Inside this Article: 7 simple, yet profoundly impactful ways to reduce toxins in your home.
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Here are 7 Things to Priories to Reduce Toxins in the Home
A large part of my job as a Holistic Health Practitioner is teaching my clients ways to reduce toxins and choosing safer, healthier options, especially for their families.
I promise you, there’s a good reason why I harp on this topic and if you have children at home, why it should be something you’re aware of too.
Today, over 50% of children are diagnosed with some form of chronic health condition – ADD, ADHD, auto-immune conditions, food allergies, chemical sensitivities, sleep challenges… and the list goes on. That’s 1 in 2 kids who receive a diagnosis.
We were one of those families with three out of three kids who were to various degrees, had their health negatively impacted by chemicals and toxins. As frightening as this was, it led me down an alternative path of wellness in a remarkable way.
Many parents ask me if there’s anything we can really do to help this and I empathetically say YES!
Imbalances in the body are largely connected to a buildup of toxins, accumulating from the time of conception until now. There can be physical buildup over time, as well as emotional buildup of emotions, beliefs and thoughts.
For now, let’s talk about the many ways we can help our children decrease the physical toxic load and improve detoxification of things we don’t have control over, with ways we do!
>>It starts at home<<
Remember, little bodies accumulate more from exposures quicker than adults so it’s imperative we use caution with what we bring into our homes and introduce into our bodies.
#1 – Choose non-toxic cleaning supplies.
Branch Basics and Truly Free are my go-to. They don’t have any harsh chemicals or nasty fragrances which harms the endocrine system (hormones). They also both work great, get out stains, clean the worst kitchen pans imaginable and dirty laundry from all kinds of kid’s experiences.
Related: Finding Safe Cleaning Products & Ditching Harmful Household Chemicals
#2 – Filter your drinking water, shower, bath and air in your home.
Tap water, while is managed through city and well water standards will inevitably still contains some exposure to chemicals like chlorine, fluoride, pollutants, man-made chemicals such as Trihalomethanes, radioactive materials, pesticides, even pharmaceuticals and can produce chloramine (chlorine off-gassing) when showering and bathing.
I strongly advocate no tap water is 100% safe to drink and recommend for third-party tested water filters such as ProOne Usa (we have the large family gravity filter and love it), Greenfield Water Filters, and Clearly Filtered. Filterbaby is a great filter for sinks to clean the water you wash your face and brush your teeth with.
For air, quality air filter systems have been life-savers when we have fire season in Colorado. I use Air Doctor and Intellipure Air purifiers in each of the kid’s rooms, our master bedroom and our living spaces. This also helps during flu season, and mitigate pollen/allergens in the home.
Related: Clean the Air with Plants: 13 Best Plants for Cleaning Indoor Air
#3 – Open the Windows and Doors in Your Home for at Least 20 Minutes Every Day
Fresh air eliminates indoor air pollution, which can be worse than outdoor pollutions, especially if you use candles, fried foods/high heat cooked food, plug-ins, animals, shoes in the house, water damage and more.
Related: How to Clean Up the Air In Your Home in 6 Easy Steps
#4 – Get Rid of Non-Toxic Fragrance in Your Home and Personal Care Products
Companies in Canada and the USA have this sneaky way of packing in as many chemicals as they can into the label of “fragrance.” Because fragrance is considered a proprietary ingredient, companies don’t have to disclose what’s inside of it, meaning they can put a few thousand chemicals inside this one item on the ingredient list – and they do!
Fragrance is also a known endocrine disrupter (hormone disruptor) and can affect hormones, emotional stability and fertility. It’s best to look for organic essential oils or skip the fragrance all together.
Personal care products, perfume, candles, plug-ins, scents are all good places to start making non-toxic choices.
Related: The Problem with “Fragrance” Used in Perfumes & Home Products
#5 – Take your Shoes off Before Entering the House
Think of all the places your shoes go during the day and what they’re potentially tracking inside. It’s best to leave them outside or in a mudroom space so they aren’t tracking throughout the house.
#6. Switch to Glass Cookware or Non-Toxic Cookware
I alternate between Caraway cookware and cast iron pans which last forever and the more seasoned they get, the better! If you choose not to switch, just be careful if you get scratches and are still cooking with them, that you aren’t allowing these chemicals found in the pans to get into your food. If they’re scratched, it’s always a good indication it’s time to get new ones.
Related: Top 8 Toxic Ingredients Hiding in Kitchen Products
#7. Read Labels when Buying Foods
So much of our food these days have added preservatives, dyes and chemicals that are disruptive to our health, especially for children. If you can, choose organic, non-gmo foods, grass-fed meats, pasture-raised eggs and avoid apeel labelled produce.
Source your food locally, visit farmer’s markets or farm stands and you might even find they’re cheaper than the grocery store!
Related: What Does Organic Mean & How to Tell if Food is Organic or Not
I don’t share this information to scare anyone or cause you to overhaul your house in one weekend. My aim is to empower you with information so you can choose what resonates and is do-able for you and your family.
These changes take time, resources and planning.
I care deeply about creating a healthier world for our children and this is what motivates me to keep sharing.