical smells and residue in conventional options. Thieves Kitchen and Bath Scrub gains its tough scrubbing power from nepheline syenite, a naturally occurring mineral from Canada; baking soda that gently absorbs odors; sodium percarbonate that releases oxygen when combined with water, providing a powerful boost of cleaning power against tough stains; and Young Living's signature Thieves blend.
WHY WE LOVE IT
Chlorine-free all-purpose cleaner that is safe for use on porcelain, ceramic, copper alloys, fiberglass, Corian, brass, bronze, and chrome
Easily cleans cookware, stove cooktops, countertops, tile, grout, bathtubs, faucets, toilets, backsplashes, barbecue grills, outdoor patio furniture, and exteriors without scratching
Removes grease, dirt, grime, residue, and tough stains from most surfaces without harsh chemical smells or residue
Formulated without harmful chemicals, synthetic surfactants, phosphates, synthetic perfumes or dyes
Laundry Lurkers
Did you know that conventional laundry soap is a leading cause of skin allergies and irritation - especially in children? We don't often think about it, but the residues left on clothes and linens from conventional cleaners sit on our skin, often causing low-level irritation. Not to mention the chemical load that leaves over time! Even the ‘green' options may contain hidden sulfates, dyes and fragrance, among other things! Plus, almost all conventional options contain optical brighteners! Optical brighteners merely give clothing the appearance of being clean. By reflecting blue light, optical brighteners give the illusion of whiter-looking fabrics. The design of these chemicals is to absorb directly into fabrics and remain on clothes well after washing.
Thieves Laundry Soap
Thieves Laundry Soap is one of our laundry room must haves. Safe, effective, eco-friendly and economical cleaning with the power of plants? Sign us up! The Thieves Laundry Soap from Young Living gently and naturally washes your clothes, cleaning them without leaving behind any harsh chemicals or residues. Fabrics come out of the washer clean and with a pleasant citrus aroma, thanks to a 100 percent pure blend of Thieves, Jade Lemon, and Bergamot essential oils! No fragrance, SLS, dyes, petrochemicals, formaldehyde, phosphates, synthetic perfume, and optical brighteners here!!
What's in your Dish Soap?
We’ve already mentioned how companies greenwash their products and make us think they have natural ingredients when they still contain fragrance, dyes, triclosan or other endocrine disruptors, and synthetic ingredients. This is true for dish soap too!
Another thing to note is that alllll those bubbles in your sink aren’t actually cleaning your dishes any better. It is a trick called ‘pharmaceutical elegance’ that acts as a visual cue to your brain to make you think you’re getting a really clean sink of dishes. In reality, it doesn’t make a difference.
All you need are natural, plant-based surfactants. Surfactants (natural or synthetic) are added to soap to break down the surface tension between the water you’re using to wash and the grease or oil on your dishes. And when you switch to natural cleaning options, there are less bubbles because you’re using plant-based surfactants instead of synthetic chemicals. But the end result is the same - clean, sparkling dishes!
Thieves Dish Soap
If you want a dish soap that cuts the grease, doesn’t leave your dishes with a scented residue, and is gentle on your hands, then Thieves Dish Soap is perfect for you!
This cleaning powerhouse is free of the typical sulfates, dyes, and synthetics found in many dish soaps, and the plant-based formula leaves no harsh chemical residues - on your dishes or on your skin. Plus, a little goes a long way, and this bottle can up your cleaning game in the rest of the house too!
WHY WE LOVE IT
Natural, plant-based ingredients clean dishes without harsh chemical residue
Tough on grease and grime but gentle enough to use on baby bottles
Natural cleansing agents decyl glucoside and lauryl glucoside offer a superior clean while being gentle on hands
Free of sulfates, dyes, phosphates, and synthetic perfumes
Can also be used as a spot treatment for laundry stains!
Works wonders with Thieves Household Cleaner to clean almost anything.
Produce Problems
One of the most germ-prone things in your kitchen may actually be your produce! Since produce passes through so many hands, boxes, and delivery trucks, it has a high potential for germs. Washing your produce before eating, cutting or cooking it is so important!
And it doesn’t stop at germs. There is also dirt and pesticides to consider. And while rinsing with water may get rid of some of the germs and dirt, it does nothing against pesticides. Even if you’re buying organic produce, it’s still a good idea to wash it. Unfortunately, the phenomenon of overspray with pesticides is becoming more apparent as fields of organic produce are often grown beside conventional fruits and vegetables.
Bottom line? Wash all produce, even those whose skin you won’t be eating!
Thieves Fruit & Veggie Soak
Thieves Fruit & Veggie Soak combines natural cleansing ingredients—along with Young Living's signature Thieves, DiGize, and Purification premium essential oil blends—to cleanse your produce gently and thoroughly. This exclusive formula is highly concentrated and makes up to 16 gallons of fruit and veggie wash.
WHY WE LOVE IT
Safe, natural way to get the dirt and germs off of produce
Formulated with plant-based ingredients for a worry-free soak
Ultra-concentrated formula allows one bottle to make up to 16 gallons of Thieves Fruit & Veggie Soak
Decyl glucoside, citric acid, and sodium citrate work as natural cleansers that gently and thoroughly cleanse and aid in removing dirt and pesticides
And if you’re needing something to use on the go, there is also a Thieves Fruit & Veggie Spray option!
