Just say NO to antibacterial soaps!

In the spirit of yet another headcold, I'd like to discuss my upcoming April "Going Green" resolutions. I have two of them. The first one is to avoid Tricolsan. Anitbacterial Soaps are causing a huge problem.... mainly the advancement of these super-germs that are resistant to antibiotics, and may one day be the death of all of us. From the over-prescribing of antibiotics by physicians to anti-bacterial hand and dish soaps.... it's a scary thing. Here is a bit of info:

The Bite (taken from the Bite daily newsletter.)
Take away the fiction part. While it seems like antibacterial cleansers would be more effective than plain, ol' soap, not-so-mad scientists have proven they aren't, and germs are getting stronger because we use so many antibiotics. Natural alts do the job minus the concerns.

The Benefits

• Getting just as clean. Germophobes rejoice: U of MI researchers reviewed 27 studies conducted between 1980 and 2006, and found that plain soaps are just as effective as those containing the antibacterial triclosan.
• Not encouraging the monsters. Antibacterial soaps with triclosan can reduce the effectiveness of antibiotics; our picks are naturally antibacterial.

Wanna Try?

• EO Products Hand Sanitizer - lavender, lemon, and jojoba oil help disinfect on the go ($4/2 oz).
• Naturally First Foaming Hand Soap - foaming, naturally antibacterial option with coconut and olive oils to keep your hands soft ($10/8.5 oz).
• CleanWell Foaming Hand Soap - uses naturally antibacterial essential oils (such as thyme oil) to kill germs; in three scents, including a spicy Lavender Absolute version ($14/28.5 oz).

Triclosan's in a lot of products, but you can avoid it by quickly glancing at the ingredients list - and yeah, your hands'll still get clean.

C'mon, people: A study by the American Society for Microbiology found 25% of men and 10% of women don't wash their hands after using public bathrooms.

So that's resolution numero uno. I have thus far eliminated all antibacterial soaps in our home, from handwashing to dishwashing. And my hands are still clean!

Resolution number two.... recycle newspapers and magazines. Although I haven't figured out the details, I have started a box. And there are newspapers inside it. Namely the Sunday paper and the Wednesday Focus. I am TRYING to get my husband on board with recycling cardboard, but he is resisting. When will he learn that resistance is futile? In the meantime, I am tentatively naming that my MAY resolution.... with the intention to do it entirely myself if need be. We have enough cardboard in our garage right now to build a city for the homeless. Seriously.