While we are all aware of the improtance of natural cleaners in our homes it is time to give thought to using these same natural cleaners in our work places.

I have been practicing the use of green cleaning products in my home for years.  However a few years back I began to think about the chemicals in the schools my children were attending.  This came about when my oldest who was 9 at the time came home from school with his face so swollen I could barely recognize him.  I asked what was wrong and how long he had been that way.  What I learned was there was black mold in the school and though it did not affect everyone as badly as it did him there was a teacher that was pregnant that wound up being hospitalized.  I took  him to the emergency room and was told that he should not go back until this problem was taken care of.

The following day I contacted the school and told them Mark would not be returning until the mold was taken care of and proven to me that it was gone by having the company that cleaned it give them a clean bill of health, so to speak.  I was told for each day he missed shcool I would be fined.  I then went to the next scheduled school board meeting to speak my mind on this subject.  There were hundreds of parents there and all wanted their opportunity to speak on this matter and what it meant to the health of their children.  The husband of the teacher who was pregnant was also there and said her doctor was very concernec over the health of their unborn child.  I did get a chance to speak and showed pictures of how Mark looked the day he came home from school.  They told us each the same thing, we would all be fined for each day our children missed school.

Many parents sent their children back, I was not one of them, believing that the threat to their health was not that bad.  If you have any knowledge of black mold you know how dangerous it is.  Some of the health problems that arise from black mold are:

• Body Aches and Fatigue
• Eye Irritation with Burning, Watery or Red Eyes
• Food Intolerance and Allergy
• Irritable Bowel Syndrome
• Memory Impairment
• Mood Swings
• Nasal and Sinus Congestion
• Nose and/or Throat Irritation
• Persistent Coughing
• Profound Headache
• Respiratory Problems (Asthma and other Infections)
• Skin Rashes or Irritation
• Suppression of Immune System

In the last ten years, there have been many reports of toxic molds causing serious and even fatal consequences for infants and sensitized individuals.

When Mark began coughing blood I rushed him to the hospital and it was then confirmed it was from the exposure of the black mold in the school.  I did not know if he would live or die.  Once he made it through my worry then turned to anger at a school trying to cover up a serious situation as they have to have attendance at a certain rate to get their money from the state.  Not a care for the health of the students and the teachers.  They were not being exposed to it so their only concern was the money they would lose out on.  The fact is they had an empty school they could have moved all these students and teachers to while the infected school could have been cleaned.

I then contacted the local news channels and brought it to their attention.

They did come and interview me and other parents but the shcool refused to comment.

Over 100 parents had to go to court and we were each fined $532 for keeping our children out of school and told to return them or face jail.  Well jail is better than losing my child so I wound up going to jail.  Once I was released I went to the school board and presented them with my green cleaning products that will even clean black mold.  They showed little interest as they had through this 5 month ordeal.

When I went to them and showed them how they could use these same products for fund raisers their interest was very high.  No matter the reason, I did convince them to use them and they saw where using them for fund raisers could be an all year event instead of just an annual event.  Now that they could make money from them they were willing to jump on board.  Though I was very upset that they cared so little for the health of the children they are in charge of I had finally succeeded in getting them to use them. 

I then began a campaign of our doctors offices, they were much more open to my presentation and went on to present them to hotels in our area letting them know how much money they could save and the percs they would receive for being green. 

I have worked with the PTA of many schools which now use these products for fund raising, use them in their schools, have my doctors office green and several local hotels.

Doing my part for the planet started in my home, from having a child deathly ill from going to school I then took it to the streets campaigning for cleaner environements in our work places, the schools, hospitals, doctors offices, hotels and others homes. 

It has been long and tedious but I can look back and know I have made a difference.  I went to jail, paid a large fine but I did not let them break me. 

Though others are not always open to what you have to say, with enough persistence you can get your point across, if it matters to you it is well worth the time.  I know of nothing that matters to me more than the health of my children.  When being out in public I can not always protect them but I can petition the offices in my community to help in this protection.

The story of the young girl in kindergarten in Oklahoma that went into a coma from licking hand sanitizer from the back of her hand was scary.  She had alcohol poisoning and nearly died.  Think about it, your children are required to bring hand sanitizer to school.  I prefer mine use one that will not put their life at risk should they decide to lick it from their hands. 

When it comes to the safety of my family I have trusted Shaklee for more years than I can remember.

 

 

Technorati Tags: natural cleaners, shaklee

Though our purpose for a natural cleaner may vary I wanted to share this story with my readers.

I am raising my two grand daughters ages 4 and 6, having a safe cleaner in my home is very important as I never worry about having to call poison control or rush them to the hospital if they get into anything.

Last week I heard the 4 year old in her room during the night and it was not a sound I was familiar with coming from her room at bedtime. I went to check and she had my handsoap, which is natural also. She was pumping it all over her sisters blanket, had it all over herself, the bed and the floor. I asked her what she was doing and she said, “Cleaning Monicas blanket.” I laughed and said ok time to get cleaned up.

It was a major bubble bath in the tub that night. Took a while to get it all off of her but the point is it did not hurt her. Had that been a soap made with toxins it could have killed her. As it is safe I had to laugh at her. We laughed and played for an hour trying to get all the bubbles out but we were not in the emergency room.

Let me add to this that I use this product for removing stains from clothes, it works better than anything I have found. I thought the girls ruined their clothes one day with spaghetti sauce, I soaked them in cold water to no avail. I saw my hand wash sitting there and thought it was worth a try, I pumped some on and wow it took it all out. I use it for all stains now and have found nothing I can’t get out with it.

I personally would never use any product except for Shaklee products as they are committed to making sure their products are safe and natural. I recently had to wait three months for the baby wash and shampoo as they took it out of the shopping cart as a batch when tested showed something they could not say was natural, once they got the problem worked out they added it back and as they test constantly I know they give me the best product available. I ordered 4 bottles so I would not run out if they came across that again. As they do no testing on animals, have been certified Climate Neutral, plant 10 trees for each Global Ambassador kit ordered and do all they can to help the planet I could not imagine using anything else being the environmentalist I am.

Check out our natural and safe products by clicking the box on the right hand side of my blog. Enjoy your products when they arrive.

Thanks for stopping by and I will be back tomorrow with another story to share.

Technorati Tags: natural cleaner, safe cleaner, shaklee