Hidden Toxins in Your Home: Creating a Healthier Environment

[00:00:04] Welcome to the D Shift Podcast, where we provide inspiration, motivation and education to help you transition from the challenges of divorce to discover the freedom and ability to live life on your own terms. Are you ready? Let's get this shift started. Hello and welcome to this episode of the D Shift Podcast. And I get to talk to a lady who I have known since before COVID. It's hard to believe such a time existed, isn't it?

[00:00:34] I get to speak with Teresa Thomas, who is another Canadian. And she really helps people to get rid of chemicals and toxins that are lurking in their homes that may be leading to a lot of health issues for themselves and their children. And when we go through a divorce, sometimes we get the chance to start over in a new place or sometimes we're staying in the old place.

[00:00:58] But it's a good time to maybe look at some of these environmental factors that maybe you haven't been able to focus on in the past. So I think this is a really timely topic. So drawing on her own journey of overcoming multiple chemical sensitivities, Teresa empowers mothers to remove those hidden toxins from their homes and yards and replace harmful products with safe alternatives. And I love this. I'm starting to get into this myself, too.

[00:01:24] So she gives some strategies to reduce exposure to synthetic chemicals that weaken children's immune systems, create behavioral issues and cause constant health front frustrations. And the result is a happy, healthy, vibrant family. So I think this is a wonderful message and mission. So thank you, Teresa. Well, thanks so much, Marty. Well, it's always great to get a chance to interview somebody.

[00:01:50] I know. I love this. So let's let's talk a little bit about why this became your area of focus and passion, because I know you've been working on this for a few years. So why is this so important? Well, when I got sick in the early 90s, it really took the whole feed out from under me.

[00:02:10] And then there was actually a big hospital environmental illness situation here in Halifax and about 800 staff went off. So we had a huge environmental health issue here in Halifax. And there were about 200 people that would attend allergy and environmental health meetings.

[00:02:35] And we had the committees for citizens for a safe learning environment, real alternatives to toxins in the environment, the environmental network. And we all met. And the nurses union was the one that was most affected. And they made signs saying no sense is good sense. Yeah. We all plastered these signs all over the province and the sale of fragrance products went down.

[00:03:02] So we were all invited to a meeting by the dean of medicine to meet the representatives from the Cosmetics Fragrance and Toiletry Foundation. So there's about 15 organizations represented here. And we're all around this big, huge board table. And these gentlemen were there and they, you know, they asked, well, well, why are you so concerned? And so we said, well, perfume products make us sick.

[00:03:32] They give us headaches. We can't do our job. And it was worse than headaches. But so then, you know, we're all so naive, honestly. And, you know, we said, well, people, you know, the Senate products really make us sick. Oh, those little old ladies, he said, they just put perfume on and they put too much on. So, of course, a lot of the people sitting around the table were 50 plus and most of us were women.

[00:04:01] Not a smart move. Then he said, well, who provides the money for these posters? And you think, oh, he's going to try and stop the funding. Well, the president of the Nova Scotia Nurses Union, she was a little kind of a bulldog of a lady. And she's deceased now. But anyway, she puts her fist on the table. Nobody funds us. We do this ourselves. And we take them everywhere we go.

[00:04:31] So I happened to be sitting at the end of the table where he was sitting with his colleague. He sat down and he leaned over and he said, we will have to advertise to the children. Now, that did it for me. Even now, I get chills. And I said, we're too sick to fight this. We don't have the money to fight this. You know, one of my dreams is an ad on the Super Bowl. If I win the lotto, I'm doing it. And so then I thought, whoa, this is terrible.

[00:05:00] And my daughter was about nine. And that fall, all the ads on the children's programs, the girls were spraying their dolls with perfumes and everything. And I said, oh, no. By the time these girls are in their 20s, they're probably going to be having trouble. And then I was in the Women in Film and Television organization. They were having a conference.

[00:05:24] And there were three 20-year-old women who could not go to university because they couldn't tolerate the sense. Yeah. So that became my mission right there. It's like, oh, no, we can't have this. You know, people need to be able to go out and do their dreams and learn and participating with others. And I had had a decade on my own in my house where I couldn't go out unless I had a mask on. So I knew what that was like. And I just, you know, so that's how it came about. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.

