It has been my mission lately to create a healthy home. This motivation comes from finally accepting the season of life I am in as a caretaker. For some women it’s a no-brainer to want to leave the workforce to raise a family but that is an internal struggle I have been fighting for years now. I love my kids with every fiber of my body but being at home doing the same things everyday was a hard pill for me to swallow. Recently I have just been trying to connect with this purpose God has given me + now am using it to pour all the good I can into our home, my children + my husband…and even myself!
The past few years I have either been pregnant, chasing a toddler, or pregnant while chasing a toddler, which has put a bit of a damper on my energy level. Up until recently I feel like I’ve been running on a pot of coffee a day + poor nutritional choices {like pizza 2-3 times a week} because I was too tired, too overwhelmed, or lacked creativity when it came to meals + had limited energy to properly take care of our home. Needless to say it wasn’t just myself that was suffering from unhealthy choices but my husband + children were not being cared for to the best of my abilities. Which brings me to where I am today…being mindful in my mission to create a healthy home. From the things we buy, to the products we clean with, to the food we consume + everything in between, here are some ways to create a healthier home + family.
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CHOOSE CAREFULLY
MATERIALS
When purchasing items to bring into your home, whether it’s decor, cleaning products or food, try to make the best choices possible for yourself + your family. When shopping for home decor, choose fabrics with natural fibers like wool, organic cotton, sisal or jute. Try to choose products that can be machine washed verses needing to be dry cleaned, which can bring additional harmful chemicals into the home. Also avoid wood composite pieces whenever possible due to use of formaldehyde in the products. Natural hardwood is always a preferred choice. In choosing paint, go with no VOC options + still properly ventilate the area when applying the paint.
CLEANERS
We have pretty much done away with almost all harsh chemical laden cleaning products. About a month ago we ran out of our regular purchase of Seventh Generation dishwasher liquid + impulsively bought Casacade because it was what was available. I remember being totally turned off by it’s electric blue color that it pained me every time we filled up the dispenser. There’s just no reason something should be that color! And with that we resolved never to buy chemical filled cleaners. I will handwash all dishes before buying something like that again. For laundry we use unscented detergent, vinegar + wool dryer balls like these…occasionally with essential oil drops of lavender on them. Bath products for both kids + us are without sulfates + parabens.
BOO PLASTIC!
Beyond greener cleaners is safer food storage. For a healthy home, I have been slowly phasing out our plastic containers for glass + really want to make the switch from plastic wrap to beeswax wrap! It has got to the point where I almost skeeve at how much plastic there is in our home. From microplastics in our food + water, to the overall horrible environmental impact plastic has, this is something I would love to reduce our consumption to at most 20% since it is almost unavoidable in food packaging. And if you haven’t watched A Plastic Ocean look it up on Netflix + watch it this weekend. Such an eye-opening documentary!
READ MORE: SPRING CLEANING CHECKLIST + GREEN PRODUCTS
ADD PLANTS + NATURAL ELEMENTS
Nothing connects the outside to the inside of your home like the addition of plants + locally found natural items. For example, if you live along the coast + find pieces of driftwood you can add this into your home decor. Same goes for if you live in wooded areas + find naturally shed deer antlers. Or even fresh cut wildflowers to display in the home. The possibilities are endless + often change with the seasons. It’s cheaper than buying things you will just throw away when they’re out of style.
When choosing plants for the home look for ones that not only look pretty but also help to rid your air of toxins + pollutants. There are great varieties that help to reduce formaldehyde + VOCs from the air, creating a healthier environment for everyone. Because I have a particularly black thumb {which I’m working on turning greener} we recently added a few “hard to kill” plants that are also beneficial to our air quality. Golden pothos, snake plant + aloe are three of our hardier ones + Boston fern for our bedroom needs extra attention…so far it’s still alive though! If you have little kids or best in the house ALWAYS check the toxicity of plants before introducing them. If they are toxic to kids + pets, make sure to keep them out of reach on a shelf or hanging planter.
KEEP IT CLEAN
AIR
Diligent dusting, wiping down countertops, not wearing shoes into the house {especially on carpets} + reducing clutter is a great start to a healthy home. While we don’t want to totally destroy the special biome of our home + body, we still want to try + keep big things like mold, mildew + bacteria from building up to harmful levels.
