We are excited to welcome a new contributor to Mint Cleaning Products.
Dr. Taylor Bean is a Canadian Naturopathic Doctor and the owner of Taylor Made Wellness in Salmon Arm, BC. In this series, Effects of Harmful Cleaning Products, Dr. Taylor will share simple, practical education on common ingredients found in traditional cleaners, how repeated exposure can affect the body, and why choosing cleaner, eco friendly options matters for you and your family.
Below is her first article for Mint.
A Naturopathic Doctor’s Perspective: Why 2026 Should Be Your Cleanest Year Yet
It is 2026. If you have not converted to clean household cleaners, now is the perfect time. Start 2026 off with less, not more. Less meaning fewer ingredients in your laundry detergent, your all purpose cleaner, and even your dishwasher soap. Your 2026 New Years intention can be choosing the cleanest cleaners for you and your family.
While it can be an uncomfortable truth, our environment is one of the main drivers of our long term health. And if you have children, the environment can affect them even more due to their biological makeup and their curiosity for the world. Children breathe, drink, and eat more per pound of body weight than adults. As a result, there is greater exposure per pound of body weight to contaminants in the air, water, or food compared with adults. Anything unsafe that children touch, eat, or breathe may affect them more than adults because, when comparing pound to pound, their contact with these substances is higher.
Why this matters even more for kids
If you have an infant learning to crawl or a toddler who constantly puts their fingers in their mouth, the products used on the surfaces they touch matter. Many families want surfaces that are simply clean, not surfaces that may leave behind chemical residues.
Toxins vs toxicants: what is the difference
Toxicants are tiny substances that are a by product of human made substances. A toxin is different than a toxicant because toxins can exist in nature, such as arsenic or aluminum.
Both, however, can harm the body in similar ways. When substances accumulate and exposure is constant, they can contribute to physiological changes such as endocrine disruption, immune disruption, and cellular oxidative damage.
What endocrine disruption can mean
The endocrine system is a network of signaling molecules, or hormones, involving hormone producing glands and hormone receptors. It plays a role in growth and development, reproduction, metabolism, sleep, stress response, and immune response.
When certain chemicals interfere with this system, it can impact how the body communicates and regulates key functions over time.
Ingredients many families choose to avoid in cleaning products
So which chemicals do you want your cleaning products to be free of. As per the Environmental Working Group, some commonly used ingredients families often look to avoid include:
• Phthalates
• Parabens
• Perchlorate
• PFAS as a class
As a Canadian Naturopathic Doctor, clean cleaning products, and food, are paramount for not only my own family but also for my patients. Understanding how toxins and toxicants can affect the human body is why we should make it a priority that our living environment is free of chemicals that have shown potential for harm.
Mint Cleaning Products has developed a line of eco friendly cleaning products made with fewer ingredients and without many of these common concerns. I am thrilled to have finally found a Canadian company that understands why this is important.
Make 2026 your cleanest year yet.
Where to start with Mint
If you are ready to simplify what you use at home, start with the basics and build from there:
• Shop All Purpose Cleaner
• Shop Laundry Detergent
• Shop Dishwasher Products
• Shop Best Sellers
Quick FAQ
What is the easiest first swap to make at home
Start with the products you use most often, especially anything you spray and wipe daily, like an all purpose cleaner.
What does fewer ingredient cleaning mean
It means simplifying formulas and choosing products that avoid unnecessary additives and common classes of concern, while still cleaning effectively.
Why are kids more affected by household exposures
Kids have higher exposure relative to body weight and more frequent hand to mouth behaviour, which can increase contact with residues on surfaces.
Sources and further reading
- Hormones and endocrine disrupting chemicals - what you need to know
- Endocrine-Disrupting Chemicals (EDCs)
- Endocrine Disruptors
- Are Environmental Toxins Haunting Our Kids?
- 6 Common Toxins Found in Household Cleaners
About Dr. Taylor Bean
Dr. Taylor Bean is a Naturopathic Doctor and owner of TaylorMade Wellness in Salmon Arm, BC. Becoming a mother is where her core value of achieving informed consent was born. While her profession taught her to be curious and treat each patient individually, it was her positive birthing experiences that changed her perspective on what a true doctor patient relationship means. Her career started in Singapore where she supported patients all over SE Asia and now has been supporting Canadians since 2016. Dr. Bean has been drawn to supporting women achieve an optimal pregnancy, labour preparation, paediatric wellness, complex pediatric conditions, and chronic infections such as Lyme and mold illness. She is currently the only BC healthcare provider that has their fellowship with the Medical Academy of Pediatrics and Special Needs, which provides functional training for complex pediatric cases. She is currently obtaining her fellowship with Psychiatry Redefined, which is functional training in psychiatry.
Find Dr. Bean on Instagram: @DrTaylorBean and @TaylorMadeWellnessClinic
Website: TaylorMadeWellness.com