How To Detox Your Home for a Healthier Lifestyle 

Taking small steps towards swapping out some common household items can be better for your health and better for our environment. Read on to find out ways you can detox your home to live a healthier lifestyle. 

Since I was a teenager, I’ve had an awareness of the massive use of chemicals and artificial materials in almost every product we buy. I first began researching the ingredients in common beauty and household products when I came upon the book was The Honest Life by Jessica Alba. While I was initially drawn to the celebrity on the cover, I quickly discovered that Jessica’s passion for toxin-free living would soon become my own. In doing more research on this topic, I’ve found that most of our bodily diseases and ailments are caused by, or made worse by, the chemicals we come in contact with every day. But there are steps we can take to lower our exposure and detox our homes and live a healthier lifestyle. 

Why live toxin-free? 

As I began looking closely at the ingredients labeled on products, I was horrified by just how many harmful ingredients were in the products I was using every day. A quick look at just about any cleaning product will reveal ingredients that can cause irritation to the body. These products are slowly poisoning us and creating issues that we aren’t even aware of. Toxins in our products can disrupt our hormones, make our eyes itchy, give us headaches, trigger an allergic reaction, and cause many other negative side effects.

When we cut out toxins we can breathe better, sleep better, and feel more at peace knowing we are not exposing ourselves to these harmful ingredients. By taking a look at a few of your living spaces, you can begin to detox your home and live a healthier lifestyle. 

Simple swaps you can make in your home

The journey to detoxing your home can feel quite overwhelming, but if you start small, every swap you make will make your home a little less toxic. Here are a few items you can switch out easily to begin living toxin-free. 

Non-Toxic Kitchen Swaps

Food can easily be contaminated by toxins that are used in the kitchen. Since we consume our food, this area is a big one to focus on when making changes in the home. 

Dish Soap 

Swap dish soap out for a “free and clear” version or Castile soap. When our food touches our plates, or we drink from a cup, we consume any toxic residue that is left behind from our dish soap. 

Dishwasher pods

In the same vein as dish soap, dishwasher pods leave toxic residue behind, with the added concern of micro plastics. Try to use a dishwasher detergent that isn’t in a plastic “pod” such as Molly’s Suds or make your own! Check out this post on how I make my own dish pods. 

Food Storage

Instead of opting for plastic food storage, try getting a set of glass storage containers. They keep food fresh and reduce the amount of plastic you are exposed to. Mason jars are also highly versatile and can be in many different ways in the kitchen. Please, whatever you do, never microwave your food in a plastic container. No matter what the product claims, it’s not safe. 

Plastic Wrap and Sandwich Baggies

Plastic wrap or bags touching your food can leach toxins into the food. They also create so much unnecessary plastic waste that ends up in our landfills and waterways. Try using a beeswax wrap. To replace plastic bags you can find beeswax bags or reusable sandwich bags made of a much safer PEVA material. 

Cookware

In our home we mainly use cast iron for cooking. We have various sizes of cast iron skillets as well as enamel coated cast iron dutch ovens. For our other cookware, we use stainless steel pots. Chemicals found in non-stick pans can leach into your food so opt for stainless steel and cast iron. 

Non-Toxic Bathroom Swaps

The next biggest area to overhaul is the bathroom. Any skincare products we put on our skin will be absorbed int the bloodstream. It’s very important to be conscious of what ingredients you are exposing yourself to.   

Hand soap

Hand soap is incredibly easy to swap out for a healthier and simpler option. Using fragrance-free, unscented Castile soap as a base, you can add your own essential oils to have a nice smelling hand soap. 

Deodorant

Aluminum has been a big concern recently due to its ability to cause neurological and respiratory problems. Small amounts of exposure over a prolonged period of time can build up in the body. Opt for an aluminum free deodorant such as Native. Consider reapplying a natural deodorant throughout the day versus using the chemical-filled antiperspirant that is toxic. 

Lotion

Look for a lotion that doesn’t contain parabens, phthalates, formaldehyde, or fragrance. Fragrance is a big no in the beauty industry. Companies are not required to disclose what chemicals they use under the heading of “fragrance,” so there can be any number of harmful ingredients in a product that has this listed on it. A very simple swap for lotion is coconut oil. It’s completely natural, absorbed very smoothly into skin, and is incredibly hydrating.  

Non-Toxic Laundry

The detergent you choose will stay with you all day… literally. The clothing we put on our bodies will expose us to the chemicals in the detergent we use. Alternatively, you can opt for a “free and clear” detergent that is fragrance free. I suggest All Free and Clear Unscented or Seventh Generation. While not perfect, they are affordable and better alternatives to the mainstream fragrance filled detergents. 

Household Cleaners

Spray cleaners release chemical particles into the air. The cleaners we use on our counters, windows, and bathrooms can absorbed by the body. Switch your toxic cleaners out for ones you can be sure won’t be harmful to the body. Many common cleaning products can be made from simple household ingredients. The all-purpose cleaner I make uses 1/2 cup water, 1/2 cup vinegar, 1 Tbs non-toxic dish soap, and a few drops of essential oils (my favorites are orange or lemon). Mix it up in a glass spray bottle and you’re ready to clean any surface in your home! 

Improve your air quality 

One of the best ways to reduce toxic exposure in the home is to improve air quality. The simplest thing you can do is open the windows. Allowing fresh air to blow through your home, even occasionally during the winter, can greatly improve the air quality.

In addition to letting in fresh air, adding a few house plants to your home does more than just bringing in a natural element to your decor. Plants filter the air by removing toxins. A few of my favorite house plants are the pothos plant and the spider plant. 

An air filter can pull toxins out of the air, reduce dust, and get rid of VOCs; a group of chemicals that can vaporize into the air. We use a Levoit air purifier in our home and will frequently move it from room to room as needed. 

Avoid using air fresheners. In addition to being laden with chemicals that you will be breathing in, air fresheners mask the underlying issue of the smell of stale air you may be experiencing in your home. If you desire a fragrance in the air, opt for an essential oil diffuser and certified essential oils from a trusted company. 

A healthier home  

Most of the swaps we can make in our home require a bit of common sense. Taking a less is more approach can greatly reduce our exposure to unwanted chemicals. A homemade household cleaner can be used for a variety of purposes so you don’t need to purchase several products marketed for different areas of the home. Most importantly, get to know the ingredients in your products so you can discern what you feel safe using in your home. The more knowledge you have, the better decisions you can make Each small swap will lead you to a healthier and cleaner home environment.