About Gentle Safe Green 

My name is Jo Raydan, the founder of Gentle Safe Green, since 1991, I have been researching information on the natural way to do things.

It all started with reading books on natural child birth. My first three children were born in water. My last son who is now 21 years of age was too quick, we call him our land birth!

From the moment I moved out of my family home at the age of 20, I wanted to use only ‘safe’ products to clean our home, our clothes, our dishes, our body...everything! People ask me WHY? What was the driving force behind this? I actually don’t know other than to say  - it felt right.

I hated my mum using cleaners that we all gagged on. It felt wrong to spray something on a wooden table that didn’t nourish, just put a layer of gunk onto of the table top.

Over the years I have discovered so much about chemicals - and the misinformation regarding these - that we use every day in our homes. The useless fillers, the chlorine based products and the petrochemicals. These highly toxic ingredients are not necessary, nor safe, and I have made it my mission to increase people’s awareness of these harsh chemicals, whilst also promoting safe alternatives. 

My goal is to reduce the number of children who end up in hospital each year due to dangerous chemicals in the home.

When my eldest son, Chris, was raced to hospital as a toddler with suspected camphor poisoning, I spent 24 hours sitting next to his hospital bed waiting and watching to see if he was going to get sick, violently ill, have a seizure or die! My darling boy seemed so well and yet there was the fear that at any moment…

Thankfully our story had a happy ending. He had only bitten the moth ball and then spat it out.

Harrison Clarke was not so lucky. Harrison is the youngest of five children in an Australian family. One day, in 2007, Lisa, his mother, changed her usual morning routine. Instead of going directly to the kitchen, checking that the cupboard doors were locked and preparing breakfast, she put on a video for Harrison’s older sister. In that brief period, 18-month-old Harrison opened a cupboard, removed the cap from a container of dishwasher detergent and swallowed the powder. Lisa heard his cry and ran to the kitchen to find him vomiting blood. An ambulance rushed Harrison to hospital where doctors were unsure if he would survive.

While we were in the Royal Children’s Hospital we met many families who had not been so fortunate.

If I can save ONE child, it will have been worth it

I am also highlighting ingredients that are harmful to our environment.  I want to help people sift through that maze of information about the products they use daily and offer Tri Nature’s products as an alternative. 
 

Growing up, I was always interested in what I could do that would help other people. Of course as a teenager this was mixed with a fair dose of self-interest, having as much fun as I could and pushing the boundaries! 
 

In 1982, my parents and my brother and I established the Sandybeach Centre in Sandringham, Victoria. In the last 34 years, I have had the opportunity to assist many people, the unemployed, the disabled, those needing more life skills or just wanting a place to connect with others.

I began my career working as a Youth Worker. Once my first son was born I came back to Sandybeach and worked in admin as well as running a baby massage course, where other mother's and I could spend some precious time with our babies and chat about the latest challenges and our victories that we were all having as new mothers.

By the time my third son was three months old, I was introduced to Tri Nature, an Australian company manufacturing both eco & child safe products in the Hunter Valley. After trying my first product, the Presoak (or your nappysan replacement) and the Landry Powder, I was instantly hooked! No more eczema or nappy rash! And more importantly, NO HARSH CHEMICALS!

Since 1991., I have worked with Tri Nature, training and supporting women to create their own home based businesses. I’m so passionate about this part of what I do, for so many reasons: women get to contribute to their families financially: I’m surrounded by likeminded people who are positive and enthusiastic; I help others with their skin issues and allergies; and I assist women to find a space in their life where they are acknowledged for who they are individually, not only a wife, or mother. Supporting women to genuinely take control of their lives is so rewarding!

As well as running my own business I have been involved in many community committees including my son's college for six years, three of those years as president. I have four beautiful sons aged 21 to 31 years of age and an eight year old grandson.

Now that my boys are all adults and I have a little more time to myself, I’m doing things I have always wanted to do. Learning French: Bonjour! Writing. And a big one for me was painting and drawing. I had a very strong belief I was not creative but I am pleasantly surprised to find I am!

I love walks along the beach (this sounds like a dating show, but it’s true) and twilight (the time of day not the movie…although I did like the movie and I’m a big Edward fan!)

My life is all about the difference that I can make, with the people that I meet every day - Simple, but so great!

INTRODUCING OUR NEWEST MEMBER…

Hi, my name is Michael Raydan.

Jo Raydan, the founder of Gentle Safe Green, is my mother and co-human. I have been around the Gentle Safe Green products my entire life as my mum has been distributing them for 28 years.

I am currently embarking on an academic journey to achieve an environmental science degree and feel it is the right time for me to join the wonderful world of Gentle Safe Green.

I will be the new distributer of these products, and am thoroughly looking forward to promoting the products that have been so beneficial to me during my entire life.

When I was 19 years old, I cut my hand and thumb severely. I then cleaned it thoroughly with our Sanitiser and attended the doctors the following day. The doctor was astonished at how clean the wound was and felt that no further cleaning would be required before surgery.

I remember when I was about 8 years old, my mother was explaining the brilliance of these products to my brothers and I. She told us that the Prewash Soaker was so good, it would even get red wine out of white clothes. Of course, my brothers and I wanted proof. We told her she was full of it and that this couldn’t possibly be an accurate example of what the product was capable of. Sure enough, mum went and got a pair of white jeans and poured an entire bottle of red wine (a cheap and nasty bottle I should add) onto them.

Mum then hung the jeans up outside on the clothes line for 2 whole days to allow the wine to get right into them. Mum then soaked the jeans in the Prewash Soaker and within 10 minutes 90% of the stain had vanished. A further 24 hours in the Prewash Soaker, and the jeans were good as new.

These stories are just a preview of the brilliance and credibility of these products and hence why I have decided to promote and share them.

I look forward to being of service to you.

Thank you Jo for being such a special person and such a pleasure to deal with on every level…