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Hidden Toxins in Everyday Household Items

March 26, 2015 · 24 Comments

 

Hidden Toxins in Everyday Household Items

 

It’s common knowledge that things like bleach, flysprays and cleaning products all contain toxins that we should avoid around the house.

But did you know there are hidden toxins in things we may not even think of?

These are just six that you should double check around the house. I also have some alternatives for you as well, because finding these things out can be quite disheartening. Remember, knowledge is power and the more you know, the safer you and your family can be.

 

1. Teabags. 

Sorry tea lovers, but your tea bags may be made of a nasty plastic (and we know plastic and boiling water is not a good combination). Paper tea bags may be bleached or treated with epichlorohydrin (a compound that has been identified as potential carcinogen).

Solution? Contact your tea manufacturer and ask questions about the tea bag or just stick to loose leaf tea (hey, I think it tastes better anyway). I use a teapot – a small one for myself and bigger one for guests. You can also use stainless steel tea diffusers if you only want to make one cup.

 

2. Dental Floss.

Some dental floss can contain perfluorinated polymer – also known as a PFC (the same thing that is in Teflon) to help it be all slidey on your teeth. PFC is nasty stuff – it can cause cancer, damage your immune system and disrupt hormones. Ever seen antibacterial dental floss? Well that might have triclosan in it – which may pass through your skin and disrupt hormones.

Solution? Check the ingredients of your dental floss or use a natural one like these.

 

 3. Baking Paper and Plastic Wrap.

That paper you are baking your biccies on may be bleached, contain chlorine and/or coated with Quilon which contains heavy metals like chromium. Plastic wrap? Well plastic isn’t so great anyway, but the ‘antibacterial’ plastic wrap is also coated in triclosan.

Solution? I use the If You Care range of baking paper, muffin cases etc. for baking and instead of cling wrap, we use a variety of things.

 

4. Disposable Nappies.

As well as being not so eco-friendly, disposable nappies can contain a chemical cocktail sitting on your baby’s precious bum and being absorbed into their blood stream. You can expect to find dioxin, sodium polyacrylate (the absorbent gel), phthalates, heavy metals and more. Check out this great article at Small Footprint Family for more details of how toxic these chemicals are.

Solution? Old fashioned cloth nappies or modern cloth nappies are much safer or check out some eco disposable nappies – some brands are free from the nasties.

 

5. CFL lightbulbs.

CFL (compact fluorescent lightbulbs) contain mercury and if they are broken, mercury vapour is released. Now, it’s not a huge amount but mercury is a potent neurotoxin and exposure should be avoided where possible.

Solution? Handle carefully to avoid breakages and follow these guidelines for clean up if you do break one. It’s also important to dispose of them properly.

 

6. Kids’ pyjamas.

Kids’ clothing, particularly pyjamas made from synthetic materials, are often treated with flame retardants. There is growing concern that these chemical compounds are suspected carcinogens and neurotoxicants. Unfortunately fire retardants can also be present in bedding and furniture too.

Solution? Look for clothes without the flame retardant or choose organic clothing for your kids.

 

Did you know about these toxins? Where else have you found hidden toxins?

 

Filed In: HOME / Tagged: baking paper, chemicals, dental floss, eco friendly, flame retardants, lightlbulbs, mercury, nappies, plastic wrap, tea bags, toxins

My life without plastic wrap

June 17, 2013 · 77 Comments

My life without plastic wrap

As a family trying to live a healthier and more eco-friendly life, one of our new years’s resolutions was to give up plastic wrap.

Once the last roll was used up after Christmas, I made the decision not to purchase a new roll. We had to start getting creative and finding alternatives! Six months on, we are doing just great without it and really wonder why we ever needed it!

Today, I am going to tell you some reasons why we gave it up and what we use instead.

 

Why give up plastic wrap?

 

♥ Eco concerns

Rebecca, eco warrior and mum, from 4 My Earth posted this on Facebook one day and it really hit home!

“We have worked out a rough guide as to how much a child would use in plastic wrap based on a sandwich, muffin and nuts/sultanas in their lunch bag each day for a year. We worked it out to be 105 metres of plastic wrap that would be dumped into our ever-increasing landfill. Times this by a small school of 450 students and it comes to a massive 47 250 metres per year!”

