share post

How I Radically Improved My Health + Home

by | Jul 2, 2020 | A Year of Dwelling Well, Decorating Inspiration, feature, My Life, Self Care

This Post May Contain Affiliate Links. Please Read Our Disclosure Policy here

How I Radically Improved My Health + Home

Making simple changes in our home, one step at a time, is how I radically changed my life and my family’s life. I feel better than ever! Our family has seen so many health improvements over the years through changes we’ve made for a toxin-free home. I’m so glad that we kicked toxins out and made the switch to clean products. Here are the steps we took to feel our best!

How I Radically Improved My Health + Home

Order Toxin Free Household and Personal Care Products Here. (no starter kit required! my referral number is 3731456)

If you have any trouble ordering, email me at [email protected] and I will help!

How I Radically Improved My Health + Home

Having a holistic mindset about how I care for my home and the people inside has changed everything for me and my family.

Once I discovered that many popular household products can contain toxic chemicals, I knew I had to get serious. I would never go back. Even products that claim to be “all natural” (called greenwashing) can have unidentified fragrances and ingredients which can be toxic.

How I Radically Improved My Health + Home

Repeated use of these products translates to compounding exposure of potentially harmful chemicals. We inhale these chemicals into our lungs and absorb them through our skin.

The supposedly “natural” products I used to use in my home fooled me for so long.

How I Radically Improved My Health + Home

“Regular use of cleaning sprays can have as much of an impact on health as smoking a pack of cigarettes a day, according to a new study. Scientists at Norway’s University of Bergen tracked 6000 people, with an average age of 34 at the time of enrollment in the study, who used the cleaning products over a period of two decades, according to the research published in the American Thoracic Society’s American Journal Of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine.” (source)

With my autoimmune condition, Hashimoto’s, I have learned so much over the years about how everyday products can severely impact our health.

This is why we no longer burn scented candles in our home and are very selective about our cleaning and personal care products. We are the gatekeepers of our homes and I say it’s better to be safe than sorry! When we know better, we can do better. And I have never been more confident in the benefits of a toxin-free home.

How I Radically Improved My Health + Home

Quite a few years ago I decided for the health of my family that I would completely replace scented candles and chemical room fresheners in our home with pure essential oils.

It was a hard pill to swallow at first–I loved my candles! I just had no idea the impact candles may have on our health. I thought I’d miss candles, but I honestly don’t. I use diffusers that glow and flicker and the oils I use smell INCREDIBLE! This simple swap has truly made our home so much healthier and happier. It feels like a spa, I’m OBSESSED with using oils, filling my diffusers is favorite ritual every day.

When we ditched candles that also meant no plug-ins, no room sprays, no synthetic household cleaners (I learned that you not only need to avoid the more obvious toxins but you have to pay attention to the ingredient “fragrance” or “perfume” because it could hide any number of toxins I don’t want in our home). No worries, I can make all of those things without the toxins!

How I Radically Improved My Health + Home

Next I swapped out our cleaning products. I used to buy allll the products. Every spring before I knew better, I had stocked up on the newest scented dish soaps. In the winter I wanted all the Christmas scented soaps and sprays. Of course, at the time I thought they were healthy, but sadly they weren’t. Now that they’ve been out of our house for years and my body has detoxed, I can smell the difference in products and notice the difference in how I feel.

I only need this one plant-based toxin-free household cleaner concentrate for all the things! It’s so simple and affordable to use. We don’t store all that toxic junk we used to have under our sink any longer. This cleaner is also what I spray on my fiddle leaf fig to keep him shiny, happy and healthy. Plants love it, and so do we. It’s safe around our dogs and our lungs. I have tons of recipes for how to make cleaning pastes and scrubs with it, too. It’s super versatile and works like a charm.

How I Radically Improved My Health + Home

We wash our dishes with clean safe products, no more nasty chemicals or synthetic fragrances on our plates we eat off of! The dish liquid I use is also highly concentrated, one bottle can turn into several, so we save a lot of money. Our dishwasher soap works great as a scrub, too! I love the versatility of these clean plant-based products. No need to wear a mask to clean your bathroom!

How I Radically Improved My Health + Home

It’s also important to us to wash our laundry without chemicals, and absolutely no toxic dryer sheets! We use wool dryer balls and oils intead!

