Share some tips on how to detoxify your home with simple and effective swaps to reduce toxic chemicals, improve indoor air and create healthier living spaces.
Hello friends! What’s going on this week? I have a stacked morning morning with client phones and appointments, but I look forward to P’s planetarium later today.
Today I wanted to chat a bit about some of my favorite steps to create a cleaner living space and the healthy changes we can do at home. One of the biggest sources of toxins is not the kitchen where the food we eat. It is in our home environment.
Everyday items often contain toxic chemicals that irritate the skin, destroy hormones and contribute to long-term health issues, from the cleaning products we use to the candles we illuminate. These compounds also affect planets, affecting the quality of the waterways, soil and even indoor air.
A healthier home doesn’t need to mean throwing everything away overnight. Today I share some tips on how to detoxify your home. This way, you can reduce exposure to harmful substances while still being practical, affordable and sustainable. Of course, I always love to hear about your favorite tips and products, so don’t be afraid to shout them in the comments below!
How to detox your home
Some of the things I wanted to chat with:
The most common environmental toxins in our home
Easy way to identify and test them
Practical swaps and habits to reduce exposure
The goal is not perfect. It’s progress. It’s very easy to be overwhelmed, but in reality, even a few small changes can have a huge impact over time. Also, if you’re working on reducing screen time and stress triggers, pair this with my digital detox tips to combine a more peaceful, less toxic home.
What are the most common environmental toxins in our homes?
Here are some of the biggest perpetrators sneaking into our everyday routines.
Toxic chemicals in cleaning products: harsh detergents, ammonia, bleach, chemical disinfectants.
Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs): Released from certain adhesives, sealants, and traditional base paints.
Flame retardant: Add to sofas, mattresses, curtains and rugs to slow down fires, but is often associated with hormonal destruction.
Plasticizers such as BPA and phthalates: Contains in plastic food containers, one-legged water bottles, and persistent wraps.
Pesticide Residue: Tracked from lawn treatment, pest spray, and even on shoes.
Synthetic Fragrance: Personal care products such as candles, plugins, air fresheners, body lotions and hair sprays.
Heavy Metals: possible with old pipes, imported ceramics, or poorly made stainless steel cooking utensils.
Indoor Air Pollution: Caused by dust, cooking, smoke, smoke, gas-free furniture, lack of ventilation.
How to test toxins in your home
Check the label and ingredients
Start by reading your home labels and care products. The Environmental Working Group (EWG) offers great resources. A “skindeep” database of personal products and a healthy cleaning guide for household products. These tools evaluate products based on toxicity, so you know what is safer to buy. We’ve also heard some great things about the Olive Holistic Food Scanner app.
Use a home test kit
Affordable kits can test for common dangers such as lead, radon, and mold. These are especially important for older homes and basements that tend to collect moisture. This is a mold test that changed my life. That’s why they carried away the sofa on the day they opened the pack and replaced the carpet with a designed wooden floor.
We evaluate indoor air quality
Humidity monitors and home air quality sensors can help detect high particulate matter or VOCs. If you cook frequently or have pets, you may notice an increase in the amount of particles circulating in the air.
Find a certification
Look for Green Guard gold certified furniture and low or zero VOC based paints. For bottles for food storage, look for BPA-free or high quality glass and stainless steel options.
How to detox your home
Switch to safer cleaning products
One of the easiest and most affordable places is cleaning products. Replace heavy chemical sprays with plant-based formulas made from vinegar, baking soda and essential oils. If you need shortcuts, look for brands that are highly rated in EWG’s Healthy Cleaning Guide. Almost everything is fundamental to brunch. One bottle of concentrate lasts a long time! I also like the Rosey brand on Thrive Market <- This link is 40% off from your first order.
Improves indoor air quality
Indoor air pollution can build up quickly. Open the windows every day (even just 10 minutes is helpful), avoid synthetic air purifiers and consider trapping allergens, dust and other microparticles with hepa filters. There are two types of our home: Aviation Doctor and JASPR. For some reason, I was very nervous about setting up the air filters before purchasing them. Literally take them out of the box, draw and replace the filters before plugging them in. Our homes smell clean and fresh, making a huge difference from allergies and colds.
Also, there is no need to acquire a large amount of air filters at once. I bought it over time. Start with the room you spend most time on (such as the living room or office). Place it in your bedroom and make sure you’re there while you sleep about an hour before you go to bed. It’s okay to move them until you buy more. Ideally one for each bedroom and one for the main living space.
Change the cooking utensils
Instead of using an aluminum frying pan or cooking utensil, try stainless steel and uncoated ceramics. I love the pots and pans in our place, Caraway cooking utensils and baking dishes.
Please choose natural materials
Choose natural materials such as untreated wood, organic cotton, linen, wool and more whenever you replace your furniture, rugs, bedding, or curtains. These items usually contain less flame retardant treatments and gasified chemicals.
Replacement of glass or stainless steel plastic food storage
Reduce BPA and phthalate esters by storing leftovers in glass containers or in high quality stainless steel lunch boxes and water bottles. These are my favorite glass meal prep containers.
Frequently ventilation and dust
Ventilating your home will help reduce humidity and flush out VOCs. Dust and vacuum regularly in the HEPA filter vacuum reduces the accumulation of allergens and toxins from flame retardants and household dust.
Update old paint and renovation materials
If your home has old base paint, it is worth testing lead or VOC. Hire a professional for safe removal or use sealants to lock any harmful particles until they are ready to be renovated.
Beware of personal care products
From body washes to makeup, our care products often contain hidden toxic chemicals that absorb the skin. Find a safer alternative using EWG’s Skin Deep Database. My goats are the people of the olive tree and the wankin.
Additional Tips for Healthier Home Environments
Keep the humidity at 40-50% to reduce mold growth.
Wash new garments and linen before using to remove manufacturing residues.
Avoid paraffin candles and plug-in air fresheners. Choose beeswax or bean candles that do not have a synthetic scent. I also love the oil diffuser. There are the best essential oils right now (my code is Fitnessista).
Add indoor plants such as peace lilies, spider plants, and snake plants to help improve the indoor air naturally.
Remove your shoes at the door to avoid tracking with pesticides and heavy metals from the outside.
When I type everything, it seems like a lot. But you don’t have to do it all at once.
Start with one area – maybe your cleaning product or water bottle – and build from there. I also like to wait until I run out of something and replace it with a safer option. Over time, these small changes will result in cleaner indoor air, less exposure to toxic chemicals, and less potential health problems for the family.
Tell me, Friend: What is the first swap you’re excited to make? What is the replacement of your home you think made a huge difference?
xo
Gina
Also, if you want a complete checklist created with your favorite healthy brands and products (+ discount codes), you can download it for free here.