Plastic wrap cannot be recycled and is almost impossible to reuse. It takes hundreds of years to break down and once it ends up in landfill, it can be very damaging to our wildlife.

♥ Health concerns

Choice Australia tells us that “plastic can contain smaller molecule that are free to migrate into the food it’s in contact with. The plastic can slowly breakdown, releasing monomer.

• PVC (used to make bottles, cling wrap and the seals for screw-cap jars) contains added chemicals known as plasticisers. On its own, PVC is hard and rigid (it’s used to make drains, guttering and downpipes), so plasticisers are added to make it soft and flexible – in much the same way water added to clay makes it soft. Plasticisers can make up as much as 40% of the plastic material. Phthalates and DEHA (di-(2-ethyhexyl)adipate) are often added as plasticisers to the PVC that’s used for food packaging; again, recent research raises doubts about the safety of these compounds.

Phthalates are endocrine disruptors, meaning they can mimic the body’s natural hormones and thereby cause a raft of health problems. Infants and the very young are most vulnerable to exposure because of their lower body weight and because their growth and development are strongly influenced by hormones; the effects on health can be lifelong. These effects have been seen clearly and consistently in experiments with animals and when people or wildlife have been accidentally exposed to high levels of endocrine disruptors.

While these compounds are undoubtedly hazardous at high levels of exposure, scientific opinion is divided over the risk from the much lower levels that we’re exposed to every day in our food. There is, however, growing scientific evidence that even at these lower levels of exposure, phthalates  may be causing problems such as infertility, obesity, breast cancer, prostate cancer, heart disease and diabetes.“

 

What to use instead of plastic wrap?

We use a range of things, depending on the food and if it is for transport, for the fridge or for the freezer. Here are some of them:

♥ Food Covers. I invested in a few sets of re-usable food covers from 4 My Earth. We use them to cover bowls and plates of leftovers but they also go over things like cut watermelon and pumpkin. They are very easy to wash in the sink or in the washing machine and they last for years and years.

 

♥ Food Wraps and Pockets. Also from 4 My Earth, we purchased several food wraps and pockets (some in plain for the teenager!). The re-usable food wraps are great to wrap up sandwiches or slices of quiche. The re-usable food pockets are great for muffins and slices, nuts, dried fruit or grapes. They also come in handy for storing things in the fridge like cheese.

 

♥ Food bags. If you haven’t worked it out yet, I am a a huge fan of the 4 My Earth products!! The food bags come in large and small and I use them for cheese, bread, pretty much anything really.

But where they really come into in their own and solved a huge problem for me was for meat storage. You can take them along to the butcher and get your meat straight into the food bags and then when you get home, just push as much air as you can out of them, zip up and pop in the freezer. Defrost with a bowl under and then wash the bags in the washing machine. Get the food bags here.

The other way I freeze meat when I have run out of bags is to tightly wrap in the non-toxic baking paper and then pop into a glass storage container.

 

Glass storage in the fridge

♥ Glass containers. I bought a set of Pyrex glass storage containers and they do they job but the plastic lid does crack and break over time.  Unfortunately you can’t buy replacement lids in Australia. I use my food covers over the container. The food rarely touches the lid, so I don’t worry about the plastic in that. These are great for the fridge or the freezer. Next time though, I would get a Glasslock set.

 

My life without plastic wrap - storing in glass jars

♥ Glass Jars. Although there is sometimes plastic in the lids of jars, if it doesn’t touch the food, I don’t panic too much. We re-use glass jars for all sorts of things – including leftovers, bliss balls, soup and broth.  They go well in the fridge and the freezer. Here is a post I did explaining a bit more about it. Goodbye Plastic, Hello Glass!

 

♥ Paper products. We love the If You Care range of safe paper products. They come in handy for a range of things but they are usually a last resort!

 

My life without plastic wrap

♥ Plates. Quite often we just use a plate on top of a bowl as shown in the photo! You can also store fruit like melon and pineapple, cut side down on plates. You can’t get much simpler than this!

 

My life without plastic wrap - stainless steel storage♥ Stainless Steel Containers. I got this ‘tiffin’ for my husband to use as a lunchbox to take to work. It’s also good for storing things in the fridge (but you have to remember what you put in there!). Check out Biome Eco Store for a huge range of stainless steel containers as well.

