Super Natural Home Book

Beth Greer is the author of the book Super Natural Home, which is all about improving the health of your home, yourself and the planet.

Starting out with a fun and easy quiz to take an inventory of your daily exposure to dangerous chemicals, this book makes one take a look at the various areas of your life. So, how did I do on the quiz? Well, I always feel bad talking about my eco-friendliness because I feel as though others may see it as judgemental or something.

Being vegan, I ‘naturally’ avoid synthetic ingredients that are often made from animal byproducts. I am sensitive to synthetic scents, too – so have never bought air freshener or used regular detergent or cleaning products. I typically just use vinegar and baking soda to clean with. I also don’t use non-stick cookware.  As for the question about hydrogenated oils – they are banned in Canada – so I got that question right.

With chapter headings like:

Bedroom – How to Improve One of the Most Important Rooms in Your Home, and

Unfiltered Tap Water – Don’t Take Clean Water for Granted, Plus the Possible Peril of Plastic Bottles

Beth Greer really has you covered!

Beth’s radio show/podcasts and blog are great resources for information on making small changes to your life/home in order to lead a more green life. Here, Beth shares about ways to avoid one of the top 5 allergens in the world.

Ten powerful ways to protect yourself from toxic synthetic fragrances:

1. Avoid air fresheners. They are made with synthetic fragrances, containing phthalates.
2. Watch for any product that lists “fragrance” or “parfum” on the label — these are FDA-approved catch-all words synonymous with hidden phthalates.
3. Products that claim to be “fragrance free” or “unscented” could contain masking agents that give off a neutral odor, so it is best if the word “fragrance” does not appear on the label at all.
4. Look for scents that are naturally derived or are plant-based or labeled as 100% essential oils. These are not the same thing as fragrance oils which are artificially created and contain synthetic chemicals.
5. If a product says “Made with…” it can mean as little as 1 percent of the ingredients in the bottle.
6. For scented candles, try those made from soy or beeswax, and make sure their fragrance is made from 100% essential oils.
7. To clear the air use a non-aerosol citrus spray containing only citrus peel extracts, which are effective at dissolving airborne odors, instead of scented aerosol sprays, liquids that emit a continuous scent, or solid air fresheners.
8. Labels that claim a product is “natural” or “biodegradable” do not mean that it is necessarily free of synthetic fragrances or other chemicals
9. Certified Organic products do not contain synthetic fragrances.
10. Make requests at hotels, car rental companies, dog groomers, schools, and offices to not use scented cleaning products.

This book is great for basic tips for different areas of the home and life – and I love the little highlighted sections and lists. I appreciate that Beth mentions taking off shoes in the home, and buying wine with cork stoppers instead of plastic screw-tops. I liked reading about soap-nuts, an alternative detergent product made from all-natural ‘nuts’. I will be reviewing some in the next few weeks and look forward to testing the benefits of them myself.

“Today, chemically sensitive people might be detecting toxic stuff in the environment before others are able to.” – I like this quote because I am chemically sensitive, and so is Greg.

I plan on passing on this book to my mom, who has started to come around to some of the ideas I’ve been telling her about for the last 10 years regarding chemicals, the environment and our health. I find it funny when she tries to tell me something not to use – like harsh detergents, even though I haven’t done so in the 10 years since I moved out of her home. It is nice to hear that people are willing to change what they’ve been doing for so many decades if they’ve been given the message enough times! I am really hopeful that more and more people will begin to change their habits in a more positive direction.

Connect with Beth Greer and Super Natural Home on Facebook. You’ll be able to enter to win a copy of this book during April’s Blogmania event! The giveaway is all about greening your home so this book will be perfect for the winner.

I was given a copy of Beth’s book in order to share my findings with you. I was not compensated in any other way.