For anyone who has a kiddo, bugs and viruses are par for the course – especially if they are in daycare! This time last year, Vera was battling a stubborn ear infection. We couldn’t figure out what was up because she had had tubes placed in her ears 6 months prior, yet we couldn’t get her ears cleared up. That’s when I received a call from her ENT, who told us that a culture from her ear revealed MRSA. We immediately switched antibiotics, hoping that would take care of things, but a week later a mosquito bite on her leg turned into an infection that spread down her leg. Before we could get into the doctor the next morning, several other spots popped up and her fever spiked!
We were panicked.
This episode kicked off two months of doctor visits, trips to Dell Children’s Hospital and surgery.
As much as we wanted to keep her in a bubble, we couldn’t. We were faced with a dilemma: how do we keep her environment as safe as possible without interfering with her typical toddler experience? From there, we tried everything – all while keeping in mind our desire for non-toxic, environmentally-friendly and effective solutions. Luckily for Y’all, we’ve experimented with all sorts of products and are here to share our favorites to avoid the headache for you!
Our first line of defense is the Air Scrubber Plus, a UV light that connects to our A/C system and treats/filters the air in your home while disinfecting surfaces. Right around the time Vera got sick, UV lights were the latest and greatest technology. We had sales reps dropping off samples ALL THE TIME and, out of the handful we tried, the Air Scrubber Plus was our favorite.
We’ve had it installed for 9 months, and it has seriously helped with pet dander, dust, and odor reduction. Most importantly, if any one of us brings home a bug, it doesn’t spread to the rest of the family (knock on wood!). Based on its performance and results, we give the Air Scrubber Plus two thumbs up!
Read more about the Air Scrubber Plus here.
For cleaning products, we use a line called Better Life. I found Better Life through the Environmental Working Group’s product guide and, after reading reviews on Amazon and checking the blogosphere, we decided to try them out. Every single product has been a home run. Their line really does disinfect, cut grease and remove tough stains, without leaving streaks!
So many “green” products perform poorly, but Better Life stands up to all of their claims. Their motto is “always safe for the mess makers (not the mess)” and we absolutely love that (especially when Vera decides she wants to help me clean and more disinfectant ends up on her body than the kitchen counter!). Another fun fact is that Better Life packaging breaks down 2-5x faster than conventional plastic packaging. Come on, it doesn’t get “better” than that (see what I did there?)!
Check out Better Life’s products here!
*Please note: I am not suggesting anyone should treat an infection like MRSA with an Air Scrubber and cleaning products! While we were in the midst of MRSA Madness 2017, we reduced Vera’s exposure to germs, followed protocol from the Infectious Disease doctor and treated her with very aggressive antibiotics to get the infection under control. However, we absolutely stand behind these products for maintenance and keeping germs and allergies at bay!
We highly encourage you to give these products a try, especially as your kids get back to school and into extracurricular activities where the germs are surely lurking!
XO, Anna
