Clean Living Blog

There are some universal truths in the world—water is wet, the sun rises in the east, and babies are adorable mess-makers. Babies tend to dirty their clothes in dozens of ways, from baby food stains to poop stains, leaving new parents feeling as if they’re constantly doing laundry. You might also find your personal tried-and-true tricks to eliminating stains won’t work for your little one’s wardrobe. 

Becoming a parent comes with loads of questions. How long until the baby giggles? When will they say my name? Is it too soon to introduce them to buffalo mac and cheese? Among the many responsibilities on your plate, however, there’s one thing that can confuse first-time parents.

If there’s one place you can be your messiest self, it’s your home. We’re talking late-night cupcake masterpieces, bathroom hair dye experiments, and post-snowball-fight hot chocolate sipped by the stove (and the floor, and the couch)

Studies show that keeping your home clean can make you feel better in just about every way—you sleep more soundly, you’re more likely to stay physically well, and you reduce your cortisol (AKA liquid anxiety).

Our dishwashers do a lot for us. They can make our plates squeaky clean in a flash, give the baby’s teethers a much-needed shine, and most importantly, save our hands from a lot of scrubbing when all we want to do is sink into the couch and relax

It’s impossible to understate how much a deliciously warm shower can improve your day. A shower helps clear away the day’s sweat and grime, soothes tired muscles, and simply gives us some peace after a long day. 

While most stains come out in the wash, you might not know how to get oil and grease stains out of your clothes. These unfortunate stains can turn your favorite outfit into an unwearable mess.

From bright blue to royal red, colorful clothes can be a great way to display your personality, whether you’re headed to work or out for a night on the town. Of course, with all that wear comes washing, and knowing how to wash colored clothes is just as important as knowing how to wash white clothes.

That classic, crisp tee. That chic, wintry knit. Those jeans. You know the pair. Those bright, tight, brilliant white jeans that once made your backyard barbecue feel like a sunset in Mykonos. There’s a reason why our white clothes make such essential pieces. They keep us looking sharp all year long and they go well with everything.

Sometimes our days require quick thinking and a change of clothes—or three. First, you have morning yoga, then work, then lunch and an afternoon coffee run. Even after all that, there’s still a stop at soccer practice, a dinner with your parents, and a late-night Target run before you finally get to slip on your pajamas and slide into your long-awaited sheets. 

If you were to ask us, “What’s the most surprising thing about your industry?,” the first thing that would come to mind is the state of transparency. Did you know the US has no federal requirement for household cleaners to tell you what’s inside them? When it comes to food that we put in our bodies, every brand must list the ingredients. But with cleaners, you can choose to disclose zilch. Zero. Nada.

We’ve all been there. That moment you go to look at a bottle’s ingredient label and find a list of words you can’t pronounce, let alone identify. Sometimes it feels like you need a PhD in chemistry just to understand what’s safe or unsafe for your home. While we can’t offer you an advanced degree, we can promise to be as transparent and open as possible about what we put in our ECOS products. Unlike many conventional cleaners, we list all our ingredients. And if that’s not enough, we also list all the ingredients we promise to never use, AKA “The Nasties.

This interview was originally published on Three Ships Beauty. Kelly Vlahakis-Hanks joins us on the #HerHustle blog to share her leadership journey with us. She shares the importance of safer cleaning products for your health, and what she does to overcome moments of self-doubt and adversity.

When you’re in need of a little “me-time,”  a good skincare routine can be a perfect go-to. After all, who doesn’t love a nice sheet mask, a few cucumbers, and a moisturizer that makes your skin feel silky smooth? But when it comes to pampering your skin, there’s one thing that often doesn’t get the attention it deserves: your laundry detergent. 

October is breast cancer awareness month. It also happens to be the month that we raise money for the American Cancer Society. When it comes to finding a partner, we always look for organizations who share our mission to help people live a cleaner, healthier lifestyle. And there’s no better partner in that effort than the American Cancer Society; a group that works tirelessly to fund and drive research and fight cancer.

The reality is, when it comes to carcinogens, there’s no way to avoid them ALL. Instead, it’s about finding balance and living a cleaner lifestyle where you can. Luckily, your home is a place where reducing carcinogens is easily within your control. So don’t feel alarmed, and let’s go through some super simple ways to do just that. 

Clean air, clean water, access to proper nutrition, a safe and healthy home—these are fundamental human rights. At ECOS, we’re passionate about creating a world where these rights are guaranteed for everyone, no matter their race or socioeconomic status.

Did you know that by 2030 there will be more than 22 million cancer survivors in the U.S.?  Fortunately, cancer rates are going down overall, and the number of survivors is increasing due to advances in treatment and early detection. But what if we could take steps to help avoid getting cancer in the first place? And how can we support our friends and family members who are facing a cancer diagnosis? 

Program: Upper Rio Grande Winter Flow Restoration 

Location: Conejos River & Upper Rio Grande, Colorado

Program: Lower San Pedro Pastureland Conversion 

Location: Lower San Pedro River Wildlife Area, Arizona

Program: Scott River Water Trust (SRWT): French Creek Flow Enhancement

Location: French Creek, Scott River watershed, California

Washing the dishes. It’s something you probably haven’t spent much time thinking about, but it’s a chore performed daily in almost every home. It starts with a squeeze of dish soap, a few swishes of the sponge, followed by a water rinse. But that conventional dish soap you’ve been using? It doesn’t all wash off. In fact, it leaves toxic chemical residues behind on your dishes and glasses that pose significant health hazards over the long-term.

We wear our largest organ ­– about 20 feet of it – on the outside of our body. Our skin. It has the important job of being the first line of defense from germs and toxic substances ­– like the skin-irritating chemical residues of conventional laundry detergents. If your skin reacts by getting itchy and irritated, it’s time to take a closer look at your detergent’s ingredients.

As COVID-19 retains its grip on the headlines, keeping our homes clean and virus-free remain top priorities. But, does all the spraying, scrubbing, and disinfecting come at a cost to our health? The truth is – yes – all that deep cleaning can spread some nasty chemicals into the air of your home.