Environment Greatly Impacts Health
Your environment along with what you eat, also greatly impacts your health.
The benefits of eating clean, nutritious, whole foods are clear – the less toxins, chemicals, and junk you feed your body, the more vibrant you’ll feel. The same is true about your environment.
Tips For A Healthy Home Detox:
Cleaning Products Toxic chemicals are a given in generic cleaning products. Begin your healthy home detox by switching to natural alternatives. Not all cleaning products list their ingredients, so a little extra know-how may be required – anything with a danger, hazard, or poison label should be avoided along with ingredients (in the rare event they are listed) like ammonia, DEA, APEs, and TEA. Although even the most natural cleaners contain small amounts of hard-to-pronounce ingredients, choose cleaning products like you would food. Opt for short ingredient lists (five or less) and as always, plant-based ingredients are the best choices, followed by solvent and phosphate-free labels. Avoid labels that promote vague terms like natural and ecologically friendly. Alternatively, you may make your own products. Baking soda, lemon, vinegar, and cornstarch are pantry staples that double as cleaning products. Combined with hot water and elbow grease, you may never need to use a chemical cleaner again.
Furniture and Textiles Mattress manufacturers often add flame retardants to comply with fire regulations. Regardless of the chemical concoction used (there are more than a few), retardants are known to cause poor brain development as well as learning, behavior, and memory problems in children. Carpets also contain their own chemical cocktail – stain resistance treatments, antimicrobial properties, anti static agents, etc. They’re all toxic. Be a conscious consumer and choose a mattress made
from natural materials like untreated cotton or wool. Also ensure they’re free of synthetic materials like foam, glue, and moth-proofing chemicals. Use the same standards when choosing bedding, curtains, and rugs. Clean carpets with a plant-based detergent, or if you’re moving homes or renovating, opt for hardwood floors instead.
Paint and Decoration Be sure to use no-VOC (volatile organic compounds) paints. Many companies advertise no-VOC, but this is only the base white paint. Once color is added, it’s no longer no-VOC. If you prefer using wallpaper, avoid vinyl, which can trap mold and fungus and cause respiratory problems. Creating a home that’s healthy for you and the environment requires a lot less than you might think. Natural wood, simple white (no-VOC!) walls, and toxin-free carpets and furniture go a long way. You can also use other natural fabrics like hemp, bamboo, silk, and linen.
A truly clean, green home can’t be achieved overnight – so if you can’t incorporate these suggestions right now, that’s okay. Start small and work your way to a 100% healthy home.
Here are some ways to kick off a healthy home: • Grow plants indoors • Open windows and allow fresh air to flow through rooms • Switch to energy-saving light bulbs • Open the blinds and allow sunshine to filter in • Compost kitchen scraps • Use appliances efficiently and don’t leave lights and other electrics turned on • Recycle trash • Buy recycled goods
