Creating a Non-Toxic Home
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Let’s talk about toxins.
Did you know indoor air often contains higher amounts of toxins than the air outside?
This is because modern-day homes, furnishings, appliances, and products are ladened with dangerous substances to our health. On average, more than 62 different chemicals can be found inside our homes, hidden in everything from your favourite hand soap and bedding, to kitchen appliances and living room decor. These chemicals accumulate in our fat cells, leading to imbalanced hormones, increased allergies, migraine headaches, fatigue, a weakened immune system, and overtime, more serious diseases.
After moving into an old, moldy downtown apartment and using conventional products for most of my life, I noticed my health slowly deteriorate. My digestive symptoms increased, I experienced heightened environmental and food sensitivities, and overall I just felt “icky”. When I finally decided to make some changes, I felt immediate relief. At first, this meant doing a big overall of all my old cleaning products, furniture, and home decor. Now, I pay extra attention to everything I bring into and use in my space.
When turning towards a health-centred lifestyle, we tend to focus on food, exercise, sleep, and how much water we drink. But so often, our external environment gets overlooked. This includes our air quality, where we purchase furniture, and what products we clean our house with.
Below, I’ve compiled a list of tips and strategies we can use to reduce the toxins in our home. It’s not about perfection, but rather, doing the best we can. Even making one small switch can lead to big change over time.
Make your own cleaners
This is one of the easiest first steps we can take towards a cleaner, more earth-friendly home. Conventional house-hold products are filled with dozens of toxic chemicals that negatively impact our health, hormones, and immune system. Natural cleaning alternatives are now readily available at most grocery stories, but I personally love making my own. It’s a cost-affective and incredibly simple way to keep your home healthy and clean. What you’ll need: good old cleaning vinegar, water, and your favourite essential oils. I love lemon, frankincense, and peppermint. While there are hundreds of DIY cleaning recipes online, I usually stick with the basics:
All purpose cleaner - 1 cup vinegar, 2 cups water, 20 drops essential oil.
Mirror / window cleaner - 1 part vinegar to 2 parts water
Stay away from scents
Scented candles, air fresheners, and cleaners contain synthetic fragrances and perfumes that are known carcinogens. Instead? Opt for scent-free, certified clean products like hand soap and laundry detergent. Read ingredient lists carefully, and be cautious about greenwashing. Environmental Working Group is my favourite resource for determining which products are truly safe to use. Essential oils are another natural way to leave your space smelling great. I love diffusing blends of lavender, peppermint, and frankincense, and switching up my scents with the seasons. Some trustworthy brands I love: Dr Bronners, Ecos, and Now Foods Official oils.
Invest in Organic Bedding
We spend, on average, 1/3 of our life in bed. That's A LOT of time - specially if you love sleep as much as I do. For this reason, I believe our bedroom is the most important place to reduce toxins. I finally decided to invest in organic bedding, and it’s been SO worth it. While organic bedding IS pricier, you can usually score a great deal if you wait for a sale. Look for organic cotton, hemp, or natural linens. Nothing feels better than crawling into bed at night knowing your bedding is good for your health. A few clean, high quality sheet sets feels like such a luxury and beautiful form of self-care.
Shop Second Hand
I LOVE spending hours browsing Facebook marketplace or my local thrift store, hunting down beautiful new pieces of furniture. Second hand shopping is great for the environment and our wallet, but did you know it’s better for your health too? Newly purchased furniture is typically the most toxic, since any added chemicals are most fresh. The good news? Older pieces slowly ‘off-gas’ chemical residue as time goes on.
Adopt Some House Plants
Plants are Mother Nature’s natural air purifiers! Not only do they naturally clean the air, but they also add brightness and beauty to your space. Some of my favourite air-purifying plants: spider plants, snake plants, and english ivy.
Luminate with Salt Lamps
If you don’t have a crystal salt lamp yet, you need one. In the evenings, I love shutting off all the lights and turning on my salt lamps. Pink himalayan salt lamps naturally clean the air by absorbing pollutants into the salt. They’re good for our emotional well-being, too. Salt lamps emit a beautiful hormone-balancing red light and something called “negative ions” = negatively charged particles that positively alter our brain chemistry to encourage feelings of contentment, peace, and well-being.
Decorate with Crystals
There’s a crystal for everything, including ones that help keep our home healthy. Just like air quality, the energy in our space is important, to! Black tourmaline protects from negative energies, while Shungite absorbs the Electromagnetic frequents emitted from our electronics and wifi-routers. Selenite is my favourite for overall energy cleansing and purification. What can’t crystals do?
Choose Earth-Friendly Statement Pieces
Buying non-toxic furniture isn’t cheap. It’s a privilege that I’m grateful to afford. Realistically, I knew I wouldn’t be able to furnish my entire house from places like West Elm and Pottery Bran. However, saving for a couple non-toxic statement items (when your budget allows) definitely feels like a worthy splurge. Something like a natural area rug, ethically made couch, or handmade dining room table. It’s not about perfection, but rather minimizing where we can.
Consider an Air Purifier
If you’re living in a space with potentially considerable air pollution due to toxins or chemicals (like moving into a new home, re-painting, purchasing brand new furniture, living in the heart of a city, etc.) investing in an air-purifier might be incredibly beneficial. When I moved into my new-build home, an air-purifier was at the top of my list. The newer your home and furniture, the stronger the ‘off-gasing’ chemicals will be. After days of research, I settled on the Levoit Air Purifier. I chose this company for a couple of reasons: first, they’re AHAM verified, meaning the filter underwent extensive quality testing. Second, the price tag. While most high-quality air purifiers retail close to $1000, the Levoit purifiers range from $80 - $300CAD.
When looking for a good-quality air purifier, I recommend following these guidelines;
Multiple stage filtration - The best air purifiers use multiple filters to catch various sized contaminants. I recommend a filter that uses a combination of:
Prilminary filter
True HEPA filter
Activated carbon filter
Determine the size of your space - A filter is only as good as the space it can clean. Before purchasing your filter, make sure it’s capable of filtering the entire room you’ll be using it in.
AHAM Verified - The AHAM certification is the gold standard for air purifiers. To meet these standards, a purifier needs to undergo extensive third party testing for quality and effectiveness.
The noise - In the past, I purchased an air purifier that was extremely noisy, even on it’s lowest setting. The Levoit filters have multiple noise modes, with the lowest being barely audible. Perfect for a good night’s sleep!
If you suspect mold, take it seriously.
Hidden mold that’s often present in old or musty spaces can quickly affect our health. If you suspect your home might have mold, I recommend purchasing a trustworthy at-home testing kit, or having a professional come take a look.