 

Other things you might like to try:

♥ Beeswax Wraps. These wraps work similar to plastic wrap and keep product very fresh. They are also fully bio-degradable which makes them the perfect alternative. Using the warmth of your hands, these wraps will wrap produce tightly and seal in on itself. The beeswax can break off over time with use, but you can simply refresh them in the oven on a low heat to redistribute the wax.

Check out the beeswax (and vegan) wraps.

 

♥ Silicone Wraps. These are fairly new to the market and I have heard mixed reports. I am more than happy with my 4 My Earth products and they have lasted years so I haven’t been motivated to try these! They are made of silicone and can replace baking paper, cling wrap and alfoil. They don’t contain any BPA, PVC or lead and can be washed and reused.

Find out more about the silicone wraps here.

 

If  you want to go cold turkey on the plastic wrap like we did, get yourself prepared and invest in a few alternatives first. It took a bit of getting used to and changing our habits, but we did it. I am really happy that we don’t buy this product any more. It’s one small step to help the environment and improve our health.

 

(ends 13th May 2018)

 

I hope these tips for alternatives to plastic wrap have been useful. Let me know what you use and how it works for you.

You might also like to read:
How to store fruit and vegetables without using plastic

 

Filed In: HOME / Tagged: plastic, plastic free, plastic wrap, zero-waste

Freebilicious Friday with 4 My Earth!

November 23, 2012 · 78 Comments

What I am reviewing today?

The Natural New Age Girl thought it was a shower cap!

Wrong! Although, at a pinch, you could very well use them for shower caps!

They are in fact, an ingenious solution to how to store food in the fridge without using plastic wrap.

We are always trying to lessen the amount of plastic we use in our home. Cling wrap on plates and bowls of leftovers was one area I struggled with! What else was going to keep it fresh and free from fridge odours?

Ta-dah! Enter the 4MyEarth® Food Covers!

What are they made from? Cotton and canvas with a biodegradable coating.

Are they reusable? Yes, just wash them up with a little soapy water and drip dry. You can also put them in the dishwasher or washing machine.

Do they come in different sizes? Yes, they come in four different sizes.

Do they come in different patterns? Yes, they come in plain and flower print.

What do you use them for? Once you start using the food covers, you will discover all different ways you can use them. Basically, anytime you would have used plastic wrap over a bowl or plate, use the food cover. They are great as I mentioned for leftovers in the fridge. The big bowl on the right in the picture has some Quirky Cooking Chicken and Brown Rice Soup in it. They also are handy for parties or bbqs to keep the flies off your salad bowls. Quite often when I am cooking, I need to let things stand, soak or prove and instead of a tea towel, the food cover is perfect.

Do they keep the food fresh? Yes! I found no discernible difference in freshness compared to using cling wrap.

Hang on, I have seen these in the supermarket – aren’t they vinyl with BPA? That’s why I have never purchased the supermarket ones! These food covers are BPA free, PVC Free and phthalate free. Totally food grade safe! Whew!

What about the company? Rebecca at 4 My Earth is a real natural, new age mum! She is committed to the environment and all her products must be ethically made and help in reducing our impact with reusable and where possible use organic materials. Another fabulous, Australian owned and run family business. They also sell lots of other cool stuff too – love their bamboo shawl so much!

Where do you get them from? You can get them straight from the lovely Rebecca online.

What’s the final verdict? I absolutely love the food covers. What a fantastic, eco-friendly idea. They are easy to use and wash and they have definitely cut down our plastic wrap use to a significant degree. No more eco-guilt!

Okay, so who would like to try some for themselves?

Rebecca is kindly giving away two of her value packs which contain four covers, one in each size.

This giveaway has now closed. The winners were Chon K and Fiona S!

This is how you enter:

* Be a blog subscriber. Add your email to the top right hand side of the blog.

* Be a 4 My Earth Facebook liker. Go here.

* Head over to the website and take a look at the food covers. Go here.

* Comment on this blog post, telling me which design you would prefer – the flowers or the plain with text.

Terms and conditions:

This giveaway is only open to Australian residents. It will close on Friday the 30th of November at midnite. The winner will be chosen from those meeting the entry requirements using random.org. Please make a note to check your emails to see if you have won! It will also be announced on this blog post.

Good luck everyone and thank you Rebecca at 4 My Earth!

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Filed In: HOME / Tagged: 4 my earth, eco-friendly, food covers, plastic wrap

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