What's lurking in disposable wet wipes?

I'm sure by now you've seen the news article circulating that exposes the terrible rashes little ones are getting from disposable wet wipes. Wet wipes are a quintessential "mommy staple" but the report of terrible reactions definitely makes one second-guess using them. Per the article, "..this is because manufacturers have bumped up the amount of MI [methylisothiazolinone] used in wipes 25-fold." Methylisothiazolinone is a powerful biocide and preservative within the group of isothiazolinones, used in personal care products.

Photo credit: Dr. Mary Wu Chang

Isn't that rash terrible? Ouch! According to the Skin Deep website, almost all of the wipes made by Pampers, Huggies, and Luvs score in the 3-5 range on their scale. Products rated 2 and under are encouraged, anything that scores over a two is cautioned. One variety of Pampers wipes even comes in with a whopping score of 7 on the Skin Deep scale. That is really concerning -- everything scoring 7 or more is considered a "high hazard". The good news is that there are easy alternatives to disposables wipes. eLeMeNO-Pee carries several different types of cloth wipes and cloth wipe solution also.


We carry three different lines of cloth wipes:  Bummas, Planet Wise, and Thirsties and each offer different materials and color options.

We also carry two wet wipe solutions, Hosie Naturals and Earth Mama Angel Baby (in unscented, orange vanilla, and calming lavender). As a comparison to the scores for disposable wet wipes, the Earth Mama Angel Baby wash we carry scores a perfect zero on the Skin Deep scale. That is a drastic difference compared to the disposable wipes available in most grocery stores. For those times you absolutely must have a disposable wet wipe, we also carry gDiapers biodegradable gWipes which also score very well (a one)  on the Skin Deep chart.

There are a couple common ways that people use their cloth wipes. Some people use a small bottle,  prepare the solution, and just spray each wipe as you're ready to use it. Others prefer to fill a recycled wet wipes container,  fill it with their cloth wipes and pour the wet wipe solution over it so they're ready to use when you need them. Either method works fine, it's all a personal preference.

Cloth wipes are extremely soft and so much easier on gentle skin. They are SO much softer than disposable wipes! They also make a great alternative to Kleenexes as well. We have all been struggling with major allergy issues in our household and we all prefer to use the cloth wipes because they are so much more gentle on our noses! The best part about cloth wipes is that they are such an easy alternative and they require very little maintenance. It's quite easy to get in to the routine of using cloth wipes instead of disposable because it's such a simple process. Give them a try, I know you won't be disappointed!

Are you feeling the burnout yet?

 

Did you, like many people, make a resolution to be more green this year? To ditch the paper towels in favor of cloth napkins, switch out the disposable diapers for cloth, and switch to making your own cleaning products?
We're just over three  weeks in to the new year. Are you feeling the burnout yet? Whether it was a New Year's resolution to lose weight or the New Year's resolution was to be more green, it can be easy to get over-zealous in your eagerness to improve and somewhere around week two or week three, I usually find myself getting burnt out on a new goal or resolution.

I've always heard that it takes 30 days to make something a habit.  I think there is a lot of truth in that but I also think it's easier to stick with a new lifestyle or habit if you ease yourself in to it.
My suggestion is simple but it's helpful : start small. Choose the most pressing issue in your home and make that switch.  Once you're accustomed to it, switch one more thing. I always tell myself it's a marathon, not a sprint. It's too easy to get burnt out by trying to change too much all at once. It's easier to stay the course if you take it one step at a time. When I first started making the switch to a more natural/eco-friendly home, I tried to change too much all at once and I got very, very overwhelmed. Once I decided to scale it back and incorporate one change at a time, it became a lot less intimidating to me.

You can do it and eLeMeNO-Pee would love to help you with that transition in any way we can. We carry so many amazing items to help get your home as green as can be! Pick one small focus, conquer it, and keep plugging along. No matter what avenue you choose, we have a product to help you in that transition.  From cloth diapers, to reusable menstrual cups and cloth pads, we're here! We also have natural bath and body products alongside green cleansers and detergents. Wanting to ditch the Zip-loc bags? We have reusable snack bags! No matter what your primary focus is for greening up y our home, eLeMeNo-Pee has you covered!

Planet Wise reusable snack bags

The new kid on the block ... kind of.

Hi there! My name is Danielle and  I am the new Social Media Director for eLeMeNO-Pee.  I'm new in this specific role but I'm definitely not new to eLeMeNO-Pee! I have been a consultant since 2012 but I was a customer long before then. I have been making the journey to a more natural lifestyle since 2009 when I found out I was pregnant with my first child.  I knew I wanted to do things differently than what I was being told was the norm and it snowballed from there!

To introduce myself a little better, I am a stay-at-home mom to my four year old daughter, Piper, and I have been married to Mitchell for six years. We live in the great state of Texas and love it. There is a big "crunchy" community here and it's nice to be surrounded by lots of kindred spirits!

The eLeMeNO-Pee blog has been pretty low key for a while but I'm here to get us back up to speed. I have lots of things on the horizon to discuss but I'm also  always eager to hear suggestions for something specific you'd like me to explore on the blog, too. Be sure to come back each week for new blog posts!