10 Ways To Detox Your Home To Reduce Toxicity And Lower Your Risk Of Disease
The average home contains 500-1,000 chemicals and toxins - many of which are too small to see and undetectable to taste or smell.
You might be using and exposing yourself to products that make you sick throughout your home without even realizing it. Instead of continuing to wonder why you are sick, try some easy ways to detoxify your home and see the difference they make. Perhaps that mystery illness of yours will disappear, or your sinus troubles and excessive mucus production will suddenly come to a halt.
If you want to eliminate your exposure to toxic contaminants, you need to detox your home. While it does take a little work to switch out harmful products for more natural ones, the benefits you receive from doing so are endless. The good news is that there are many quick and simple things you can do to reduce your exposure to harmful chemicals. Keep reading for 10 easy ways you can begin to detoxify your home for a happier and healthier life!
1. Say No to Synthetic Fragrance
Synthetic fragrances like those found in laundry detergent, dish soap, and air fresheners cause serious health damage.
To start, they're respiratory irritants, making breathing harder and triggering "allergies" that people attribute to things other than fragrance. Though they smell pleasant, fragrances are also neurotoxic and can cause liver and kidney damage.
They also contain hormone-disrupting phthalates, which completely throw our hormones out of whack and contribute to things like breast, ovarian, and prostate cancer (1). The phthalates found in some synthetic fragrances have also been linked to reproductive toxicity, decreased sperm counts, early breast development, and birth defects (2,3).
Here is a list of things to avoid that contain synthetic fragrances:
- Air fresheners
- Dryer sheets
- Scented candles
- Shampoo
- Laundry detergent
- Dish soap
- Deodorants
- Soap
- Sunscreen
- Perfumes, colognes, and body sprays
- Lotions and serums
- Cleansers
- Cosmetics
Always look for products that don't list "fragrance" or "parfum" on the ingredient list so you can be sure to avoid these harmful substances.
2. Improve Air Quality With Cleaning And Filtration
Did you know that indoor air is about 2-5 times more polluted than outdoor air?
A major source of indoor air pollution is carpeting. Carpets trap dirt, fleas, dust mites, and lead. If you have carpeting, we highly suggest investing in a HEPA filter vacuum, which helps trap the widest range of particles and allergens.
Another thing you can do to keep the air clean indoors is by investing in a high-quality air filter like one from Intellipure. Intellipure air purifier units are some of the best on the market due to our patented DFS (Disinfecting Filtration System) technology. Each unit uses the same technology currently used in hospitals, medical clean rooms, government buildings, and military applications.
Intellipure air purifiers have also been proven to capture 99% of all particles as small as 0.007 microns. Intellipure air purifiers also contain a heavy-duty, commercial-grade gas and odor filter, which eliminates most gasses. Intellipure's DFS removes harmful viruses, fungi, molds, and bacteria. The result? Fresh, pure, healthy air.
3. Switch to Non-Toxic Cleaning Products
Cleaning products contain some of the worst toxic ingredients. As discussed above, fragrances contain phthalates, known endocrine disruptors that can enter our bodies through inhalation. Cleaning products are loaded with fragrances to leave things smelling clean, but not many people are aware of the health risks they're trading out for that clean smell.
Cleaning products also contain other harmful chemicals that irritate the respiratory tract, increase your risk of cancer, and damage the kidneys and liver. The good news is that there are a lot of great non-toxic cleaning products, such as baking soda, vinegar, essential oils, and lemon. Next time you tackle your cleaning checklist, make sure you're equipped with clean products!
4. Don't Store Thermal Receipts in Grocery Bags
Thermal receipts (like the ones you get at the grocery store) leach BPA. BPA is a chemical that can be found in hard plastics or household items and has been linked to problems with the endocrine system. BPA is the last thing you want to be stored with the foods you consume - especially your organic produce! Always store thermal receipts in your wallet, and don't let the cashiers stick them in your grocery bags against your produce.
5. Make Sure Your Water Source is Clean
Cleaning your water is essential if you want to detox your home. According to the Environmental Working Group (EWG), tap water contains over 300 chemicals and pollutants (4). These chemicals include chlorine, pesticides, herbicides, lead, mercury, endocrine-disrupting chemicals, fluoride, and hundreds of others. Do you want all of those chemicals going into your and your family's bodies?
6. Change Out Personal Care Products
Personal care products, like makeup and deodorant, also carry a threat of poisoning your body with toxic chemicals. A great app for reviewing the ingredients in your products is EWG's Healthy Living App. This app makes it easy to find safer alternatives to the products you are currently using.
7. Avoid Paraffin Candles
While scented candles may seem harmless, they're actually a major source of indoor air pollution that destroys air quality and your lungs. Certain candles may emit numerous potentially hazardous chemicals like benzene and toluene. These chemicals disrupt the nervous system, cause brain and lung damage, and cause developmental problems in children.
Short-term exposure to the formaldehyde released in scented candles can result in symptoms like watery and burning eyes, burning in the throat and nose, nausea, vomiting, wheezing, coughing, burning skin, and irritation. Long-term exposure to these chemicals can also cause cancer within the nasal passage, and even worse, leukemia (5).
Instead of scented candles, you could diffuse essential oils, or burn beeswax candles that have a wonderful, natural aroma.
8. Take Your Shoes Off At The Door
Taking your shoes off at the door can reduce 60% of the toxins you track into your home. In fact, a major source of pesticides and lead contaminants that come into your home is a result of walking into the house with your shoes on.
To reduce these contaminants, all you need to do is declare your home shoes-free. Simple!
9. Avoid Toxic Kitchenware
When it comes to cooking and storing food, there are many hidden dangers. Plastic containers usually contain BPA, so it is best to avoid them. Freezing stuff in plastic bags is just as bad. Instead, choose glass-lock containers, mason jars, or other glass containers to store your food in.
Non-stick pans are another major issue when it comes to toxic items in your household. Teflon contains perfluorinated chemicals (PFCs), which have been linked to cancer and developmental problems. Safe cookware alternatives include cast iron, stainless steel, glass, 100% ceramic cookware, and non-toxic non-stick coatings.
10. Stop Using Herbicides On Your Lawn
Out of over 30 commonly-used lawn chemicals, 19 have been shown to cause cancer, with another 15 known to cause nervous system poisoning (6). Also, the herbicides and pesticides used in gardens eliminate beneficial insects and bacteria that actually help control the pests sprayed for in the first place.
Instead of using toxic herbicides and pesticides, replace them with non-toxic ones. Vinegar works as a great herbicide, and pulling out weeds by hand is just as good of an option. You can also roll out landscape fabric or use mulch if you want to prevent garden weeds.
Original Post written by Carly Fraser, Live Love Fruit