[00:05:54] And again, I say this so often. It might as well just be a standard recording I play. But really, the people that have the most passion are the people that have been through an experience that has really changed them. So let's talk about the idea because here's what I hear. I hear a lot of people say, well, not all scented products bother all people.

[00:06:23] Therefore, it's not a whole community problem. It's the person with the, you know, it's the person with the sensitivity needs to be careful. It's kind of like the peanut thing. Like, why can't we send peanut butter with our kids anymore to schools when there's one kid out of 700 that has a peanut butter allergy? Now, that's a lethal. That's a lethal allergy quite often. Yes. But I hear this argument. I hear these kind of arguments all the time.

[00:06:49] So how can people who want to be more selective be selective? And is it possible to completely eliminate everything? Well, my whole premise is that the body is meant to rest and rejuvenate at night. That's when our organs clean out all the toxins we have in the day. Now, since World War II, we have 200,000 almost synthetic chemicals in the world.

[00:07:19] In the early 90s, it was 90,000. So you can see how much they're multiplying. And my big thing is just to have a fragrance-free bedroom. Yeah. Okay. Stop having your scented laundry and your scented clothing. Scented pajamas, scented sheets. So that when you're asleep at night, you're not breathing in all those chemicals.

[00:07:45] And somebody did a study of two dryer vents one year. And they had 17 volatile organic compounds in the air. And seven hazardous air pollutants. Yeah. So this is what we're breathing right against our nose. You know, our head is on the pillow. Our nose is breathing in everything. The pajamas are on our skin. Our sheets are on our skin. So that's my big number one.

[00:08:13] And then if somebody's sensitive, if they do that, at least their personal space is clean when they're sitting at school. And if everybody else does it, yes, it would be good to not have some of those very, very strong. Yeah. What do you call them? What do the boys call them? Aftershaves or whatever. All those ax things and all the, oh gosh. Some of the, some of those, I remember when I was, this is going to date me terrible.

[00:08:37] Well, everybody knows I'm in my 60s, but that Descartes Noir fragrance that all the guys wore. Oh my God. I still smell that. And that just makes me feel nauseous. Like just the odor of, it's so overwhelming. And I don't think I'm particularly sensitive. But I was on the, I was on a plane the other day. Oh no. And they actually asked a lady to get off the plane. I was quite impressed by the, but it was overwhelming Teresa.

[00:09:03] I mean, it was, it was to the point of she walked through the, like she walked through the door. And I would say within three or four minutes, the whole cabin smelt like whatever fragrance she had on. So they asked her to get off. Wow. Yeah. Yeah. I was thinking, oh no, if that was me, I'd be in absolute agony for the whole flight. But then they asked her to get off.

[00:09:26] Now I heard recently that Axe has actually reduced its strength and is trying to train boys not to use so much. So, you know, and what's happening though, is as time goes on with all the things we're exposed to all the time, more and more people are getting sensitive. Yes. Yes. I agree. And I think because like I live by myself, I live out in the country.

[00:09:51] So I'm not like, you know, there's not a big urban area where there's a lot of pollutants and chemicals. And I recently went to New York and I was bombarded with like scent overload, like everything, everything smelt. And I never noticed it before, but I really did. Yeah. Yeah. It was amazing. You're safe in your own environment. And that's, you know, that's one of the great things for me is that I have my own environment here.

[00:10:19] So I'm safe, but, you know, I'd love to travel the world. But last time I was in Africa, we went to one of the big cities and it's all leaded gas. And I was just falling over. Right. So, you know, I have to choose where I'm going to go if I'm going to go anywhere because it can be quite dangerous.

[00:10:40] But for the average person, just to take that bedroom and try and make it a place to detox at night so your body can build up its strength again. Yeah. And of course, foods, you know, looking at the foods we eat and the cleaning products and the personal care products as much as we can reduce them. And then, you know, you can be kind of a normal person. Yeah. So let's talk some strategy here, Teresa, because I know this is what you're super, super passionate about.

[00:11:10] So I get I have long, long ago got rid of any kind of plug in devices that that sense. I don't have anything. If I do have candles, they're natural soy wax with natural essential oil in them. And I only put them on for a short period of time. What are some other common culprits or common toxins that people might might find?

