Guest Post from Dr. Elizabeth Davidson

Mud season in Vermont…a time of teasing warm breezes followed by sugar snow. I find it sparks a deep sense of excitement for things to come, grounded by the never ending piles of dirt on the floor as all that mud dries in front of the door. Though I long for consistent warmth and light, plus an end to all this rain, what I can’t wait for is the day I can clean my floor and have it stay that way for more than a day.

Yes, spring cleaning season is fast approaching. A spring clean isn’t truly clean if the products you use to clean are not clean. Toxins in cleaning products are one of the most common overlooked sources of toxins in homes and offices. Most people don’t even notice, but for those of us who are chemically sensitive, going into businesses can be a sickening nightmare.

Cleaning chemicals like bleach, ammonia, pretty much anything in the brightly colored cleaning aisle at the box store, anything with “fragrance”, things with the skull and crossbones on the back, or supplies that say “call the poison control center if ingested”...these are chock full of neurotoxins and hormone disruptors. When you smell them, those toxins go right to the brain and wreak havoc. For a chemically sensitive employee or customer all of these things (including the hand soap) are painful assaults to the system. They make going to stores, events, offices, even just meeting people (especially if they’ve used dryer sheets), into strategic mazes to be navigated as quickly as possible, avoiding bathrooms with all their scents, holding your breath in spots. Then finally getting home to be able to use soap with scent that won’t linger on your skin making you dizzy and nauseous. It can be harrowing.

Fortunately, there are safe, effective options out there, but don’t believe everything the labels say. Many products and companies claim to be “green” or “100% natural”, but cleaning supplies are not well monitored and they aren’t even required to list ingredients! If you want the true story on how toxic your cleaning supplies are, try an app like Think Dirty…you can scan the bar code and get a sense of the level of toxicity. Also, try a free consultation with me, Dr. Elizabeth Davidson. I can help you weed out the products that are making your clients and the environment sick, then replace them with ones that are safe and effective for a truly clean spring clean.