3 Steps Towards Detoxing Your Home: A Beginner’s Guide

Are you interested in taking the first steps towards detoxing your home? This guide will explain some of the most common toxins in our homes and some basic steps you can start taking today to decrease your exposure to them and reap the health benefits for you and your family.

When you are first beginning on this journey, non toxic living can seem overwhelming. You start to learn how so many of the things that you know and love are terrible for your health. This can feel like a lot to take in all at once and you might wonder where to begin. Give yourself grace as this process is a journey!

My hope is to increase awareness while providing realistic ways to help you gradually reduce your exposure to the toxins that saturate our environment and homes. That’s why for this beginner’s guide I decided to just focus on 3 areas that you can start making changes in to support a healthier home.

^{This post may contain affiliate links, meaning I get a small commission if you decide to make a purchase through my links, at no extra cost to you. I will only recommend products that I regularly use and love!}

Why is Detoxing Your Home so Important?

Our bodies were beautifully designed to filter out toxins through our organs and lymphatic system but never at the levels we are seeing today. Our systems are becoming increasingly overburdened with this toxic load and are unable to keep up. This is part of the rise in so many health issues that we didn’t see decades ago.

Changing to a non toxic lifestyle is so worth it, you will feel much better and notice improvements in your health. These changes don’t have to happen overnight. Gradually change what you can and before you know it your home will be a little less toxic.

Some Important Terms for Detoxing Your Home:

If you are new to learning about the many environmental toxins that frequently enter our bodies, some of these terms might be unfamiliar to you. Since I will be using these throughout the post I thought it would be helpful to give an overview of them here.

PFAS:

Also know as ‘Forever Chemicals’ are a group of synthetic chemicals that have been accumulating in our environment for many years. They are commonly found in our water, soil, and our homes. PFAS are very harmful to our health and linked to many severe health issues including cancer, reproductive issues, thyroid and immune disfunction, and so many more.

Fluoride:

A known neurotoxin, can lead to cognitive issues and ADHD in children. Most cities add fluoride to the tap water. It’s also found in many popular dental care products.

Fragrance:

Is an umbrella term for thousands of natural and synthetic chemicals including phthalates and many others that are very toxic and harmful to our health. Companies do not have to disclose what is used in their ‘fragrance’. This is something I choose to avoid altogether.

Phthalates:

These chemicals are often used in plastics and fragrance. They help fragrance bind to other things. Have you ever noticed how you can walk in somewhere with a heavy fragrance scent and walk out with your clothes and hair smelling the same. This is the phthalates at work. They are endocrine disruptors and linked to cancer, infertility, behavioral and attention difficulties in children, migraines, and much more.

Endocrine Disruptor:

Any chemical that can act as or block natural hormones and interfere with our endocrine system. Our hormones play a part in every function of our body, it only makes sense that if we are disrupting these messengers it will not be good for our overall health.

Volatile Organic Compounds (VOC’s):

These chemicals are widely used in our homes’ building materials, carpets, furniture, cosmetic products, aerosols, and often under the umbrella term ‘fragrance’. These compounds ‘off-gas’ from products and significantly add to indoor air pollution. VOCs are linked to many cancers and other health issues.

Detoxing your Home Step 1: Filtered Water

I could do an entire post on tap water and bottled water here in the U.S. and all the issues they cause but for this post I will try and keep it short and to the point. Most of the water coming into our homes contains chlorine, fluoride, PFAS, pesticides, pharmaceuticals, microplastics, carcinogens, and many more known toxins. These are not things we want to be putting in or on our bodies. This is why I have found it so important and beneficial to my health to use a high quality filter that removes these contaminants from our water.

Drinking Water:

We don’t just filter our drinking water, we also filter any water that we are cooking with, baking with, or putting in our food and beverages. We have been using the Clearly Filtered Water Pitcher for a couple years now. It removes 365+ chemicals including fluoride, chlorine, heavy metals, PFAS, carcinogens, pharmaceuticals, pesticides, microplastics, and so much more! It also retains the good minerals in our water and tastes great! I travel with the Clearly Filtered Water Bottle that has a built in filtration so that no matter where I go I can access clean drinking water.