[00:11:37] I know there's some stuff like a lot of like laminate has those VOCs and everything in it. And there's really not much you can do to get rid of them other than go with all natural wood or something. And that's not affordable for some people. What what are some other common culprits that you could look? Well, the other big one is disinfectants, because we all got inundated during the pandemic with you need to disinfect this and that and everything.

[00:12:04] And if you're watching TV in one of these products, they spray the kitchen counters and they spray the banisters. And then the little children have their hands on the banisters. And that really bothers me every time because disinfectants are poison. They're meant to kill things. And we don't really need that. You can use vinegar and water on your counters. You can use hot soap and water. You can wash your hands with hot soap and water.

[00:12:30] And, you know, that's what was figured out back at the beginning of the 20th century. All we need to do is have hot soap and water or hot water and soap, warm water and soap and, you know, wash your hands the proper way. Right. So that's a big one. Then there's there's just general things. Now, yes, you mentioned about furniture paint.

[00:12:57] You can ask for low VOC or no VOC paint, volatile organic compounds. And the stores all have them now. Yes. In fact, you can buy no VOC clothing and no VOC this and that because there's so much requests for it. So many people are requesting it. So like if you paint with the low or no VOC paint, it cures in two days, not two weeks.

[00:13:23] And if you notice when you're painting with regular paint, maybe you've got a headache for two weeks or you've got to leave the windows open. Right. So that if you can get away with no carpet, it's much better to have wood or even laminate or tiles, ceramic tiles. That's what I did in my basement level. It's all ceramic tile. So that's very inert. It doesn't give off anything.

[00:13:52] Right. You know, the grout will give off something, but the grout is pretty inert, too. So it only gives off something for a little while. Right. If you're moving, you'll want to watch out for if the house has been smoked in or it's used plug-ins because those things stay in the walls. And even now you can wash down, usually you can wash down cigarette smoke with TSP.

[00:14:16] And that you have to be very, very careful with, though, because it hurts your hands. Right. It burns, doesn't it? Yeah. It burns. Yeah. Yeah. So and then the electronics. Getting the electronics out of the bedroom. And apparently there's a way you can put these all on pause on your devices. But I just keep mine like two stories away from me.

[00:14:43] So the computer and the phone are down in the basement and away from where I'm sleeping. But, you know, when we first got sick, the big thing, because there were so many, we had a special doctor and everything because there were, you know, there were 800 people. Right. That was a lot of people. And everybody in the province knew somebody who was sick because we were only 3 million people at the time.

[00:15:08] So they said just to make your bedroom as empty as possible. Okay. And so it was just to have your bed and nothing else. Put your clothes in a closet where you can close the door. Don't have anything lying around. Now, I've stuck some more things in. But if you have plants, the earth can tend to get mold in it.

[00:15:36] Then you've got mold spores going around. If you've had a leak, then you might have mold behind the walls or something. Right. And the thing is to find the source, not try to just paint over it or spray it to cover up the smell. Yeah. Yeah. So it sounds like it's not something that you can just do once and go, okay, we're done. It's something that you have to sort of keep on top of, I'm guessing. Yes.

[00:16:02] Well, just go slowly with what you're doing and keep your ear to the ground. There's many organizations out there like the David Suzuki Foundation has its top foods and cosmetics, foods to eat and cosmetics to avoid. And the Environmental Working Group in the United States has the Dirty Dozen. Right. Yeah. They use every year and you can go and look up and see what those are.

[00:16:31] So, you know, you can find out what's going on. And, of course, when people are busy, that's often hard. But if you have children, get the children to check it out. Yeah. Yes. Yeah. They're also much more aware, you know, than we are. They're much more aware of climate change and global warming. And they know that these synthetic chemicals are all part of it. Right.

[00:16:57] So, they will be coming home and saying, oh, we should change this product or something, Mom, if you ask them to be involved. Yes. Yes. Now, what about, you just, this just made me think of that. I get no fabric softeners and use like the natural. There's lots of detergents that are, that don't use any chemicals that just use natural sulfactants and all that kind of stuff. Now, what about buying, like, I think this shirt is organic cotton.

