30Nov 2021 by Angela Cummings

Non-toxic Interior Wood Doors Guide

Uncategorized
It was easy to find a fully solid wood door made of oak (hardwood) a few short years ago. But yesterday, when I searched the internet for companies selling solid wood hardwood interior doors, I found a lot of marketing jargon that was mis-leading. I wanted to give up. Stop looking. Ugh, frustration!  But, I wouldn’t feel good about it. I wouldn’t feel in alignment with myself and my intention (to create a healthy home). So, I put on my YouTube music playlist and dug in further. Went deeper into the internet to find a company, and vowed to myself to call local companies as well (not just look at products sold on the internet). During my search, here’s what I found and what might be helpful in your own search for…
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03Nov 2021 by Angela Cummings

Curious Questions: Your Healthy Home

Blog, Health, Lifestyle Change
When creating your healthy home, which includes remodeling, building and putting healthy household products into our homes, it can feel overwhelming. When we break it down into small steps and follow our deepest desires, the whole process can feel fun and enjoyable, even a little game-like.  Below are some curious questions that you can ask yourself to help realize your deepest desires or needs for your healthy home environment. What if you could get rid of inflammation all the time? What if bad allergies, MCS, and chronic illnesses could be healed? What feels fun to do right now? What is your deepest desire? What will you be updating or remodeling in the near future? What is worn out and needs replacing? What small step can you take today that feels…
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28Sep 2021 by Angela Cummings
3 Principles of Healthy Building, Remodeling + Non-toxic Household Products

3 Principles of Healthy Building, Remodeling + Non-toxic Household Products

Blog, Building & Remodeling, Household Items
The basic principles of healthy building, remodeling and non-toxic household products are the same. If you know and understand healthy for one area of your household, you can apply it to other areas of your household.  Using this method is far easier than looking at each ingredient and seeing if it’s among the over 4k toxic chemicals out there! That is why, by following a few basic principles of healthy building, you’ll be able to “short cut” your learning curve by more than ½ the time. Keep reading to find out what these principles are and where you can apply them. Let’s jump right in. What are 3 Basic Principles of Healthy Building and Household Products? Ceramic. It’s one of the healthiest of materials available to us in building, remodeling,…
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07Sep 2021 by Angela Cummings

Curious Questions to Ask Yourself (or Retailers): Non-toxic Cabinets, Vanities, and Furniture

Blog, Building & Remodeling, Furniture
Want to make sure your existing or new home has non-toxic cabinets, vanities, and wood furniture? It's very common for cabinets, vanities, and furniture to be marketed as "solid wood," but not be made entirely out of solid wood. In this article, we run through some of the curious questions you can ask yourself before you buy cabinets, vanities, or furniture. If you feel overwhelmed, don’t worry. It’s normal to feel overwhelmed and it just means that you’re thinking about healthy products on a deeper level and doing some digging into what needs to shift or change to add more health back into your home! Keep doing awesome things! Curious Questions: How to Know if Your Cabinets, Vanities or Furniture is Entirely Solid Wood and Non-toxic. Is this made of 100% solid hardwood?…
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18May 2021 by Angela Cummings

Q+A Series: Charcoal Air Filters

Q+A Series
Q: I’m a bit confused about what a charcoal air filter is. Or is it a can charcoal air filter. I’ve done some googling and shopping on Amazon. Do the charcoal air filters go in our ducts? Do I try to an air filter system that you can install charcoal sheets into it? I currently have the whirlpool whispure 510. Or maybe I could buy those activated charcoal bags although they may not do much? 🙋‍♀️🤷‍♀️ A: That machine says it has a thin carbon filter. Their specs don’t mention removing chemicals/VOC so it’s probably not powerful enough (too thin). You could try the charcoal bags! That’s be the cheapest thing to try for sure! Otherwise, if you get a new air filter the Austin Air Healthmate Plus Jr is a…
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11May 2021 by Angela Cummings

Q+A Series: Bamboo Standing Desk

Furniture, Q+A Series
Q: Hi Angie! I have a question for you. I’ve been keeping my windows open, and sometimes have a fan on, and have two bowls of white vinegar on my brand new standing desk that has a bamboo top. It is still off gassing after a week and if I use the desk for too long I get a sore throat and a small headache. Is there anything else I can do? I have reached out to geek desk and I’m awaiting an answer from them. A: Hello! The short answer is that there is nothing you can do with the desk itself. It’s made of bamboo and laminate. The laminate is a plastic material that’s glued on. Both the laminate and adhesives have chemicals - that’s likely where most…
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31Mar 2021 by Angela Cummings
3 Simple Ways to Tell if Products are (Actually) Non-toxic

3 Simple Ways to Tell if Products are (Actually) Non-toxic

Blog, Building & Remodeling, Clothes & Textiles, Household Items
Have you done a ton of research on your own to determine how to detox your home? Have you found your health has improved? Is it possible that the products you’re buying are marketed really well as nontoxic, but are, in actuality, still creating inflammation and illness? In this article you’ll find simple ways to know if your products are just marketed as non-toxic or are actually non-toxic.  How Can Marketing Say “Non-toxic” When the Product Is Toxic? There are 3 main reasons that product labels and advertisements could be marketed as non-toxic, even when they’re not. There is no formal definition for non-toxic. Companies can use the word non-toxic as they please. For example, a product can be made of formaldehyde-free adhesives but is still toxic to human health. It can…
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11Feb 2021 by Angela Cummings

Resources + Studies

Reference Document (study or article)
Below are some of the studies, third-party white papers, and other helpful documents about the health effects of chemicals in our everyday products: Quotes from Studies “… lotions, paints and other products contribute about as much to air pollution as the transportation sector does, said lead author Brian McDonald, a CIRES scientist working in NOAA’s Chemical Sciences Division.” “…health improvements are associated with pollution decreases, even below the international standard.” – American Thoracic Society, Health Benefits of Air Pollution Reduction “Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) is proven to have significant impacts on people’s comfort, health, and performance.” – Indoor Air-Quality Data-Monitoring System: Long-Term Monitoring Benefits “Poor indoor air quality can cause or contribute to the development of infections, lung cancer and chronic lung diseases such as asthma.” – American Lung Association “Increased ventilation will not…
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20Jan 2021 by Angela Cummings
How Could a Non-Toxic Dresser Clear Exhaustion & Brain Fog?

How Could a Non-Toxic Dresser Clear Exhaustion & Brain Fog?

Blog, Furniture
Do you dread the alarm clock going off because you wake up exhausted and with brain fog each day?  Your bedroom may have toxic furniture that’s putting chemicals into the air you breathe all night long. If you change this, you could wake up more energized and thinking clearly each morning rather than feeling crappy. We’ll walk you through how to get rid of the toxic furniture and choose non-toxic dressers, nightstands, and more! Plus, give you some ideas for where to buy them. Why Would My Bedroom Have Toxic Furniture? Unknowingly, we buy furniture that is made of lots of glues, adhesives, plastics, resins, and wood dust or particles. These woods are called composite woods. On furniture descriptions, you’ll see them described as: MDFEngineered WoodPlywoodVeneer woodParticle boardHardboardMelamine (a type…
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