We are excited to announce the launch of our Tinyscents Collection, a new range for everyone with children in mind.
Tinyscents is a super fruity blend of organic essential oils that is anti-bacterial and perfect for cleaning around babies over 6 months and small children. There are four products:
• Tinyscents Laundry Liquid
• Tinyscents Laundry Conditioner
• Tinyscents Multi-surface Spray
• Tinyscents Essential Oil Blend
Why it’s so important to clean without toxins – especially for babies and children
In the early months of a baby’s life, it is important to reduce exposure to allergens. As well as food allergies, babies and small children are at risk of eczema and asthma. To reduce these risks, breast milk or a hypoallergenic formula is the ideal way to nourish your infant. It is least likely to trigger an allergic reaction, it is easy to digest and it strengthens the infant’s immune system. This is especially recommended for the first four to six months, as it may reduce early eczema, wheezing and cow’s milk allergy.
In the UK, one in five children under the age of two has eczema and the number of children with eczema and allergic rhinitis in the UK has more than trebled since the 1960s. The exact cause for the rise is not known, but Kari Nadeau, professor of pediatric medicine at Stanford University believes an increase in the use of detergents and harsh soaps as well as rising pollution levels may play a role. Laundry detergents that contain the enzyme protease may impair the skin barrier and increase allergen sensitisation, she says. “Detergents are very concentrated and really clean our clothes but also, unfortunately, degrade our skin.”
Our modern, urban environment has increased our susceptibility to eczema and allergies. Smoking, traffic fumes and air pollution are all thought to contribute to allergies in babies and young children.
How do we clean and launder for small babies?
Greenscents household products do not contain harsh chemicals, bleach or enzymes and these chemicals must be avoided, especially in families with babies and young children. We recommend our Nonscents Collection for babies under 6 months old and our Tinyscents Collection for families with babies over 6 months and small children, if a fragranced range is preferred.
Rooms where babies sleep and play should be aired thoroughly each day and surfaces need to be cleaned regularly. For changing mats, play mats, toys and baby-safe surfaces we recommend the regular use of Nonscents Multi-Surface Spray applied with a linen cloth and rinsed well. It can be helpful to create a cleaning station in your baby’s room or nursery so that you can clean little and often.
Homes with a young baby will also benefit from a HEPA filter vacuum cleaner to remove allergens as well as dust and a steam cleaner to remove bacteria & viruses.
Baby clothes and blankets should be washed with Nonscents laundry liquid and Nonscents Laundry Conditioner at between 30-60 degrees centigrade depending on the fabric. It is worth checking your washing machine to ensure that the rinse programmes are operating correctly and that you clean your machine monthly with vinegar in the drum and bicarbonate of soda solution in the drawer at the highest temperature setting. Air drying baby clothes outside or by a window is best but a heated drying rack is a great alternative when you need the certainty of 100% warm & dry fabrics.
What about nappies?
Reusable nappies have been shown to have a lower carbon footprint than disposable nappies. The carbon footprint for disposable nappies for the first 2.5 years of a child’s life is 456.91 kg CO2eq. For reusable nappies for the 2.5 years of use, the carbon footprint is 344.57kg CO2eq. The use phase (energy use in washing and detergent impact) is by far the largest contributory factor to the carbon footprint (~85%).
Using the dry pailing system for washing nappies is preferable, where nappies are left without being soaked in water (after removing solids). Nappies can be stored in a bucket with a lid, an open basket or a bag depending on individual requirements. When you store soiled nappies, we recommend adding 5-6 drops of Tinyscents blend to a small piece of cotton fabric so that the volatile oils will help to disinfect the nappies and reduce any unpleasant smells. Nappies should be machine washed in two phases – the first wash within 1-2 days of soiling should be at 60 degrees and a short programme of 30-60 minutes and a second wash on the longest cotton wash at 60 degrees every 2-3 days. Nonscents Laundry Liquid & Laundry Conditioner is recommended for washing nappies for young babies. Once your baby is 6 months old, you can graduate to Tinyscents laundry products as long as your baby shows no sign of an allergic reaction to essential oils.
What about babies over 6 months and small children?
By the time babies are 6 months old, they have experienced many stimuli and if they show no signs of allergies, it is usually safe to integrate baby-friendly essential oils into your cleaning and laundry routines. Tinyscents blend is a mix of mandarin, petit grain, lavender and tea tree oil and offers a safe and fragrant addition to cleaning & laundry for your little one. The essential oil blend can be used neat on surfaces as an anti-bacterial cleaner or disinfectant but care must be taken to rinse & wipe the surface carefully after the essential oils have been exposed to the surface for at least one minute. Alternatively, we offer three ready to use products including a multi-surface spray that will help remove bacteria and laundry products that reduce the risk of infection.
Creating a clean and safe environment for your little ones should be a happy and positive experience. It is only with Greenscents that you can be sure what is in the bottle and clean with confidence!
Further reading
https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0268651
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2111268/
https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20220719-can-you-prevent-childhood-allergies
https://www.allergyuk.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/Childhood-Asthma-and-Wheeze-v5.pdf
https://www.allergyuk.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/Eczema-in-Children.pdf
https://i0.wp.com/cleanclothnappies.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/soiled-nappy-storage.png?fit=1080%2C1920&ssl=1
https://cleanclothnappies.com/soiled-nappy-storage/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3264233/?tool=pubmed
https://randd.defra.gov.uk/ProjectDetails?ProjectId=20622