Recently I've been on a journey to find more healthy, natural, & sustainable products for our home. The thought of changing out all my daily soaps, cleaners, and beauty products quickly became overwhelming and I didn't even know where to begin. However, the start of my journey finally came to a head after Instagram influencer & blogger Caitlin Covington shared news that they were expecting their first child after two years of trying. She wrote a very interesting blog post on the things they changed in their daily life that she believed helped them finally conceive naturally. (read her full story here) ...Not that I was specifically looking for this information (no babies here for a while!!), but I did find her post very enlightening & educational! It got me thinking of how those small changes could positively effect anyone and not just those trying to become pregnant. They were easy things everyone could be taking into consideration for their own health & well being. While her blog post was geared more towards soon-to-be expectant mothers, I focused in on the relevant things I could do or change in my life to create a healthier environment for myself & my family - even if we aren't expecting any time soon!
Her post re-enforced everything I considered to be "bad" in my home, but it gave me the extra push to finally throw those things out & make changes. I started in the kitchen with our old non-stick Teflon pots & pans. I received a nice Stainless Steel set for Christmas to replace them, however when it came time to through them out I just couldn't do it! I mean, what if I needed them again? haha ...I finally pulled the trigger on donating them after I did some more digging into the dangers of non-stick cookware. Did you know that the toxins & chemicals in nonstick pans have been linked to infertility and are known to contribute to testicular and kidney cancer, liver damage, thyroid disease and ulcerative colitis? (source #1 and source #2) This also led to ditching all the plastic containers in our kitchen as well. Plastic contains BPA and other chemicals that can attach to your food when heated. So I got rid of all of our plasticware and replaced it with glass containers instead.
Next, I took a dive into my cleaning and self care products. Daily items like soaps, shampoos, conditioners, lotions, and detergents tend to contain harmful ingredients like parabens & phthalates. These are both known as endocrine disruptors, which can disrupt the normal function of hormones in both male & female reproductive systems. (source)
So obviously I will be staying away from these products moving forward!
I came across Grove on Facebook one day. It was one of those annoyingly specific ads that tend to appear on your feed just as you were thinking of buying said product. Well, I fell victim to the ad and found myself on the Grove website signing up for their subscription package just so I could receive the free set of Mrs. Meyer's cleaning products it promised with my first purchase (which I'd been wanting to try anyways!). As I was browsing Grove's site I realized this may just be the answer to all my health-conscious product needs!
A little about Grove:
"At Grove, we take the guesswork out of which products are good for you and your home. Every product meets strict standards for being nontoxic, effective, sustainable, and cruelty-free. Once you find products you love, we ship to your home on a flexible, monthly schedule."
"Grove started as an idea between three friends talking in a spare bedroom in San Francisco: what if it was easy to find healthier home essentials? The belief that what we bring into our homes contributes to that homey, cozy feel prompted them to try to make their idea a reality. Welcome to Grove. We’re here to help you create your best version of home with ease and enjoyment."
Essentially they are taking the hard work out of online shopping! At least for people like me! Who, before they buy anything, have to do various research on reviews, ratings, and such before purchasing. The people at Grove do the dirty work for you and have compiled only the best of the best products to choose from on their site.
"Doing no harm - As a Certified B Corporation, we are recognized as a business doing good for people, animals, communities, and the planet. Learn more in our 2018 Annual Impact Report."
"Treating the planet with care - We offer products that are gentler on the earth, prioritize post-consumer materials for packaging, and carbon offset every shipment that goes out our door." "Planting tomorrow’s forest - Your shipment will help Grove in its partnership with the Arbor Day Foundation to plant trees across the United States. We’re aiming to plant one million new trees over the next three years."
I spent days looking over the various products available on their website & trying to decide just what I wanted to order. I finally dwindled down my cart to just the utmost necessities for my first order. About half my order was free products and the other half I paid for. And my shipping was free, because as a new member you're automatically signed up as a VIP for 60 days.
"Free Shipping with VIP Membership - We have an optional VIP membership program to help you get the most out of Grove. For $19.99/year, you get a lot of perks, like unlimited free shipping, free gifts every season, exclusive promotions, and early access to new products. Because regular shipping is $4.99/order, you only need to place four orders a year to pay back your VIP membership! When you place your first order with Grove, you're automatically on a free 60-day VIP trial membership. So you can start enjoying free shipping and free gifts right away!"
Now, it's time to share with you all the products I got!