How I Radically Improved My Health + Home

I am in love with my new hand soap! Happy to say we no longer wash our hands with endocrine disrupters. My endocrines were disrupted enough for one lifetime, thank you very much. :) The scents we love now are pure unadulterated essential oils, no added harmful stuff we don’t need in our lungs let alone on our hands.

How I Radically Improved My Health + Home

I starting swapping out skincare products. My face has never been happier. Much of what we put on our skin ends up in our body, too, so it’s really important to be cautious with skincare.

How I Radically Improved My Health + Home

Then I swapped out my toxic makeup and replaced it with clean beautiful toxin-free makeup. It works better than any I’ve ever tried! Gorgeous. I used to get rashes and scaly eyelids because of the preservatives “natural” products had in them. I love the purity and standards of these ingredients, they exceed any other brand by far.

How I Radically Improved My Health + Home

By ridding our home from toxins and using trusted plant-based products, we got healthier. We began focusing on better nutrition, working with a naturopath on my health, going gluten-free and started taking amazing targeted supplements. The changes have been dramatic and truly life-changing.

How I Radically Improved My Health + Home

We cleared out our medicine cabinets of harmful unnecessary things, now we are very proactive in striving for health and wellness instead of reacting to and paying for sickness.

I take a holistic approach to my health and use natural supplements and remedies. I haven’t been sick with any bug in five years! That makes me so happy.

But if I do get sick, I feel confident that I have all the things I need to boost my body’s immune system and defenses.

How I Radically Improved My Health + Home

So many things have changed in our home since we started this toxin-free journey.

From the day I first told you guys I was trying essential oils to stay well after getting the flu years and years ago, through to now, our life and health as a family has continued to be radically changed for the better.

This path was the best decision ever.

My only regret? That I didn’t start sooner.

How I Radically Improved My Health + Home

Pretty much everything we need for a happy healthy home and family we get through this trusted company.

The product we use to clean sinks and floors and bathrooms, the soap we get to do our laundry and wash our dishes, the products we love for healthy hair and skin, the oils we use to uplift our emotions, to help us to sleep and boost our immune and respiratory system, the supplements I use to heal my thyroid and reverse Hashimoto’s and support all the healthy body systems, the enzymes and probiotic we use for gut health…I get them all in a monthly box!

It’s easy peasy and I have no more fears of what we are bringing into our home or what nasty ingredients will get into our bodies.

My favorite day is when my monthly order from Young Living arrives!

How I Radically Improved My Health + Home

Jack and Lily get excited too because we even get some pet products (like their shampoo, and Peace & Calming for Jack’s anxiety!). They have products for everyone, babies, moms, dads, teens, men, women, young, older and more.

Ordering monthly is completely optional but I love ordering this way because it saves us so much money. We get 25% back on every order, free oils and it saves me tons of time in decision making and shopping. This box makes it simple to budget for our monthly order. We always know just what know what we need, love and benefit from, but we can also get so many trusted testimonies from other members about new things to try. Plus, it’s just super easy to set up the box each month (it’s easy to update with what you want) and get what we need without leaving the house! Homebody’s dream.

It’s easy to get started with the first steps to a toxin-free home right here!. Just choose whatever you’d like to order–no starter kit required. My referral number is 3731456.

If you don’t have an active YL account and want to reactivate, let’s do it! When you order, add my referral to your account 3731456 or let me know so I can help you get set up and into my wellness group, the Dwell Well Collective.

You can get anything you want (use my referral number 3731456 and link here) and then let’s do this together! I’d love to help you on your journey to a toxin-free home! We have text classes, zoom classes, and workshops, too!

How I Radically Improved My Health + Home

Order Toxin Free Household and Personal Care Products Here (no starter kit required)

If you have any trouble ordering, email me at [email protected] and I will help!

How I Radically Improved My Health + Home

Click HERE for My Top 10 Must-Have Toxin-Free Products From Young Living

Ditching toxins doesn’t have to be a chore. There are so many fun things you can enjoy making with your YL oils, too! Face serums, perfume rollers, custom scented soaps, cleaners, bubble baths…oh, my! So fun! When you get your account, I will send you a welcome email with lots of simple natural DIYs, diffuser blends, room spray recipes and more, too!

