The First Three Simple Swaps I Made

I get asked all the time...

What is a good, easy way to start on a healthier life journey?

I've got 3 simple swaps for you to get started with. These are the first three things I changed when I first started my healthier life journey almost 6 years ago. They will lower you and your family's toxin exposure, which is one of the essential steps in living a clean...er, healthier life.

Before I dive into them, for those of you who may be new to my little world, if you're wondering why I am always saying "clean...er" rather than just "clean," click here and check out this blog post that explains my philosophy when it comes to living a "clean...er," healthier lifestyle!

And one more thing, if you're curious about how the products you and your family use and consume are affecting your health, take my free Toxin Tracker Quiz by clicking here or using the link to the right or below (depending on what type of device you're on). It's a quick, simple quiz to give you an overview of the toxic burden on your body that is caused by the products you are purchasing. Give it a try and see where you rank!

Okay, let's dig into three easy swaps you can start with! Don't feel like you need to do all three at once. Just choose one to get you going and then, as finances allow, move on to the next one! Slow baby steps is the best way to achieve sustainable changes 😊

SWAP #1 - Ditch fabric softener sheets for wool dryer balls

Fabric softener sheets are full of man-made, synthetic chemicals that are harmful to our health. We dry our clothes with these and they become covered with those chemicals and then we put our clothes on and wear them all day long. While the clothes are on our body, our skin is absorbing like a sponge.

This is a simple, affordable swap to make and will greatly reduce your toxic load because our skin is in contact with clothes all the time! 

Click here to see the ones I use. They last forever. I think I've had the same set going on two years now and....a little secret for you.....I only had to buy the set I currently have because our granddaughter thought they were toy balls and they got lost. 🤪 It wasn't because they had worn out or needed to be replaced! They literally can last years...if they're not played with! 😅

If you like your laundry to have a slight scent, don't worry! You can still get that from wool dryer balls by simply putting a few drops of essential oils on the balls before throwing them in the dryer. I like to use Revive Essential Oils. They are pure, high-quality AND affordably priced. Get creative and mix and match to find your favorite scent!

SWAP #2 - Ditch plastic water bottles for glass or stainless steel bottles

When foods or drinks sit in plastic containers, the microplastics leech into the items we're going to be consuming and ultimately end up in our bodies. These microscopic pieces of plastic have been linked to inflammation (the #1 cause of chronic illness and disease), oxidative stress, damage to tissues and organs, hormone imbalance, as well as reproductive and developmental issues. So you definitely want to steer clear of plastics in contact with your food and drink as much as possible, especially hot food or liquids, and you definitely shouldn't be warming foods or drinks up in plastic containers.

So ditch the plastic Dasani, SmartWater or any other brand of water in a plastic bottle and opt for reusable glass or stainless steel water bottles. In the long run, you'll also save money because you won't be buying packs of water every week!

For glass water bottles, click here to see my favorite. And for a stainless steel version, click here to see what our family uses.

SWAP #3 - Ditch conventional laundry soap and opt for a cleaner version or DIY your own

As we talked about earlier, we are usually wearing clothes for a majority of our day and night, so when they are washed in chemicals, those chemicals are being transferred to our bodies by the clothing that we are wearing. Which is why this was one of my first swaps I made along with the dryer balls. 

I started out with a DIY version, but over time, as our family got busier, I opted to go for a cleaner store-bought option. I use the Rosey Laundry detergent shown above. It can be purchased from Thrive Market. If you don't already have a Thrive Market account, click here and sign up to get 40% off your first order!

I've used all of the brands shown above. They all worked well and I would recommend any of them. I ultimately ended up with Rosey because of the ease of getting it with my regular Thrive order and it does a great job on our extra dirty clothes. Living on a farm, we have our fair share of mud and grease and who knows what else, so I really put laundry soap to the test around here! 

If you're interested in receiving the DIY laundry detergent recipe I used -- farm tested 😊, use the form below to reach out and I'd be happy to email it to you!

And I've got a special gift for you! Click here and you can download a free copy of my Saturday Swaps Laundry PDF Guide that has clickable links to the laundry soaps shown above, as well as other swaps you can make in your laundry room.

So there you have it! Those are the three things that started my cleaner, healthier life journey. Over the next few weeks, I'll be sharing more, including more free PDF guides to make swaps seamless and easy for you!

I'd love to hear what your first swap is going to be, or if you've already started your journey, what's the most recent swap you've been working on? Use the form below to reach out and tell me so that I can cheer you on and celebrate your win with you!