The kids are going back to school and not only are the schools asking for you to donate cleaning items like this (some ask, some don't), but you may be stocking up for yourself as well. We all want the surfaces our kids come in contact with to be free from germs and these wipes seem to make this job easy. We feel like we have done a good job and protecting our kids from getting sick.....except for one thing.....we probably aren't!!
There has been a LOT of marketing for disinfecting products but the data supporting their effectiveness isn't there. Even the FDA (Food & Drop Administration) admits that "
there is no evidence that cleaning with disinfectants is any better at preventing illness than cleaning with regular soap and water"
The other problem is that many of the popular products contain some pretty harsh chemicals that can cause side effects like skin and eye irritation as well as asthma like symptoms. Have you ever read the back of the packaging of the wipes? You should!! In the fine print you will frequently find the recommendation to "wash your hands immediately after use!" Well, that takes some of the convenience away from the wipe doesn't it. Then there are other instructions that say if you want to really disinfect, you should use enough product to make the surface stay wet for FOUR minutes! What? Really? Later on in the instructions it tells you that you should wash the surface with potable water after you have used the wipe if you are going to be putting food on that surface. Suddenly, they aren't as convenient as you thought.
Then there are the chemicals commonly found in wipes.......some are called quatemary ammonium compounds ("quats") which are problematic. They cause skin irritants, they can irritate your lungs, and have been linked to asthma and reproductive harm. There are also many preservatives that help to prevent bacteria from growing in the package. These could include parabens, formaldehyde releasers and others that have been linked with adverse health effect. The overuse of these ingredients and the promotion of tons of antibacterial products have started to create "superbugs". THAT is super bad news for all of us.
So........what are you going to do about it? You want to have clean surfaces for your family and you want it to be convenient too. WE HAVE THE ANSWER!
Thieves Household Cleaner........made with a proprietary blend of essential oils (Rosemary, Eucalyptus, Clove, Cinnamon, and Lemon) and no chemicals. You don't have to rinse this off your counters in order to eat either. Thieves ability to protect you is awesome. The cleaner is a concentrate. Only 2 caps makes 16 oz. of spray that you can use on most of the surfaces in your home. Kitchen counters, Bathroom (everywhere) and more. We even did our own experiment a while back to test the Thieves blend. See that yellow spot on the bread in the picture below? That is Thieves. The black and grey......lots and lots of mold. This piece of bread was in my dark cabinet for over a month!
So, when it comes to protecting your kids and family, consider Thieves first. Ask your school who is allowed to use the popular wipes. Are they being used according to those instructions on the back? Their way of using the wipes may not even follow the directions. Then you can go an extra step! Offer them a spray bottle of Thieves instead!