When you’re a Young Living customer there is NEVER any requirement or obligation to order anything at all. There are NO fees. Follow the instructions here–you’ll get 24% off whenever you want to use it! There’s no downside and I know you will love it.

How I Radically Improved My Health + Home
Click here to order anything you want from Young Living!
If you have any trouble ordering, email me at [email protected] and I will help!
How I Radically Improved My Health + Home
How I Radically Improved My Health + Home
Click here to follow my Dwell Well Collective account on Instagram
How I Radically Improved My Health + Home
Click here for Dwelling Journal

12 Comments

  1. Kathe Lehman-Meyer

    I made the decision a couple of months ago to do the same thing. I was recommended to use the Young Living products about 8 years ago by a doctor because of the quality of the products. I’m loving it and starting to feel better, too.

    • Melissa @ The Inspired Room

      I’m so happy to hear that you are feeling better and loving YL too, Kathe! It’s the best!

  2. Marsha Gibbons

    You mentioned having Hashimotos. I have that and it is really starting to be a problem, especially with my energy and stomach. How did Young Living help? I have a membership. Would it be a problem to switch my membership to be under you so I could get the benefit of your help with hashimotos? I have not ordered much. I have a few oils and Theives. I use Thieves as a counter spray but that is all. I would have no idea how to clean out a sink, etc. I cannot imagine washing dishes in dishwasher without Finish and doing Laundry without Tide. Does it REALLY work?

    • Melissa @ The Inspired Room

      Hi Marsha! You can call YL about your account, I’m sure they can walk you through your options. Young Living products have helped me tremendously! Gut health is so important to EVERYTHING in our body. Toxins are in the environment, in our products, in our food …. we can’t avoid them all of course but the more we can eliminate the better. Young Living’s products are helping me overcome so many symptoms I thought were just a part of life.

      I guess i need to write a follow up post with more specifics, because there is so much I could say here. I will do that as I am receiving so many questions I want to share more. I want everyone to understand why this has been so impactful to our life!

      And YES, 100% I would get rid of all products that have toxins. It’s sooo important. There is a better way, these products DEFINITELY have changed our life, the company is amazing and the community of members has been extremely helpful, too. No other company I used to purchase things ever helped me to feel better! This is really has been the best decision we made for our health, no doubt about it.

      I’m happy to help in any way I can!

  3. Kristen

    Hi Melissa, I am so curious about the kits and the oils, but honestly, it’s all so overwhelming! How do know what needs to be replaced? I don’t burn (scented) candles, we use sulfate free shampoos and toothpastes. Use free and clear laundry soap, never use dryer sheets. Are all those things I listed still bad for our health? I’m at the stage of life where I have teens and life is expensive (braces, paying for college etc etc). I want to do the healthy thing for my loved ones, but I’m really struggling over spending $125 for a kit, when a bottle of vinegar or bleach to clean my home is $1. (is bleach bad for us too?) I’d LOVE your thoughts – sorry for such a heavy comment! 😂

    • Melissa @ The Inspired Room

      Hi Kristen! I know it feels overwhelming! I was right there with you when I first was introduced to this. I answered a similar question from another reader in the comments (Amy) about the danger of bleach and a question about budgeting (my household cleaner is just $1 a bottle too!) so you might want to go read that to see if it answers some of your questions, but let me add here that each bottle of oil has so many every day uses. I used to be confused too about why I would need a kit so I understand the question! Each of the oils can be used for multiple purposes EVERY DAY!

      Instead of a $20 face serum, you can whip one up for a few pennies with Frankincense and valor (both in the kit!). If I feel a little anxious, I put Frankincense under my tongue and valor on my wrists. When my husband has seasonal allergies, we could go buy an expensive bottle of antihistamine but he makes his own with Lemon, Lavender and Peppermint (all from the kit!) and it works far better than anything he’s ever used OTC. When someone in our home has an upset tummy or a headache, we don’t use a an antacid with tons of potential side effects. We grab the bottle of peppermint from our kit! When I feel a little tickle in my throat, I use Thieves and it has gone away every single time. These are just some of the uses for the kit oils. We literally use them every day for so many things, so it’s worth every penny not only in how useful they are but most importantly how effective they are.

      I hope that helps, please feel free to email or message me any questions. I am happy to help!!

