Gradually Moving Towards an Eco Home

While in most cases it would be impractical or infeasible to convert one's home into an eco friendly, toxin free one overnight, it is possible to make the switch one thing at a time. Even replacing some potentially harmful items with safer substitutes could pay dividends in the long run.

For us, we started with our plastic bottles (switching from polycarbonate #7 to HDPE #2), then our bed mattress (with latex foam core), some organic baby clothes, and some soaps and shampoos containing more natural ingredients. A few weeks ago, we started using a toothpaste from Trader Joe's that doesn't contain sodium laurel sulfate or saccharin. It still contains flouride, however.

I'm sure I'm leaving out items here. There are too many factors to consider to cover all bases. Our goal is to make simple changes that might have a high return, such as using personal care items with fewer potentially harmful ingredients. The cost is a bit higher in dollar terms, but the rewards are worth the added expense.