Your home is your sanctuary, where you want to feel your best and healthiest and take refuge from chaos and chemicals outside – so how do you detoxify your home? These simple steps will help you to create an oasis where you can breathe easier knowing that you’re creating a healthy environment for yourself and your loved ones.
1) Wash your hands more often
It seems so simple, but something that we can all improve on! This is especially important if you take public transit or handle cash frequently. Stop the spread of germs from attaching to various surfaces in your house by washing your hands as soon as you get home.
2) Avoid using pesticides on your lawn
Harmful chemicals can seep into the water bed, contaminating water supplies – this is particularly important if your water supply is coming from a well!
3) Choose organic when you can
Just like you don’t want pesticides on your lawn, you don’t want them in your produce, either! Even when you do consume organic fruits and veggies, be sure to rinse them well before eating them.
4) Filter your tap water
It’s great to skip bottled water, but make sure that you’re filtering out harmful chemicals before you consume your tap water.
5) Avoid artificial fragrances
Skip the air fresheners and scented candles and opt for essential oils if you want a healthier alternative for a fresh scent.
6) Store your leftover food in glass containers
When you keep or heat up your leftovers in plastic containers, tiny particles can leach into your food – storing your food in glass containers or jars eliminates that risk, and also helps to reduce single-use plastics.
7) Choose natural ingredients for cleaning products
Germ-killing agents like bleach can be harmful, just look at all the warning signs on your typical household cleaning products. Opt for natural ingredients like vinegar that will still clean effectively without the toxic side effects for your family (and pets!).
8) Choose frozen over canned foods
It’s great to have a stocked pantry to make your food prep that much easier – but canned foods are full of preservatives to keep food from spoiling that can be detrimental to our health. Buying frozen foods (or freezing fresh produce) is an easy way to skip the preservatives.
9) Install a carbon monoxide detector
A device that alerts you to high carbon monoxide levels is incredibly important since we can’t see or smell the toxic gas – set yourself a calendar reminder to change the batteries if needed.
10) Remodel responsibly
If you’re making updates to your home, seek out materials that are toxin free, like lead-free paint. Consider swapping carpeting for harder surfaces that don’t trap dust or particles that could be contaminated.