Antibacterial Apocalypse
It seems like everywhere you go there is antibacterial soap at the sinks. But, it turns out that the benefits of using antibacterial hand soap haven't been proven and widespread use of antibacterial soaps even has negative consequences for our health, including contributing to bacterial resistance. Some research shows that this resistance may have a significant impact on the effectiveness of medical treatments, such as antibiotics.
In fact, when it comes to our skin, we actually want some beneficial bacteria there. The same way that we want a healthy mix of bacteria to inhabit the gut, we want to keep the bacteria that normally populate the skin as well. Washing away all that natural goodness with antibacterial soaps is actually counterproductive to our health!
In addition, many antibacterial soaps contain triclosan and triclocarban, ingredients of concern that we'd rather avoid altogether. (The EPA considers these ingredients pesticides!) Both triclosan and triclocarban are endocrine disruptors - they alter the level of certain hormones in the body and change the way that these hormones work. Definitely not something we want in our hand soaps (or anywhere else for that matter).
Thieves Foaming Hand Soap
You can wash away the germs without the harsh ingredients and chemicals with the power of plants! Thieves Foaming Hand Soap is our go-to for this. This soap is infused with the germ-fighting power of Thieves essential oil, so you get clean, fresh hands without harsh ingredients that damage your health or dry out your skin.
WHY WE LOVE IT
Instant foam makes it easy to lather and rinse for a more thorough cleaning
Contains moisturizing ingredients like aloe and ginkgo biloba to promote softer, smoother hands
Effective and gentle enough for the whole family
Formulated with naturally derived, plant-based ingredients
Thieves Foaming Hand Soap is available as a single bottle or a three pack, which makes switching out all the sinks super easy. And when you run out, it comes in a large refill bottle as well!
Thieves Hand Sanitizer & Spray
Thieves Hand Sanitizer and Thieves Spray are two things that we always have in our bags (and cars and homes and lunchboxes…). These two are perfect for cleaning your hands on the go.
Convenient to use and effective at killing 99.99% of germs, Thieves Waterless Hand Sanitizer is perfect for the entire family! This plant-based formula is infused with the signature Thieves blend and Peppermint oil for a spicy-sweet aroma that cleans hands without drying them. Plus a little goes a long way.
Thieves Spray is formulated with naturally derived ingredients known for their cleansing properties. Denatured alcohol, soapbark saponins, and Thieves oil blend kick the germs - on your hands or on surfaces - for a quick and effective clean whenever you need it. This is a great option for steering wheels, airplane seats and trays, kids toys, and many other hard to clean surfaces.
The Cleaning Power of Lemon Oil
This bright, crisp, versatile oil is a must have for every home for everything from cleaning to diffusing to removing sticky residues and stains. Think of Lemon as cleansing, purifying and your BFF for cutting through grease! It’s great for any and all your cleaning needs, and even helps remove stains from laundry. Talk about a cleaning powerhouse!
Here are just a few ways to use this versatile oil:
Add 30 drops of Lemon to your Thieves Household Cleaner.
Add 3 drops onto wool dryer balls to replace dryer sheets
Add a few drops of Lemon to your Thieves Laundry Soap.
Mix with Thieves Dish Soap and Thieves Cleaner to make a simple stain roller or spray.
Mix Lemon with baking soda for a simple cleaning scrub.
Diffuse Lemon in your home for fresh, clean air.
Use Lemon in DIY room sprays.
A Few Favorite Recipes
With a little help from some of our favorite oils and one bottle of Thieves Household Cleaner, you can make so many simple recipes to clean your space from top to bottom! Here are some of our favorites:
All-Purpose Cleaner
16 oz glass spray bottle
1-2 capfuls Thieves Household Cleaner
Fill with filtered water
30 drops Lemon essential oil
Mattress & Upholstery Spray
16 oz glass spray bottle
1 tsp Thieves Household Cleaner
15 drops each Thieves,, Lemon
Splash raw organic apple cider vinegar
Fill with filtered water
Carpet & Rug Freshener
To an airtight glass jar add:
1 cup Baking Soda
½ cup Fine Sea Salt
10 drops each Lemon, Thieves essential oils
Mix well. When ready to use, sprinkle over carpets and let sit for 10 minutes before vacuuming
Grab your Green Cleaning Supplies
You can grab all the products I mentioned above in one discounted bundle, the Thieves Home Loyalty Bundle!
This is your easy button when it comes to all natural, plant-based cleaning. One stop shop! All these favorites are all infused with the beloved Thieves essential oil blend, so they not only kick the ick, they smell amazing, are safe around kids and pets, and clean your home without toxic chemicals or endocrine disruptors.
Grabbing the Thieves Home Loyalty Bundle also saves you money! Purchased separately these products would cost $200! You get all the following for $160:
Thieves Foaming Hand Soap
Thieves Dish Soap
Thieves Household Cleaner
Amber glass spray bottle, 16oz
Thieves Kitchen & Bath Scrub
Thieves Laundry Soap
Thieves Fruit & Veggie Soak
Thieves Essential Oil, 15mL
Lemon Essential Oil, 15mL
Not on Loyalty Rewards? Learn more about why it's the best way to order here. Prefer to purchase these items separately? Check out my wishlist here.
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