  4. Amy De Rosa

    My daughter introduced me to Young Living and essential oils. They’re okay. I find them quite expensive in that I don’t feel I get enough for my dollar to order from them regularly.
    I’m 68. Old fashioned perhaps but with perspective. I see nothing wrong with using some bleach, some cleanser and a little ammonia solution or white vinegar solution. Used in moderation once a week or so is perfectly sane in my opinion. Also economical.
    The problem of toxins comes in when people start spraying all these multi purpose cleaners that are so attractively and conveniently packaged. These cleaners are redundant —-as I say, use a little bleach or ammonia solution—-expensive and wasteful. The younger generation claims to be so concerned about the environment and waste. Buy a gallon of bleach, half gallon ammonia, a little cleanser (or baking soda) and you’re set for months!!! Thanks if you’ve read up to here. Haha!

    • Melissa @ The Inspired Room

      Hi Amy! I read your whole comment! :) The thing about bleach is it’s definitely not good for our health, and if you mix it with ammonia or other cleaners it releases extremely unhealthy toxic gasses that enter your lungs and can cause illness or death. :-/

      As far as the cost of products you might not have understood a couple of things about how to order. That’s one of the reasons I like to help people, I don’t think people understand how it works so I’m happy to help. One reason it’s cost effective is the cleaning products and soaps are highly concentrated, so they go much farther than you expect! You can also use their products and oils to make your own, and to stretch your dollar even more, if you like to DIY your own recipes.

      If you just order one item at a time you are missing out on the huge benefits YL offers it’s members. I recommend starting with the premium starter kit (it can be found via the link I shared above) because it’s super cost effective and comes with so many oils that help you get started and they are effective for so many purposes.

      In order to detox your whole home you will want to make changes over time to save money. At YL grouping your household needs each month into smaller, budget friendly orders is the way to do it. You can get your dish soap, your household cleaner, your makeup, your face soap, your lotions, supplements, oils to make your own products, granola, tea, whatever you want. You don’t have to buy a lot every month, just start somewhere and go from there. The rewards add up.

      They have over 600 great products, so you not only get the benefits of the toxin-free products but you save a ton over the grocery store by ordering through your wholesale membership and accessing the benefits of the essential rewards program, if you choose to do it that way. It’s optional to order with the monthly box, but it’s totally customizable (no one decides what you will get in your box except YOU!), the minimum is just around $50 a month and you save even more that way because they GIVE you free oils at various order points, you get points back on every order (it starts at 10% back on your first order and grows over time, I get an ADDITIONAL 25% back on all of my orders.)

      I agree with you on simplifying the products. That’s so important! Just use trusted clean products to begin with and use less. It’s the safest, smartest, most cost effective way. I use only ONE household cleaner, it’s amazing and there’s no need for all of the other stuff. It can be used with baking soda to make a paste, too, easy peasy!

      Hope that helps!

  5. Ann C

    I’m so susceptible to smells. All of the essential oils are very fragrant. Are the cleaning supplies also scented? I have tried Mrs. Meyer’s cleaning products but the smells were way too strong for regular use. Always looking for clean ways to clean.

    • Melissa @ The Inspired Room

      I stopped using that brand because they had questionable ingredients! But young living oils and products are very clean, so they usually don’t bother people. What I recommend if you’re sensitive though is to start very slow and dilute a lot. Sometimes the sensitivity is because the oils are helping to detoxify so it’s important to get rid of toxic products so there isn’t a reaction. The thieves cleaner has oils in it so you can smell them but it can be diluted a lot so if need be you can ease into it slowly as your body adjusts.

  6. Rachel Perry

    I had started pondering taking the chemicals out of the house, but never had done a ton of research. Your article just convinced me to go all in. I am making my first tub cleaner right now – hydrogen peroxide, vinegar, and baking soda – sound right?

  7. Gabbi

    I love the split barn style door! I lived in a log cabin for part of my childhood that had one of those doors, and this article brought back a host of fond memories.
    Thank you for that, and for the great advice about healthier toxin-free living. We can all definitely afford to put more time into our health, particularly at the moment!

 

Decor Finds:

browse categories:

browse archives:

let’s stay connected!

Follow for daily
Home Inspiration:

get my free decorating guide

home decor inspiration, free downloads,
and more, straight to your inbox

css.php