1. Mrs. Meyer's Hand Soap - I've never owned any of the Mrs. Meyer's products before. So I was super excited to receive this for free! We didn't grow up using them in our home and when I got out on my own I always leaned toward the less expensive options on the shelf. I knew this brand had a great reputation, made without Phthalates, DEA, MEA, or artificial colors and infused with essential oils & plant-derived ingredients. Grove had a ton a scents to choose from when ordering, so I took a shot in the dark and got a different scent for each of the Mrs. Meyer's products I ordered. For the hand soap I chose Lavender. I generally don't love Lavender scented products, however this one is rather lovely! It has a nice clean scent, that lightly lingers after wash. Will definitely be reording!
2. Mrs. Meyers Dish Soap - Another freebie with my order, this dish soap is just an "ehh" item for me. Yes - it has a great scent (not my favorite out of the few I got but still nice), but I didn't notice a huge difference in the way it cleaned vs. regular dish soap like Dawn. The plus side is that it is made of natural, plant-derived ingredients, aloe extract, and essential oils; and is free of parabens, phthalates, mea, dea, and artificial colors. The bottle is also made of 30% post-consumer plastic and is biodegradable. So it definitely has its pros and is a food safe option.
3. Mrs. Meyers Mutli-Surface Cleaner - This is my new favorite go to cleaner! This was another free product included in my order. I chose the Honeysuckle scent and oh. my. goodness. it's so delicious! I use this on my counter tops, appliances, floors, and bathroom surfaces. Not only does it smell great but it actually cleans! One spritz on a sticky surface and it wipes right up, with no grimy residue left behind. It’s made with essential oils and plant-based ingredients in the USA and is paraben-free and biodegradable. It's also vegan, 100-percent cruelty-free, and Leaping Bunny–certified. So I don't have to worry about using it around the pups, and I feel like we are breathing cleaner thanks to this awesome spray!
4. Mrs. Meyers Dishwasher Tabs - So, I'm kind of loving these dishwasher pods! I noticed a huge difference in the dishes I run with these vs my Cascade pods. There was NO soap residue left behind on the glasses or dishes (which is a huge pet peeve of mine!) Everything came out of the dishwasher clean & fresh the first go around. Honestly I wasn't expecting to like these so much. I've tried a lot of different dishwasher pods & soaps and none of them ever seem to do the job quite to my liking. Finally I just blamed it on the quality of our dishwasher. But after using these I was pleasantly surprised with how sparkling everything came out. My only critique is with the scent. The Lemon Verbena is just not my favorite of the Mrs. Meyers scents, but it was the only option that this product came in... I will definitely be re-purchasing though!
5. Mrs. Meyers Surface Scrub - So this product stumped me just a little bit. I purchased with the expectation I would use it on my cook top to remove dried on stains from everyday cooking. However, it didn't quite live up to my expectations. I usually use Soft Scrub to clean my stove top after a meal, and it's always worked for me, no complaints. I just thought I'd try this as an alternative, as it boast 98% naturally derived ingredients, with no harsh chemical smells or left-over residue while cleaning, as well as paraben-free, phthalate-free, and chlorine-free and non-scratching to surfaces. The directions simply say to wet the surface, sprinkle the cleaner, scrub, and rinse off. Easy, right? Well for one, the container/bottle is not super friendly. When I turn the bottle over to dispense the white crumbly powder it basically explodes everywhere. It comes out fast at first and then none at all... kind of frustrating. Now that I have dispensed way more than needed I attempt to "scrub" my surface. Some of the powder turns to liquid when mixed with water, other parts become little crumbly balls. Unfortunately, it does not remove any dried on or cooked on messes on the stove top and also leaves these little white balls in the corners and crevasses of my stove. Maybe, I'm just not approaching it correctly but I couldn't really get this stuff to work for me. I also tried it in my bathtub, to remove soap scum and water rings but I found that the Soft Scrub did a better job there as well. I am however using it on my kitchen sink. I pour it in there, scrub, and wash it down the drain. Again, it's not really removing any dried on stains with out me putting some muscle into it, but at least it's easier to wash off in my sink vs. my stove top. I'm basically just using it to get rid of it! LOL My other con with this product, is the Lemon Verbena scent. As I said before, it's not my favorite and it's the only scent this product came in. I will not be re-purchasing this cleaner.
