I’ve written before about my family’s decision to eat better, and really pay attention to the kinds of foods and ingredients we put into our bodies. Well,something else we’ve talked about, but haven’t really tried yet, is to watch what kind of cleaning products we use around the house. I’ve heard of people cleaning with vinegar and water, but have yet to be able to really do that. The last time a bottle of vinegar broke in my kitchen, it stunk like crazy for a couple of days… no matter how much I mopped/rinsed it. I just couldn’t figure out how people clean with it… I’ve always been a big fan of bleach, especially in the bathroom and kitchens. For some reason, I haven’t really felt the rooms were clean unless they emanated with the scent of bleach… but all of that is hopefully going to change over the next month or so.

I’ve been given a chance to try out Seventh Generation products! To be completely honest, I had heard of them, but never really considered using them. I think I’ve been pretty closed minded about my cleaning products… Recently, though, I’ve been doing some more research, and seeing stories of people with respiratory issues, cancer and reproductive issues caused by the chemicals used in their homes. I mean, according to the EPA, the air inside the average home contains two to five times more pollution than the air outside. How crazy is that? It really makes me think about what we’re using in our home.. and if we’re harming ourselves in the house, what about the planet? Washing chemicals down the drain can’t be good for the environment, right? You can read a lot more about this and more healthy suggestions on Seventh Generation’s 7GenBlog!

Seventh Generation makes environmentally safe “green cleaners” which are all made from non-toxic, biodegradable ingredients like pure vegetable oils, natural minerals and hydrogen peroxide. You may be thinking (as I did at first) that the cleaners sound great for cleaning up spills, and stuck on things on the stove or counters… but what about germs??? Other brands have disinfecting cleaners that kill 99.99% of germs… Well, have you ever looked at the ingredients/warning labels on those? I never really did.. It’s actually scary! Seventh Generation has a line of disinfecting products that also kill 99.99% of germs BOTANICALLY… It’s powered by CleanWell, and uses thyme derivatives to naturally disinfect. It’s also registered with the EPA. All products that they have with scents are scented with essential oils instead of chemically created scents.

On a conference call that I had with Jeffrey Hollender, Co-Founder of Seventh Generation, he told a story about a customer. The mother was cleaning house, and her toddler had gotten into the cleaning cabinet and taken a handful of dishwasher detergent and put it in her mouth. The mother, rightfully excited, called 911, spoke to Poison Control, and when they asked her what dish detergent her toddler had swallowed, she replied “Seventh Generation”… The Poison Control operator told her that she was lucky, and that all she had to do was make sure her child drank a lot of water. If it had been any of the other conventional dish detergents, the situation would have had a completely different outcome, which probably would’ve involved a hospital stay. Wow.. I haven’t been able to get that out of my mind.

So, with all of this information, for the next month, I’m going to be using Seventh Generation products anywhere I can in my home in hopes of creating a safer environment for my family, and preserving the planet in the process. Stay along with me for the ride, and if you want to join in the challenge, you can now get Seventh Generation Products at your local Walmart and on Walmart.com!  I’d love to hear more about your green ideas, and what you think about the statements I posted above! If you have any questions about Seventh Generation, Walmart’s commitment to sustainability, or how to live greener, and live better, please leave me a comment and I’ll be sure to get answers for you!

Join me, along with my fellow  Walmart Moms, Sheena of Sophistishe, Jennae of Green Your Décor, Jenn Fowler of Frugal Upstate, and Denise of Wholesome Mommy, on our four week journey to live a more sustainable lifestyle in the Seventh Generation/Walmart sustainability challenge.

*Disclosure: I am a participant in the Walmart Moms (http://www.walmart.com/walmartmoms) program. Seventh Generation( http://www.seventhgeneration.com/) has provided me with products.  Walmart has provided me with compensation to blog about attempting a more sustainable household for a month. Participation in this program is voluntary. All opinions are my own.