There are approximately 100,000 synthetic chemicals on the market today, in everything from household cleaning products, baby bottles, clothes, personal care products, toys, furniture, to carpets. Many of these chemicals have not been tested for environmental and human toxicity. Those products that have been tested contain many known and suspected allergens, carcinogens, and endocrine disrupters.
The good news is that there are many simple steps you can take to reduce your exposure to harmful chemicals.
Here are 10 tips:
- Keep air purifying plants in every room of your house. They will help reduce toxins in the air.
- Remove your outdoor shoes off at the entrance of your home to avoid bringing in dust, pesticides, and heavy metals.
- Instead of harmful bleach, use clove oil to remove mold.
- Change to non-toxic DIY household cleaning products using natural ingredients such as essential oils, lemon, baking soda, and vinegar.
- Avoid hand sanitizers as they can contain chemicals which may increase your absorption of other chemicals to which you’re exposed.
- Replace synthetic air fresheners and other fragrances with essential oils to reduce your exposure to phthalates.
- Use only pure beeswax candles. When burned, other candles, including soy and palm oil candles, can contain and release unhealthy chemicals such as benzene, ketones, and toluene.
- Read food labels and avoid anything with artificial flavoring, coloring, or flavor enhancers.
- Buy organic products when possible. If this is difficult, then at least avoid those food items that tend to contain the most pesticides: apples, blueberries, capsicums, celery, cucumbers, grapes, lettuce, nectarines, peaches, potatoes, spinach, and strawberries.
- Read the labels of your cosmetics and skin care items and avoid anything with coal tar, DEA, MEW or TEA compounds, formaldehyde, lead acetate, alpha hydroxy acids, petroleum, phenylenediamine, or silica. Consider making your own skin care products with natural ingredients such as almond oil, argon oil, beeswax, shea butter, and essential oils. Recipes are plentiful online.
It may seem daunting to start doing this all at once. Why not start with one action on the list and gradually adding another one? Once you do all ten, you’re well on your way to reducing your exposure to toxic chemicals.
We’re curious to know how you detox your home and life? Is there anything holding you back from doing so?
