The Slightly Greener Life

Now that the holidays are over, it's the perfect time to do a reset to refresh your home after having guests over for the holidays. If you're like me, you probably already did a deep clean before you had family and friends over, but that only ever lasts about 20 minutes once the party begins!   So now that things are probably settling down, let's go over some simple ways to make deep cleaning your...

This week's episode is coming out right before the new year. So I thought, what better time than to give you some simple steps to help detox your home? But these are tips that are completely free!   There are a lot of little ways that toxins and contaminants can sneak into our homes, and the solutions to keeping them out, or at least reducing your exposure, are relatively simple — and free! With a...

Welcome to another episode revisit! With the holidays around the corner, I wanted to reshare an episode to help you refresh your home to a healthy start to the new year.    In today's episode, we're going to dig into four simple steps you can take that will make a big impact when it comes to reducing harmful chemicals in your home without the overwhelm. It can be hard to know where to start when i...

This time of year, many of us are preparing to have guests for the holidays, which means a lot of cooking and cleaning to get ready for everyone. If you're thinking of cleaning your oven either before or after you make all of your holiday treats, this episode will teach you why a self-cleaning oven isn't the best tool for the job.   It might seem like the easiest and most hands-off approach to get...

If you're like me, you may have started decorating the house for the holidays as soon as Thanksgiving ended. But if you're still catching up, or looking for safer ways to decorate, this is the episode for you.    This week, I'm diving into some of the most common decorations we use over the holidays that can have toxic chemicals and substances in them. From glitter, trees, wreaths, candles, and ev...

This week, I'm resharing an episode of a highly requested topic — endocrine disruptors. Enjoy!   In this episode, we take a closer look at endocrine disruptors, also known as hormone disruptors. These are chemicals that can interfere with the function of the endocrine system, causing health problems ranging from weight gain and insulin resistance to fertility issues and lower IQ.   I give a high-l...

With Thanksgiving tomorrow, and the holiday season gearing up, I wanted to take the opportunity to share how to clean out your fridge to prep for the holidays. These steps will make cleaning your fridge a snap, so don't worry if you don't have a lot of time to dedicate to this!   This time of year, many of us are gathering with our families, cooking together, and have tons of leftovers that can be...

Last week, we talked a little about knowing when cosmetics and personal care products expire, and how to begin cleaning out your bathroom cupboards.    Today, I'm getting a little deeper into the products that we should be considering swapping out for better options because they often have ingredients in them that are prematurely aging our skin. In this episode, I'm focusing on 3 common ingredient...

If you wear makeup or have a skincare routine, you've probably had at least one experience where you find an old lipstick at the bottom of your purse after months or found a moisturizer in the back of your drawer and wondered if it's still good to use.   Makeup and personal care products are a bit of a gray area when it comes to expiration dates, but there is a sweet spot for when you should toss...

Using a reusable water bottle is a good step toward reducing excessive plastic waste in your home. But, unfortunately, there are still downsides to using them, especially as your main source of water every day.    I know I like to use my reusable water bottle, especially if I know I'll be out without easy access to water for a long time. But after learning about all the dangers hiding in plain sig...

It's crazy to think that we're already in the fall season, and October is here! With the heat still persisting here in Chicago, it's hard to believe Halloween is just around the corner. But I'm starting to get out my fall decorations, and I'm sure many of you are starting to think about trick-or-treating with your kids soon.   If you're like me, trick-or-treating can be a scary time, and not just...

To continue raising awareness for childhood cancer this month, I'm finally sharing my story about my recovery from childhood leukemia. To help me, I'm passing the mic to my podcast manager, Kirsten Trammell to interview me about my childhood cancer experience and how it's shaped my life.    When I was 8 years old, I was diagnosed with childhood leukemia, which sparked years of testing, hospital vi...

