Why Branch Basics

First off, this post is not sponsored. I’m just passionate about ridding our lives of all the toxins we have control over. There are so many we can’t control, so wouldn’t we want to control the ones we can? If our body isn’t always trying to rid itself of the toxins we expose it to, it can actually focus on other things!! I also just love Branch Basics and love to share the things I find! If you know me personally, you know I’m always talking your ear off abt my latest new finds/ products. So I hope by now you know if I’m sharing something, it’s because I love it and have tested it for a good amount of time to be sure I can be confident in my recommendations.

I’ve had a hard time narrowing this post down, so I’ve finally decided to strip it down to 4 points: 1) why safer cleaning products are important 2) does it work (sanitizing and cleaning) 3) where we use it 4) the not so important, but nice things that I love about it.

1. Why do our cleaning products matter? I go into it more in this post, but to summarize, traditional cleaning products contain hazardous ingredients, endocrine disrupters, and more we don’t even know.

According to the American Lung Association,

“Many cleaning supplies or household products can irritate the eyes or throat, or cause headaches and other health problems, including cancer. Some products release dangerous chemicals, including volatile organic compounds (VOCs). Other harmful ingredients include ammonia and bleach. Even natural fragrances such as citrus can react to produce dangerous pollutants indoors.”

According to a NY times article,

“Health or safety data exist for approximately only 15 percent of new chemicals submitted for approval to the Environmental Protection Agency… Meanwhile, tens of thousands of older chemicals — those on the market before the Toxic Substances Control Act of 1976 — typically require no safety testing at all. Manufacturers need only disclose possible health effects that they might discover through testing…which…has created a perverse “disincentive to do any premarket research” on potential toxicity.”

“In May 2011, Dr. Trasande published a paper in Health Affairs calculating recent costs of treating pediatric diseases of possible environmental origin like asthma, childhood cancer and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder… The portion of the total societal costs attributable to toxic exposures: $76.6 billion for a single year.”

And to give you a glimpse at how full of toxins we are…

“Hundreds of toxic chemicals, including pesticides, fire retardants and PCBs, can be found in the umbilical cord blood of newborns, according to studies by the Environmental Working Group”

In The NY Times article, it presents both sides of the argument: I.e. these ingredients are not safe vs is this extreme and a status thing buying the best of the best. Let me state strongly, the science is there. The ingredients are harmful and when there is an option to clean even more effectively with safe, natural ingredients, why would we choose the dangerous stuff? And for me, it is NOT a status thing at all. As a young couple saving for business school, I can tell you every penny counts and we are very frugal, however, when it comes to safety, there’s really no debate for us and I promise there are very affordable ways to go about it! You can even make a lot of your own cleaning products (post coming on this!)

So obviously, traditional cleaning products are not safe (even having them in the home while not in use emits low VOC’s), but even some natural cleaning products aren’t that clean. So don’t just believe the bottle, look it up on EWG or Think Dirty, but better yet, buy things you don’t have to decipher or only minimally. Ingredients in BB here. It’s rated a 0 out of 10 for toxicity on the Think Dirty app (10 being the most toxic).

The laundry room is actually one of the most important places to switch to safer products, yet that and the dishwasher are often the last we’re willing to switch out. Here is a great article, but in summary because of the dryer, VOC’s are emitted and dispersed throughout the house. Dryer sheets also emit harmful chemicals. We use dryer balls and it’s so much cheaper and safer! Trader Joe’s or Amazon has the cheapest options!

2. Does it sanitize? This article explains in detail, but in summary, according to the CDC, the best way to remove germs is by soap and water. There’s also research that says hand sanitizer nukes the good and bad bacteria on our hands which have a delicate microbiome. It’s like antibiotics for the hands. Some studies suggest this contributes to antibiotic resistance.

Does it work for grime and stains? Blueberries, chocolate, hot chocolate, honey, pen, bright pink highlighter, grease from a train door closing on my husband 😅. These are just some of the stains Branch Basics has gotten out of clothes and, carpet, and upholstery for us! It also easily cleans dishes and literally everything else. It’s phenomenal!

3. Where do we use it?

Laundry

Washing our hands on the go instead of hand wash (they have travel spray and soap and you just spray and wipe or rinse off)

Stain remover

Fruit and veggie wash

Floor cleaner

Counter cleaner

Stove cleaner

Washer and dryer cleaner

Wipe down the car with it (inside- we still get car washes for the outside)

Bathroom cleaner (for EVERYTHING in there)

Dish soap

Dishwasher detergent

All purpose spray

Body wash

Shaving cream

Hand wash

Mirror/window cleaner. We literally use it for EVERY cleaning need. The ONLY cleaning use we don’t use it for is dishwasher detergent and rinse aid. I use this (still looking for an even cleaner option that doesn’t have natural fragrance) and this.

Is Branch Basics the only clean, safe thing out there? Of course not! There are plenty of great options. Use the Think Dirty App and EWG to type in some of your cleaning supplies. I personally feel BB is the safest while being the most effective, but I also know there are others out there just as safe 🙂 Just be sure to do your research and check those 2 apps instead of just believing the packaging. Before BB, I had a membership to Grove. I LOVE their mission, but they’re marketed as everything there is safe, which it isn’t. It’s definitely safer, but still not completely safe. So if you’re not interested in BB, I do recommend Grove, but just be sure to check each thing before you buy and don’t assume it’s all safe 🙂

4. The random/non important (some of them) reasons I like BB:

⁃ I used to have a million bottles in storage. I always buy two so I always have one bottle out, one in storage, but with BB, I have a an extra bottle of concentrate and 2-3 oxygen boost containers in my storage and that’s all for cleaning supplies.

⁃ According to the EPA, unscented can mean chemicals were used to mask scents. Fragrance free means nothing was used to mask the scent of ingredients (so it can still have a scent) (source). So this is why buying fragrance free is so important.

⁃ We noticed after using BB, that traditional hand soap leaves an annoying film that isn’t there with BB

⁃ Whenever I have to use other soap for a full day or more, My hands begin bleeding and cracking hands

⁃ You can customize scent. I prefer to not use essential oils since I use each bottle for multiple things (on dishes, etc.), but some people love to. Here is a great guide for it!

⁃ I love that my toddler can help me clean and I don’t have to panic about residue on our hands or breathing it in

⁃ I love that I don’t have to wash my hands after using it to make sure no harmful substances are transferred anywhere.

⁃ They have travel size! So my husband keeps a travel size all purpose, foam soap, and concentrate in his suitcase for business trips and we bring it on family trips! I also keep travel size all purpose in the stroller, diaper bag, car, and my purse! When on the go, we spray our hands with all purpose and wash or wipe it off to clean. We also use it for stain help as soon as one arrives (which let’s be honest is alarmingly common 😬)

Again, this is not sponsored. I do have a code for $10 off, but that’s not why I shared this (I hesitated to even share the code because I don’t want any misunderstanding of why I shared this). Code here. To put my money where my mouth is and share one of my favorite products, head to my Instagram (Christianne’s Corner) and enter my giveaway for one starter kit ($60 value!) If you decide Branch Basics isn’t for you, that’s just fine! Just use EWG and Think Dirty app and make sure what you are using in your home is clean and safe! And as always, feel free to message me with any questions!