[00:17:27] And I didn't buy it because it was. I just read the label with, oh, wow. This is organic. Like, do, if the organic label is on the fabric, like organic cotton or wool, is that, does that mean it's free from, it's free from chemicals or? Yes. It would have been grown and harvested without any chemicals. Okay. Okay. Now, the term organic, in California, there was some big conversation because they allowed something to be put. Right. On the food.

[00:17:57] So, it got the organic classification without necessarily being fully organic. Okay. As close to, as possible. Yeah. Yes. Yeah. So, any, any other tips or strategies, Teresa, that you're, that you would think that, like, let's say a mom, maybe, or even dad, maybe the whole family wants to get involved in getting toxins out of their homes. Anything else that they might really want to pay attention to or look at?

[00:18:25] Well, the carpeting, you know, what, what cleaning products you use for sure. Right. So, just try to go back to baking soda and vinegar. And I tell the story of when I had to get rid of everything. And there was a lot, you know, from the window spray to the toilet, something or other, and the scrubber and all that stuff. And I gave everything away but two items.

[00:18:52] I thought I'd just keep those just in case. Right. And my mom came to visit. And we were in an old house that was getting renovated slowly. So, we had the floor down to the bare boards. Well, I went to work and I came home. My mom had used those two products everywhere. And I couldn't even go in the house for a couple of weeks. Oh, no. Yeah. Oh, no. Yeah.

[00:19:16] So, try to trust that, you know, what you're doing the natural way is good enough. Yeah. And, you know, just get that hot soap, hot water and soap. And we'll do the trick. I got to ask you this question and we're almost out of time. What about using, like, I know essential oils. I know, like, some essential oils are really good for, you know, repelling insects and that kind of stuff.

[00:19:43] But I've also heard people say that essential oils themselves can create sensitivities in people. So, what's your thought on that? Two things. One is there's essential oils that have chemicals to make the smell. And then the other, they're using the original product. I had a friend who loved petulia oil and she said, oh, I have to switch to the real thing now, which is like 10 times more expensive. Right.

[00:20:10] But anything in excess is too much. Okay. Right. So, like you said, I was glad you said I just put the essential oil on for a little while, you know. And then you don't have the problem. So, moderation. Yeah. And reuse is also possible.

[00:20:34] So, yes, it's hard to get wood furniture, but maybe your grandmother has something that you could get or you'll find them at the secondhand store. I do a lot of my shopping at secondhand stores. And as long as I can't smell anything on the product, which you do have to stick your nose in it to see if the person before had a lot of perfume or something. Sure. You can buy a lot of cotton and a lot of things that can just have the smell washed out of them. Yeah.

[00:21:02] Or smoke it in apple cider vinegar for 24 hours and then wash it. And, you know, usually you can have pretty good clothes. And kids now, some of them, they think that the secondhand clothes are cool. Pretty cool. Yeah. Now, Teresa, we have like 30 seconds. You have a gift. You have a gift for the listeners that I want to make sure that you get a chance to tell them what it is. Yes. Well, it's the Kids Sleep Smart System.

[00:21:29] And it just goes through a lot of the things that are involved in making a safe bedroom, a bedroom where they can have a good rejuvenating sleep and jump out of bed in the morning, raring to go instead of tossing and turning at night. You know, if they're waking up in the middle of the night, it could be that there's just too much toxic stuff in the bedroom. Yeah. Good, good, good advice. And even if it's not, even if, even if they're not having any problems, it's so proactive to be able to do this.

[00:21:56] One last question, Teresa, if people want to find out more about what you do, what's the best way to reach you? Is it your website? Yes. Go to my website from toxic2green.com. Okay. Wonderful. Teresa, thank you so much for being on here and sharing your wisdom. And I'm going to go do a run through of my house. I think I'm pretty good, but you've given me some other things to think about. So thanks for that. Thank you so much, Marty. And great to see you. And thank you for listening to this episode of The D-Shift. And don't forget to tune in to the next one.

[00:22:27] Thanks for listening and supporting The D-Shift Podcast. If you would like to attend live trainings by our amazing guests and have a chance to ask questions and get answers from our experts, join The D-Shift Crew. For more details and to sign up, head on over to www.divorcecoachforwomen and click on the podcast page. Thank you.