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In our continuing efforts in removing all the toxins in Maya’s body, we’re now at the phase where we are able to do more. Removing her food allergens was our number one priority and unfortunately time and financial constraints put a halt on us going further. But now we are able to do more and we are trying to remove as much environmental toxins in our home as possible.
By now, most of our foodstuffs are organic, all of our cleaning products including laundry detergent, dishwashing liquid and floor cleaner are organic and environmentally friendly. Even the girls’ shampoos and soaps are organic.
Currently we are renovating the girls’ room – doing home renovation is actually a contradiction to the principles of eco-living. The dirt and air borne pollution and chemicals used are very harmful, however this is a risk that we felt we had to take. We have built-in carpeting in the room, which is chock-ful of accumulated dirt and harbors so many bacteria and emitting toxic gas. The old air-conditioning unit is a breeding ground for fungus & mold as well as the old ducting.
Again, this was one of the many many things we wanted to tackle when we first learnt about toxic elements in Autism. However, practically prevailed because we need to plan our finances carefully and there was no way we could afford to redo the girls’ room AND do the medical testing AND buy organic food AND afford organic cleaning products AND go gfcf AND afford the supplements all at the same time.
We are also looking at safer cookware – all our pots and pans are teflon and all scratched up. Teflon and all non-stick coating are harmful to our health, they emit noxious fumes when heated up. The chemical, perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) is used in non-stick coating and when heated up to high temperature enters our body easily through cooked food. And remember those old-school tin pots and woks commonly found in Malaysian homes? It’s made of aluminum, another toxic chemical that does not belong in our body. Stainless steel and cast-iron ware are recommended as the safest alternative. We’ve stopped using aluminum foil when baking and are slowly reducing our usage of plastics. And soon we will invest in an air purifier for the room.
It’s scary when we read all those articles and reports about the many harmful things in our environment. It’ll make you go crazy thinking about raising your child in a houseful of toxins! Some families have made extraordinary effort in going green and I admire those eco-warriors for their commitment. There has also been an increase in the availability of organic produce and household cleaning products and personal care products in Malaysia.
So yes, back to the carpeting. When we ripped up the carpet, we found that the flooring was 1/2 teak wood, 1/4 marble and 1/4 concrete!! Yeah, that’s Malaysian home construction for you. Compressed wood flooring is not recommended because they emit toxic gasses, however solid wood and tiles are safe. Because we can’t afford the time and money to hack up the whole flooring, we’ve taken some shortcuts. Very soon the girls’ room will be all solid wood flooring; however it will be a bit uneven but I think the girls will love the dips and bumps.
Spectrum Mum in Malaysia 