Last week we touched on
body burden, it is a lot to take in and consider so we are breaking down some components to make it manageable. We have many items in our house that we don't even know what all of the ingredients are but we use them daily. Your skin is porous, that means what we put on our body is just as important as what we put in it. That is an incredible if not slightly overwhelming statement. So without feeling like it is an impossible task to create a toxin-free environment in our homes, here are seven easy steps to create a healthy living environment.
1. Start Small
You do not have to clean out every pantry and cupboard and throw away all the things. Replacing it all immediately will cost a fortune. So, pick
one area that you want to detoxify-- your food, your cleaning supplies, laundry supplies, bathing and self-care, candles, etc. We have provided a handful of toxin-free items that we use, those can be found
here. Remember that even the points on this list cannot all be achieved over night. Take things step by step and you can successfully create the toxin free home you desire. The three items above are three small things we bought to get us started with detoxing our home.
2. Understand Ingredient Labels
When was the last time you could pick up a shampoo bottle and prounounce or understand every ingredient? Your new task is to read labels and start understanding what the ingredients mean. Many companies, even Seventh Generation, Honest, Babyganics, and Mrs. Meyers all have loads of toxins in them and fall under what we would call
greenwashed products. This can be daunting because there are so many blacklisted ingredients, I highly recommend the group
Living Well Mama because she is a genius and there are so many products she has reviewed and toxins she has explained. You can also find ingredient ratings at EWG.org.
3. Treat Yourself to Clean Air & Water
Say what?! Yes, your air and water could most likely be cleaner and these are relatively easy and extremely practical fixes. The local base housing here is built on a Superfund site and the water is disgusting. The homes are substandard and many have poor air quality. These are such fundamental human necessities that somehow get overlooked. We recommend the
ZeroWater filtration system and an air filter that is HEPA certified to .3 microns or smaller. Picking an air purifier that is certified to the proper room size is key. Jumping on Amazon to buy the cheapest one won't do you any good if it will only clean the air in 167 sq. ft. and your home is 1500 sq. ft. The 2 we recommend are
here and are based on size needs. Other mid-range sizes can be found on Amazon as well.
4. Declutter Your Spaces
Not to go all Mari Kondo on you, but clutter causes stress and stress likes to grow and become an ugly monster.
Stress is completely toxic to your home and the reduction of clutter absolutely can help. As someone who lives in an extremely small space, even the littlest mess feels huge because of how much it takes up in proportion to the home. I am much less stressed out when I have the home clutter free. No my home is not tidy 24/7. I'm not nor will ever be that person.
5. Reduce Exposure to Plastics
Aside from BPA's, which I feel like is the most publicized issue around plastics, many contain other VOC's and carcinogens that create more body burden. You can swap Tupperware for glass storage containers, plastic water bottles for glass or stainless steel bottles, fabric shower curtains instead of plastic, ditch saran wrap and sandwich baggies for other reusable non-plastic non-bpa options, there are a ton.
6. Replace Frequently Used Items
Part of tip #1 is to start small, so pick the area of things you use the most. When we started to
switch to organic foods we started with milk, butter, bread, and eggs; all things that we used the most often. Then we switched to body care since shampoo, conditioner, body wash, and face wash were items being used daily. Once you pick the area you want to start at, determine those frequently used items and start there.
7. Check Your Home for Moisture Intrusion Issues
Then make the necessary repairs. Damp homes make people sick. It can lead to mold and that is an entire massive issue in and of itself. If you need somewhere to start, check our our post on
the top five places to search in your home. If you have not yet checked out Hayward Healthy Homes, oh goodness gift yourself a couple hours and read up on their site. We had a home with cracks in the foundation that flooded our first floor during heavy rain. We also had broken siding and that is an awesome way to catch unwanted water in your home. Leaky pipes, over condensation on vents, holes in walls from old nails, unattached venting, and more can all lead to excess moisture in the home.
With some dedication and patience you can greatly decrease the toxins in your lives. We have spent the past four-ish months really zeroing in on this issue in our home and we look forward to more swaps in the future.
Hope this helps,
B&R
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