6. Grove Glass Cleaner + Spray Bottle - I received this glass cleaner concentrate along with coordinating glass spray bottle for free. I followed the directions on the back to create the cleaning mixture. First off, the smell is so light and fresh, which I love. It definitely doesn't have that strong chemical smell I'm used to with Windex. The product's description states:
"Formulated with your health, family, and pets in mind, we left out harsh ingredients like parabens, phthalates, phosphates, formaldehyde, synthetic dyes, ammonia, chlorine bleach, and synthetic fragrance for a naturally healthy home.
For your health and enjoyment, we don’t use synthetic fragrances (ever) and you’ll smell the difference. Choose from Lavender & Thyme or Orange & Rosemary. Our natural fragrances contain no parabens, phthalates, formaldehyde, or synthetic ingredients."
Moving past it's amazing scent, it actually cleans leaving a streak-free surface! I've used this on my stainless steel appliances, glass doors, and mirrors and I'm so impressed with how it works. I honestly wasn't expecting this to clean any differently than any normal glass cleaner, because let's face it, it's impossible to not leave streaks on your mirrors and glass after wiping them down... (So I thought!) But this product has proved me wrong!
7. Grove Soap Bar - Unfortunately not my favorite item from my purchase. This bar soap is hard to hold in the shower and was a bit to "earthy" smelling for me. I also felt like it left my body "sticky" feeling after using it. So this bar soap was a no-go for me!
8. Method All-Purpose Cleaner - I was looking for a new anti-bacterial cleaner to sanitize surfaces, mainly for our bathroom. I generally use Clorox spray to deep clean but I have NEVER liked the smell of it. It actually makes me physically sick. So I'm always looking for an alternative option, I just don't feel like anything really "cleans" as well as Clorox does. I saw this Method all purpose cleaner and thought "why not?". Upon first use I couldn't get past the smell of it either. It's not that is smelled bad, it just had a very strong chemical smell and actually burned my nose and throat when inhaling some of it while spraying. I can not use this as it made my throat want to close up... I'm not sure it it's the "citron" scent or what but this just doesn't work for me. I'm sure it cleans just fine I just couldn't get past using it. So this one was a bust for me.
9. Grove Sponges - Free with my order, these sponges are surprisingly durable! I'm enjoying using them more than I thought. I wasn't in need of or even looking for sponges, but hey, "if it's free it's for me"! These have become my daily go to for cleaning surfaces. I've designated these as my house cleaning sponges, so I haven't used them on dishes yet but I'm sure they'd work just perfect for that too! They are dense and firm, and have not gone limp or started to shed yet (like others I use). I use these to clean my stove top, sink, and tub. They are soft on your had, which I love, yet tough on surfaces. I'm a believer in these sponges!
10. Pawsence Waterless Shampoo - Another one of those just "ehh" products for me. I was excited to try this and it was a little bit of a let down. It has a very mild scent (which there's nothing wrong with) I just didn't notice a huge difference in the way my dog smelled after using it. I felt like the product was all hype and no results. I don't feel like it really "cleaned" my dog and it didn't leave her smelling fresh, so what was the point? I will probably try using it from time to time until it eventually runs out but I don't foresee myself re-ordering.
11. Radius Organic Dental Solutions Kit - So this was a fun try on the dog! LOL Our vet warned us of the plaque build-up on our dog's teeth, so I'd been searching for ways to help with the issue. When I saw this online I thought "why not!?". When I opened the packaging inside was this cute mini toothbrush and toothpaste. The toothpaste smells amazing and I was actually tempted to try it myself! LOL I squeezed a pea size amount on the toothbrush per the instructions and let me dog smell it and become familiar with the product before shoving it into her mouth. She seemed to enjoy the toothpaste but not so much the brushing aspect. I do think the toothpaste helped with some of her doggy breath, however I have not seen a huge difference in the plaque buildup along her back teeth. I will continue to use this product in hopes that it improved her dental hygiene. My only complaint is that the toothpaste comes in a tiny bottle so I don't foresee it lasting long before needed to buy a refill.
While these products are just a small step forward in creating a healthier home, I still have a long ways to go! Finding Grove helped kick-start my new health-conscious buying habits and I look forward to ordering from them again, but I will continue to research & educate myself on other businesses & products out there. I believe we should all be aware and conscious of what we are putting in and on our bodies and how much these small things can affect us (whether it be positively or negatively). I urge you to educate yourself on the products you're using every day. It might just change your life, literally!
xoxo
