Mommy Goes Green

Seventh Generation has come out with another great line of eco-friendly and non-toxic cleaning products.  This time, they have joined forces with CleanWell, using their patented technology based on thymol, a component of thyme oil, to create a line of disinfectant wipes and sprays, including both a multi-surface cleaner and a bathroom cleaner.

Their disinfectant line kills over 99.99% of household germs commonly found in your home, such as Influenza A, H1N1, Staphylococcus aureus, Salmonella enterica, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Escherichia coli.  Now you clean AND disinfectant safely, in one step.

Look for their new line wherever you normally purchase Seventh Generation products including mass retailers such as Target, Walgreens, Toys ‘R Us and natural food stores such as Whole Foods.

Print a coupon for $1 OFF any Seventh Generation product.

Hand washing has been on my mind constantly - my toddler goes to preschool, my husband travels on a plane a lot and a newborn will be joining our family soon.  I’m trying to keep myself and my family as healthy as possible but reality is that winter is coming and germs are everywhere!

That being said – I wanted to remind everyone about hand sanitizer use.  Your best option is just to wash hands with soap and water – for 20 seconds.  Personally, I sing ‘happy birthday’ 2x (under my breath, of course) to make sure I wash long enough.    I’m teaching my daughter to count to 20 while washing.

If soap and water isn’t around, hand sanitizer works but make sure it’s safe and NOT ‘anti-bacterial’!  Early this year, I posted about triclosan in hand sanitizers and remember that many popular hand sanitizers have 62% ethyl alcohol which is equal to 4 shots of vodka!   Research shows that use of anti-bacterial products is contributing to the spread of antibiotic resistant bacterias.

For a great natural alternative, try using CleanWell - I have a bottle in my car and in my purse.  It’s a mix of plant essential oils and kills 99.9% of germs including MSRA, Salmonella and Staph.  I even like the lemony smell – no alcohol.  I found CleanWell at Target but it’s also available at GNC, Whole Foods, Wegmans and many other stores.

When my daughter started crawling and then walking, she instantly started touching everything she could get her hands on. Most medical recommendations say that washing with good ol’ soap and water is sufficient but sometimes there was no soap and water in sight so hand sanitizer became a ‘must-have’ in my purse.  I couldn’t stand the alcohol smell of most hand sanitizers so with a little research, I found Cleanwell, an alcohol free hand sanitizer, that has a pleasantly light lemon smell.  Little did I know that the smell of alcohol wasn’t the only thing I should have been concerned with.

I didn’t realize the actual amount of alcohol in most hand sanitizers.  I’ve even read that children have been hospitalized for alcohol poisoning from them!   They have a surprisingly heavy amount of ethyl alcohol ( Purell and Germ-X contain 62% ethyl alcohol, a little 2oz bottle = 4 shots of vodka! ).

Triclosan is an anti-bacterial ingredient used not only in hand sanitizers but also in a lot of personal care products.  According to the EWG, it is linked to liver and inhalation toxicity, and low levels of triclosan may disrupt thyroid function. Wastewater treatment does not remove all of the chemical, which means it ends up in our lakes, rivers and water sources.  

The American Medical Association recommends that households do not use anti bacterial products as it contributes to the spread of antibiotic resistant bacterias and the New England Journal of Medicine reports that alcohol based hand sanitizers pose as intoxicants to high-risk populations, like toddlers.

CleanWell, a hand sanitizer made with Ingenium, is a great alternative.  Ingenium is a patented mix mix of plant essential oils, including the active ingredent, thyme oil.  It is 100% biodegradeable and kills 99.99% of germs including MSRA, Salmonella and Staph.  It’s totally safe for kids with no risk of harm from ingestion.   They have a couple products, including a purse version of their hand sanitizer, sanitizer wipes and hand soap.  You can purchase their products in the MGG SHOP, Target, Whole Foods, and Bath & Body Works.  Other alternatives to try: For My Kids or Clean George products.

One last thought : a lot of day care centers, preschools, and schools use hand sanitizers in their classroom.  You might ask them to choose a better product or donate a large bottle to your class. 

FREE STUFF: We have a 6oz bottle ( over 1300 uses! ) of CleanWell Hand Sanitizer to GIVE AWAY to our readers – you can enter to win by signing up for the MGG newsletter by Sunday, March 22 at 11:59PM PST.   The newsletter sign up is located on the right hand, middle section of the MGG homepage.  We will choose one winner at random and notify them by email. Open to 18 year old + residents of the U.S. and Canada.

CONGRATS to Jessica Petlun, the winner of our CleanWell Hand Sanitizer sweepstakes!