Four years ago when we purchased our first home, we hired an expert HVAC service company to come inspect our heating and cooling systems. The service professional and my husband talked each other’s ears off during the entire service visit, and guess what? This expert HVAC professional took one look at the Yankee Candle sitting on our kitchen counter and told my husband that not only do candles release irritants and toxins into the air contributing to indoor air pollution (bad for our health), but that polluted, dirty air can wreck total havoc on our walls and very, very expensive heating and cooling systems. He said he can take one look at a home’s heating and cooling system and immediately know whether a home burns candles frequently.
Here’s the kicker. My husband didn’t necessarily take note of the negative health impact candles can have on our bodies, but having just purchased a house – you better believe he took note that my pretty candles were damaging our HVAC systems. Hello, future maintenance and expenses. Candles and other home cleaning supplies, from detergents to soaps to air fresheners, all release irritants into the air, contributing to indoor air pollution. Air inside of our homes can be dirtier than the air outside without proper care.
So, my husband tried to implement a new household rule: no more burning candles. Well, I didn’t exactly take to this rule back then, and my husband and I began a constant game of I’d-light-candles-and-he’d-blow-them-out. Insert eye roll emoji.
But fast forward a few years. We have babies. We bring Gemma home. And my new mom paranoia and mama bear instincts start to really kick into gear. I begin worrying about everything. I read more and more articles about the dangers of every day household cleaners, and detergents, and air fresheners, and candles. I’m cleaning her bottles every day with Dawn dish soap, and wiping down her plastic toys with bleach products. Yikes. Apparently we’re supposed to avoid everything from brown rice to baby food, and as a new mom – the guilt I felt from purchasing products that score terribly on apps like Think Dirty became overwhelming.
One day Young House Love mentions burning only soy candles, and the next day Liz is basically jumping out of her chair with joy over how much she has come to appreciate Young Living essential oils for slowly creating a home filled with cleaner products for her family.
My mind was made up. But I didn’t dare make the investment in a Premium Starter Kit without running the price by my husband first, and he wasn’t exactly sold on something that seemed too “woo woo”.
The season changed from summer to fall, and suddenly we faced our first cold and flu season with Gemma. At the same time, we decided to start her in daycare 2 days a week. In the middle of January. So now, on top of trying to create a safe and healthy home environment, my mind was wrought with worry about all of the germs she’d pick up at daycare.
Holy moly, mama brain.
One day I simply couldn’t hold back. I purchased the Premium Starter Kit, and I honestly haven’t looked back since. Yes, it was a lot of money upfront. And no, I didn’t immediately start selling oils to try and recoup my investment. But I did dive into the world of essential oils. And now I’m pretty much obsessed. I use the topically, I diffuse them, and I ingest them. I clean everything with my Thieves cleaner, and I’ve starter to replace other traditional store bought cleaners and personal products with items from the Thieves line. I’m learning more and more each day from my amazing oils community, and I just love feeling good about the products in and around our home.
If you’ve been on the fence about using essential oils – for health benefits, to replace chemical filled products in your home, to make your house smell amazing, or anything else… reach out! Comment below, email me, or connect on social media.
I promise you won’t regret it.