It's September, which means it's Childhood Cancer Awareness month, and my 41-year survivor anniversary from childhood leukemia. So in honor of that, I'm excited to be talking about ways to keep the kids (and adults) in your family safe from cancer-causing chemicals.   I've been talking a lot about home cleaning and personal care products that have hidden toxins, but there are many kid-specific ite...

We've been mostly focusing on cleaning products lately, so this week, I want to take a deeper look at common personal care products that probably have hidden toxins lurking in them. Even if you're reading labels carefully, there are still hidden ingredients to be on the lookout for that won't be listed on the labels.   In this episode, I'll share 2 of the most common hidden toxins, and which ingre...

Non-toxic cleaning methods are one of my favorite topics to cover because not only is it easy to DIY, but it can be cheaper than buying standard cleaning products, too. It's a win-win!   Standard cleaning products have a lot of hidden information on their labels, often due to trade secret laws and what the EPA does not require companies to disclose. The result can be products that have a lot of hi...

One of the most common questions I get these days is about whether we're actually disinfecting, or just cleaning our homes. Believe it or not, there's a big difference between the two that requires different products for each task.   Today, I'm teaching you the difference between cleaning and disinfecting, and what products are actually safe and effective for each use. No matter if you just want t...

Welcome to season 2 of the podcast! After a much-needed break to spend time with my family before the summer is over, I'm back to give you more tips and tricks for making your home slightly greener.   This week, we're tackling the topic of smartphone use and how that can expose us to harmful radiation. As always, I'm not taking an all-or-nothing approach to this advice, but will be sharing some si...

Back by popular demand, I have another episode for you this week about how to keep your kids safer in the sun this summer! After the two-part series about sunscreen safety, I had a lot of questions from you about kids and sunscreens, so I decided to bring the series back for another episode.   In the previous episodes, we talked about the difference between mineral and chemical sunscreens and the...

With kids home for the summer, it's more likely that they'll be eating at home more often and reaching for more snacks throughout the day. And many grab-and-go snacks are filled with ingredients that are linked to hyperactivity and behavior issues in kids, including artificial dyes that we talked about last in last week's episode.   This week we'll continue to talk about 3 common food ingredients...

This week's topic is close to my heart because it is related to my kids, and it's actually what launched my own Slightly Greener journey 17 years ago. Today, we're talking about artificial dyes and the health effects that they're linked to.   Most people know the link between artificial red dye and hyperactivity in children, but it goes beyond that. Other dyes like Blue 1 and Yellow 5 have been sh...

This past week was Pet-Appreciation Week, so what better time to talk about how to keep your home pet-safe when cleaning?   Dogs, cats, and other pets are all affected differently by different cleaning products and chemicals, so it's important to be aware of what you're using on common surfaces that they come into contact with regularly. This episode will cover the most common chemicals that have...

We have more control over the health of our homes than we think we do!   In today's episode, we're going to dig into four simple steps you can take that will make a big impact when it comes to reducing harmful chemicals in your home without the overwhelm. It can be hard to know where to start when it comes to reducing toxic chemicals, but just know that whatever step you take is an important step...

Hair loss and hair thinning are more common than we might think. It can be triggered by stress, illness, hormonal fluctuations, and nutrient deficiencies, just to name a few. But the good news is that it doesn't have to be permanent.   This week, I'm getting vulnerable about my own hair-loss struggles and what has been helping me grow it back naturally. And as always, you can count on me to do the...

Before I started on my journey to becoming slightly greener, I used to buy sunscreen without thinking too much about it because I thought they all worked the same. But unfortunately, it's not that simple.    This week, I'm continuing the sunscreen series to teach you about the difference between active and inactive ingredients in sunscreens and why inactive ingredients can often be just as, if not...

With better weather comes more sun exposure, which makes this the perfect time to start talking about my top sunscreen safety tips. Believe it or not, sunscreen is not the safest way to protect yourself from harmful sun rays, but is useful as part of your sun safety routine.    In this episode, I'll be covering why chemical sunscreen isn't as safe or effective as other sun protection methods, part...