SIMPLE & SAFER SWAPS FOR YOUR HOME

by Shannon A. Garcia, MDS, RD, LD with KISS in the Kitchen

IIs your home working for you or against you? Ask anyone if they want their home to be safe and the answer will always be a resounding “yes!”. Yet, many of us unknowingly allow products in our homes that contain unsafe ingredients. I always say “when you know better, you do better”. From cleaning and personal care products to even cookware and food storage, these are all areas you can optimize in your home and create lasting health impacts for generations to come.

PHASE OUT THE FRAGRANCES. It wasn’t that many years ago I still got excited about a Bath & Body Works sale, so I can completely relate to enjoying a home filled with fresh floral scents on a bright spring day. However, avoiding and phasing out sources of synthetic fragrance is always my top recommendation when my clients ask me for my #1 safer swap tip for their homes. Synthetic fragrances are a loophole in the personal care industry, with up to 3,000 ingredients being hidden under the simple ingredient “fragrance” (also sometimes called “parfum). Whether you’re inhaling fragrances or putting them directly on your body in lotions, moisturizers, shampoos and other personal care products, they have potential to disrupt your hormones, lead to allergic reactions and even possibly increase cancer risk. Fragrances and other unsafe ingredients are only one piece to the healthy living puzzle, but they’re an important one.

SAFER SWAP - essential oils (quality ones with pure ingredients) diffused throughout your home or rolled on your wrists and neck as perfume. Safer candles, although sometimes difficult to identify, can still add warmth and ambiance to your home without the toxins. Some of my favorite brands are Fontana, Freckles & Feelings and Primally Pure. Additionally, any 100% beeswax candle without synthetic fragrance is usually a safer swap!

ADIOS ALUMINUM. If you’re lining your baking sheets with aluminum foil, it’s time to make a switch! Cooking your food on aluminum foil has been shown to increase your intake of aluminum and most of us don’t endeavor to intentionally increase our intake of heavy metals. Although your food is likely to only absorb a small amount of aluminum, I advise my clients to not risk the cumulative exposure and opt for something safer. This safer swap is often low-hanging fruit and it’s as simple as changing up your next curbside order!

SAFER SWAP - parchment paper! Bonus points if you can score unbleached parchment paper (I get mine on Thrive Market). This swap is one of the cheapest and easiest to make. Silicone mats are another alternative and although there’s less waste, I find parchment paper easier and performs slightly better for most of the meals I prepare!

PITCH THE PLASTIC especially if that’s where you’re storing your food. Keeping and reheating leftovers in plastic is usually another fairly simple swap to start with. I’m a mama of two young girls so I understand how this swap can be met with some resistance, but hear me out. I’m not proposing ridding your entire home and kitchen of ALL plastic, but starting with what touches your food is one of the most impactful places to start!

SAFER SWAP - Glass, stainless or silicone. If you have littles in your home, I would consider more stainless steel containers for food storage since they’re more durable and less breakable than glass. Glass food storage sets are readily available and reasonably priced with many sets being offered on Amazon or found locally at Costco. Completely ridding your home of Ziplocs might not be realistic, but slowly stocking up on reusable storage bags is a worthwhile endeavor. My favorite ones are Stasher Bags and I often grab a few new ones during their back to school or Black Friday sale!

TOSS THE TIDE or any other fragranced detergent with harsh chemicals. This one can be tough for many of us, especially if your home is filled with sweaty teenagers. It’s also especially challenging when there are an abundance of detergent options, many of which feature greenwashed labels that can make you think you’re purchasing a safe option while they still actually contain harmful ingredients. Let’s also call out the elephant in the room- will these safer options even work? If you’ve tried a cleaner detergent and felt like your clothes didn’t really get clean, it can be hard to keep trying other options that might be a waste of your time and money. That’s typically how my clients are feeling when they find me! They want to make safer swaps in their home, but either don’t have time, are exhausted with the endless search for safer products that are also high performing or both! If that sounds like you, I would highly recommend working with a safer swaps expert to help guide you or even take on detoxing your whole home without you lifting a finger.

SAFER SWAP - Branch Basics, a Texas based company, is my personal go-to because of the easy and effective concentrate system. It’s even removed berries and paint stains from my toddler’s clothes and my clients can also save 15% off with code KISS!

KISSINTHEKITCHN@YAHOO.COM | (210) 364-6542

KISSINTHEKITCHEN.COM/LOW-TOXIC-HOME-EDIT/

Shannon is currently offering exclusive low-tox home edit services in Kendall County. She’s available for in-home assessments and will help detox your home without you lifting a finger. Shannon understands how making safer swaps can be challenging, confusing and how defeating it can feel when cleaner products don’t perform well. Her job and joy is implementing all the vetted and sustainable safer swaps for you! The final outcome is a lowtox home that supports you and your family’s health now and for generations to come.