You’re here because something clicked. Maybe a diagnosis, a baby on the way, a half-read article about an ingredient you’d never heard of. The moment is familiar — you start looking at the stuff in your home and realize you don’t actually know what most of it is. The next step isn’t buying everything new. It’s learning to evaluate what you already have, and what you’ll buy next, on your own terms.
What this site is (and isn’t)
Casa de Chavez is an engineer’s guide to low-tox living. Two things make it different from most low-tox content.
I don’t tell you what to buy. I teach you how to evaluate products yourself. The framework is free. The judgment stays yours.
I don’t do fear-based messaging. The research on this stuff is genuinely mixed in places, the marketing is mostly noise, and most “toxic” lists are worse than the products they warn about. I try to be honest about what we know, what we don’t, and what’s worth your attention.
If you came here looking for a list of approved products, you can find that on a thousand other blogs. If you came looking for a method that lets you decide for yourself — that’s what this site is.
The two frameworks
Almost everything on this site builds on two methods I developed for evaluating product safety. They take different amounts of time and serve different situations. Start with whichever fits your moment.
The CLEAR Method™
For when you have time to actually research
A five-step framework — Composition, Labeling, Evidence, Alternatives, Risk — for when you’re researching a category like sunscreen and want a decision you’ll trust for years. About 20–30 minutes per product.
The STOP Method™
For when you’re standing in the store
A three-minute framework for evaluating products on your phone in the aisle: Scan, Translate, Observe, Pause. Use it when you have to decide right now and don’t have time for the full evaluation.
The free interactive tool
The CLEAR Method as a live interactive tool. You input a product, it walks you through the five steps, and you export a one-page PDF scorecard at the end. Free, no signup required. About 10–15 minutes per evaluation.
What to read next
A short reading list. Pick whichever resonates — the order doesn’t matter much, the methods are what tie it all together.
Get the free Low-Tox Guide
A free Ingredient Red Flags Cheat Sheet — the 30 ingredients I avoid in personal care, cleaning, and kitchen products, with what they are, why they matter, and what to look for instead. PDF, no upsells.
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime. The cheat sheet ships the day it’s ready — no upsells.
— Liz