Not all water filters are created equal. Many of the well know brands out there only remove a small percentage of these contaminants. It is important to look for a water filter that is third party tested to remove all of these contaminants. The EWG has done third party testing and has some great resources for this.

Shower Water:

When we shower we typically use hot water which can open up the pores of our skin, making the absorption of the chemicals found in our water happen at a rapid pace. Our skin is the largest organ of our body and it absorbs everything we put on it! This definitely factors into our overall health and well being.

When we started using a shower filter, I quickly noticed a difference in my skin and hair health. My hair was softer and my skin was less dry and irritated. Most shower filters are very easy to install and only need replaced once a year depending on your usage. In our guest bathroom we can go much longer between replacements as the shower isn’t used as often.

What About Whole Home Water Filtration Systems?

These are an investment worth making that can make accessing clean water much easier. We do not yet have a whole home system as it hasn’t been practical for our budget but it is something we are working towards in the future.

Detoxing your Home Step 2: Clean Air:

Research shows that Americans spend an average of 90% of their time indoors, WOW! Indoor air quality can be full of pollutants. Dust, pet dander, off gassing of VOCs, cleaning products, fragrance, and so much more contribute to the quality of our indoor air. Most homes are well insulated and built to keep us sheltered from outside elements. This creates an environment of stagnate and stale air that recirculates whatever we add to it. The EPA has classified indoor air pollution among the top 5 environmental risks to public health.

Opening Windows:

This is one of my favorite simple ways to help detox the air in our home! Opening windows can also let a lot of light in, which serves many purposes from boosting our moods, balancing circadian rhythm and helping to combat mold and bacteria which can thrive in dark spaces. Opening your windows should be done daily, yes even in the winter as this can be so beneficial to circulate the air.

Air Purifiers:

Air purifiers are wonderful to have, they’re an investment, so do this as it makes sense for you. At the very least, make sure you are checking your homes’ built in air filter and changing it regularly with a HEPA filter or one that has a high minimum efficiency reporting value (MERV) rating.

We’ve been using BlueAir purifiers for several years now and have been very happy with them. We bought ours straight from the company however they are also sold on Amazon. We have the Blue Pure 211i Max in the main living area of our home and the Blue Pure 311 Auto for our bedroom. I would opt for one with a HEPA and carbon filter.

Plants:

Not only are houseplants beautiful but they are nature’s air purifiers! Houseplants have a natural ability to clean the air and filter out pollutants. Some great low maintenance house plants include spider plants, snake plants, and aloe plants.

Detoxing your Home Step 3: Remove Fragrance From Your Home:

We all love a home that smells great however what we use to create that effect is important. Fragrance, as I mentioned in the terms above, often contains phthalates and endocrine disruptors that are super harmful to our health. While fragrance is found in so many of our products, today I am touching on just a few of the main ones that effect the air quality and atmosphere of our homes.

Candles, Air Fresheners, and Diffusers:

I would skip most air fresheners, scented candles, and plug-ins as these often contain very high amounts of fragrance and phthalates. We use our essential oil diffusers to add specific aromas to our house. Make sure to use a trusted high quality brand of essential oils as some can contain synthetic fragrance. It is hard to find quality and truly non-toxic candles out there. However, Fontana Candle Co. makes clean non toxic candles.

Another great way to get fragrance out of your home is to begin replacing your cleaning products and laundry soaps, as they run out, with less toxic options. I will dedicate an entire post to those later on but for now remember to read ingredient labels and opt for options without ‘fragrance’ on the label.

You may also be wondering about ways to detox your kitchen. That is another very important step in detoxing your home and one that deserves it’s own post to do it justice. Sign up for my email list below and stay tuned. I will be working on a guide for detoxing your kitchen soon.

In the meantime, I hope this guide was helpful and gives you a starting point for detoxing your home. Remember to give yourself grace in this journey and do what is affordable and practical for you. Every little bit will help contribute to a less toxic home and better health for you and your family!

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