For years, I thought pollution was something that only contaminated the outdoors. After all, we can all see smoggy air, car exhaust fumes and the garbage spewing out from smoke stacks. But I was shocked to learn that the chemicals in the everyday products we use inside the home as well as on our bodies could be far more hazardous to our health.

Ironically, many of these products are supposed to help clean the house. Instead, they are polluting it.

If you consider that we spend as much as 80-90 per cent of our life indoors, the condition of our enclosed environment will most definitely have an impact on our health.

We eat, drink and some of us also work and study in our homes where the air circulation may be restricted. Combine that with the toxic soup of chemicals used in our common household products such as laundry detergents, air fresheners, shampoos, face moisturizers, cosmetics, toilet bowl cleaners and dishwashing liquids, we become desensitized to all the chemicals around us, which negatively impact our health and we may not even know it.

After learning about the dangerous, toxic ingredients lurking in commercial products and their association with chronic or long-term health issues such as cancer, I knew that it was time to do something about them.

I started with making my own diaper wipes when the kids were newborns. Then we gradually moved to making our own laundry detergent, all-purpose cleaners, toothpaste and facial creams. I researched and tried many homemade non-toxic recipes and tweaked some to cater to my family’s liking.

Once we began using healthier products, it became obvious how toxic the commercial products were. I still have to hold my breath while running down the detergent aisle in grocery stores; I react to the strong fragrance of people’s colognes, clothes and hair products. Once we remove the toxic chemicals from our bodies, we become sensitive to them.

But immediately, I noticed the instance of respiratory problems, eye irritations, mood disturbances, coughing and sneezing drop dramatically once we switched to non-toxic products.

Here are some recipes for common products that usually contain the most hazardous ingredients. They’re easy to make, don’t take much time, contain safer, more natural ingredients and you’ll save money and your health in the long run.

Try it for yourself. And if you have a recipe that works for you, do share!

If making your own doesn’t fit into your lifestyle right now, don’t feel bad about it. I still buy many of my products but when I do, opt for healthier alternatives whenever possible with the least amount of toxic ingredients.

And they’re out there.

The items below are some of my favourite recipes and brands based on my research and personal experience. No commission involved.

Whether you make your own or buy, you are making a healthy choice by removing toxic chemicals from your life.

And you can’t go wrong there!