Are nasty household toxins making you dead tired?

Every time I cleaned the house, I felt tired and sniffly afterwards. You might think, “Well, of course you’d feel tired after doing all that work!” But, it wasn’t an exercise type of tired like what happens after a good workout. No. It was a lethargy that set in, almost like trying to move through water. I didn’t know then that every time I cleaned, I exposed myself to household toxins that can cause those symptoms.

After all, I was a teen cleaning my parents’ house using the popular foaming bubbles bathroom cleaner, wood polish, and pine floor cleaner. Back then, I didn’t know anything about natural cleaners and my mother probably would’ve frowned on them, anyway. I also didn’t know that there is a federal warning on all of those household toxins. If I had, then I would’ve at least opened the windows and worn a mask when cleaning.

And, to be honest, I often felt a bit lethargic, even if I hated it. That’s because I not only felt like that on cleaning days, I also felt like that sometimes when I ate. But, that’s a different story.

What are household toxins?

Household toxins are substances in your home that can cause harm. You usually find them in cleaning products, but you also find them in paint and construction materials, pesticides you spray in your home or you find on conventional produce, plastics, furniture and carpet, cosmetics and body care products, and a host of other synthetic products and sprays. According to Green America, there are at least thirteen toxic chemicals commonly found in homes across America.

In this article, we are going to focus primarily on cleaning products. You can easily switch them out for natural homemade cleaners. Paint, construction materials, furniture, and carpet toxins are discussed in my sick house syndrome article.

Why do people still use them?

Here’s the million dollar question, right? It’s easy to see that these dangerous chemicals can cause harm. After all, some people get rashes on their skin from coming in contact with them and there are warnings on the bottles. And, a simple internet search will turn up loads of warnings and side effects, such as warnings about toxic effects on the lungs from the American Lung Association. But, many people continue to use them. Why? Here are some possibilities. Maybe they:

• personally don’t get sick.
• perceive that natural cleaners might not work as well.
• have to use them because of their job.
• think natural cleaners are more expensive.
• don’t have access to natural cleaners.
• rationalize that they don’t use them very often.
• have other, more unusual, reasons.

Maybe some of these reasons resonate with you like they did with my mom. But, if you are like me and you feel sick after cleaning, it’s time to sit up and take notice. Your cleaning routine with household toxins may be at the root of your lethargy, runny nose, coughing, itching, and general feelings of illness.

Why do you feel sick from household toxins and others don’t?

Growing up, my sister cleaned with me and she never seemed sick afterwards. Why did I feel sick? Well, some people process toxins more efficiently than others. The ability to process toxins quickly or slowly partly comes from genetics and partly from nutrition. Everyone has the ability to get rid of toxins or they would quickly die from the build up of internal cellular waste! But, the speed at which this happens involves the health of your liver and kidneys, especially, but also the health of your lungs, skin, and digestive tract.

For example, there are many nutrients needed by your liver to be able to render toxins harmless. So, if you don’t eat those nutrients as part of a healthy diet or you have leaky gut, you won’t have the nutrients your liver needs. Then, detox slows down and toxins can accumulate in your fatty tissue and other places. This is what makes you feel sick.

In addition, if the liver is overloaded trying to process not just household toxins, but toxins from food, the air, stress, and just everyday cellular waste, you can also feel sick.

How you can feel better

So, you’ve determined that your use of household toxins is a possible cause for your chronic tiredness. Now what?

Start with switching out your household cleaners

Well, it’s time to start switching them out for natural homemade cleaners. Using homemade cleaners will save you money versus buying cleaners from the store. However, it can be a hassle making them yourself and you might prefer using ones from the store. But, you can get a free guide from Earthley to help you. Some things you definitely need to have on hand:

• white vinegar
• baking soda
• hydrogen peroxide

Other things that are very helpful are cleaning spray concentrate, cleaning paste, and a multipurpose cleaning concentrate for the floor and other chores. Using concentrates saves you money!

Sometimes using natural cleaners requires a bit more patience and elbow grease. But, when you don’t feel lethargic from breathing fumes, maybe it’s a great way to get some exercise! I can’t tell how much better I felt when I started using natural alternatives. I actually had energy again.

Next, feed your liver!

The next thing you’ll want to do is love your liver. The reason you felt sick was that your liver was having trouble. By switching out your household toxins, you helped your liver through reducing the load it has to process. You can help yourself even further by eating foods that your liver loves. These foods include:

• berries
• oranges
• cantaloupe
• pineapples
• avocados
• beets
• broccoli
• green leafy veggies
• Brussel sprouts
• carrots
• green tea
• cocoa
• brown rice
• nuts and seeds
• oily fish, like salmon or tuna
• shellfish
• sardines
• chicken
• lamb
• beef
• organ meats
• eggs

This, of course, is not an exhaustive list. And while these foods provide the nutrients your liver needs to perform at its best, the condition of your gut will determine how much of it actually gets absorbed. And, if you are taking other sources of toxins, such as conventional drugs or body care products, it might not do you any good. I had to eliminate all sources of toxins not only from my diet, but also from all other sources to recover.

The consequences of doing nothing

You might say to yourself, Well, I can’t do this right now. I don’t have the money or the time. Well, let me tell you, my friend, you can’t afford not to do something. The stakes are high. I suffered for a long time from household toxins. That’s because I not only suffered the effects from cleaners, but also from household construction fumes, conventional drugs, laundry detergents, pesticides on groceries, and just plain food allergies. Ignorance and finances led to the development of fibromyalgia several years later. Don’t let that happen to you. Do something now. And if you already have chronic illness, you can get your life back. I did. It starts here, by going all natural.