A Guide to Detoxifying Your Home: Practical Tips for a Cleaner, Healthier Environment
It's a startling fact: the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) states that the air inside our homes and offices can be 5-7 times more toxic than the air outside. Yes, you read that right – our indoor air can be shockingly more polluted. Even more astonishing is the reality that many people spend more than 90% of their time indoors.
Our homes are our sanctuaries, a place where we should feel safe and healthy. It's the one environment where we have total control, so why would we knowingly fill it with toxins when we're exposed to plenty of pollutants when we step outside?
Toxins can be sneaky, hiding in the products we use daily, from cleaners to air fresheners, candles, room sprays, furniture, and more. The list of potential offenders is long and includes lead, formaldehyde, fire-retardants, volatile chemicals, mold, pet dander, and many others.
The insidious part is that these toxins have a long-term impact on our health. They can contribute to a host of health issues, including respiratory problems, hormonal imbalances, skin troubles, cancer, diabetes, insulin resistance, weight gain, stubborn weight loss, thyroid disease, infertility, and more.
But don't despair; you can take action to reduce the toxic load in your home. Here are seven basic tips to get you started:
1. Ventilate Your Space
Regularly open your windows to increase ventilation and let fresh air flow through your home. This simple step can help dilute indoor pollutants.
2. Kick Off Your Shoes
Taking your shoes off inside is more than just a courtesy – it also helps reduce the chemicals and pesticides that might be tracked indoors on your footwear.
3. Clean Effectively
Invest in a vacuum cleaner with a HEPA filter, and mop your floors regularly to keep dust and pollutants at bay.
4. Go Green with Houseplants
Houseplants not only add a touch of nature to your space but also help purify the air by removing toxins. Spider plants, snake plants, peace lily’s, aloe vera plants to name a few.
5. Opt for Low-Tox Cleaning Products
Swap out conventional cleaning products for low-tox alternatives. The Thieves range by Young Living is a popular choice for those looking to keep their homes clean and toxin-free. I like to grab a Natures Home Bundle once every 6-8 months.
6. Ditch the Air Fresheners
Air fresheners and products with synthetic fragrances, like candles and wick diffusers, can release harmful chemicals into the air. Replace them with an essential oil diffuser for a natural and safe way to freshen your space. Also, pure beeswax candles are a beautiful alternative.
7. Filter Your Water
Consider a water filtration system to remove common contaminants like fluoride, chlorine, herbicides, pesticides, heavy metals, THMs, organic chemicals, odors, and particulates from your tap water. After researching the many options in Australia, I chose this one here. Read more about the need for water filtration on this blog post here.
Making these changes may seem small, but they can have a significant impact on reducing the toxic burden in your home. Your health and well-being will thank you for it!
Let us know in the comments which of these tips you already follow, and share your experiences with creating a healthier home environment.