Regular dusting can help rid your home of toxic particles being released from flame retardants + other chemicals in fabrics, allergens being brought into the home on clothes. To avoid those dust particles being kicked up into the air, try dampening a microfiber cloth to wipe down hard furniture surfaces + vacuum regularly. Regularly opening windows {expect for on high pollen days} is a great way to help air out spaces, too. Don’t forget to open those windows as much as possible! But be mindful of high pollen days…yuck!
Along with the plants mentioned above, an air purify can help to drastically improve the quality of your indoors. We have not purchased a machine yet so if anyone has one they love, please mention it in the comments! What I have used are these bamboo charcoal air purifier bags. They help to draw impurities out of the air + you can “clean” + reactivate the bag by leaving it out in the sunlight.
CLUTTER
A healthy home is also free from clutter. Decluttering also helps to minimize surfaces on which dust can collect. Keep surfaces easy to clean by having them minimally styled + display items that can also easily be wiped down. Not only will decluttering help make your cleaning routines easier, it will also elevate your mental state to one of calm. Visible clutter wreaks havoc on your ability to think clearly + creates a feeling of stress, even if it is not an overwhelming one. This is particularly important to note for children who are easily overstimulated by visual clutter.
GERMS
Finally, removing shoes before entering the home is HUGE! Unfortunately our front door opens right into our living area but what I have done is place a basket at our door so we can slip off our shoes right when we come in. Aside from shoes, there is also a box on our entry console table to place keys so they are not laying on the kitchen countertop.
READ MORE: Simplified + Stylish Kitchen
BETTER FOOD
Meal planning is my Achilles heal. I’m absolutely atrocious at it but it is one of my major goal this year to be able to meal plan + do it well. This is a crucial step in creating a healthy home. We try to do as much anti-inflammatory meals as possible like chicken stir fry with coconut aminos instead of soy sauce + loads of turmeric + ginger for flavor.
And now that summer is right around the corner we will also be adding in a lot more fresh, seasonal, local fruits + veggies. A huge benefit of living in the Garden State! Cooking is definitely much easier when there’s fresh produce to be found.
BEYOND THE OBVIOUS
There are a million ways we can improve the health of our homes + the people who live there + they go well beyond just the cleanliness. Toxicity can also lurk in the way we speak to each other, the amount of stress we allow to enter our lives + general lack of routines + boundaries. At first these things don’t seem to make much of a difference but poor lifestyle + emotional habits build up over time + can have long-lasting negative effects.
FAMILY TIME
Try to have dinner together as much as possible + discuss the day…even if you have small children. ESPECIALLY if you have small children. As a family that deals with inconsistency due to shift work, it’s important for us to establish as many routines as possibly that can be done with one parent or both. There is less fighting + confusion with the kids + less thinking to be done on our part as parents. Things don’t always flow smoothly, but they flow.
YOU TIME
Make sure to take time for yourself each day to unwind in healthy ways. Whether it’s a warm shower or bath, cup of tea or glass of wine, yoga + meditation, or spending time in God’s Word, choose something that will both relax + revitalize your body + spirit. Find new things to add into your routine that will improve your life. For example, at night I will put some essential oils in our diffuser + listen to a Headspace meditation.
BEDTIME
If you have trouble falling asleep I HIGHLY recommend meditation. I am usually asleep before I even realize the session is over. It’s great app for helping children to learn how to relax, too. Our youngest is still too little to understand but our we have done it a few times with our oldest who sometimes has difficulty settling down before bed. A few drops of lavender in his diffuser + a 5-10 minute meditation session is ll it takes! A solid nighttime routine + a restful night’s sleep have such a big impact on our overall health. It is such an important part of our lifestyle to focus on.
READ MORE: How to Simplify Your Life
Overtime we let things like clutter, stress, environmental toxins + poor eating habits enter our lives. Until we take a step back, it’s hard to really see the negative impact they are having on our life. Now is the time to start taking control of your life + making it healthier + happier so you can enjoy what really matters!
Are you working on creating a healthy home? What are some ways you are achieving this? I would love to hear your successes!
Comments
Completely agree with no shoes in the house. My kids & I practice that but my hubby has not mastered that…which is surprising because when we go to other peoples houses, he takes off his shoes! You didn’t mention essential oils…do you use those in your house? And also, I have Llama dryer balls which make the world of difference as well! Thanks!
Get that hubby of yours on board, Kim 😉 we do use essential oils in our home + even though we don’t have much carpeting I use a mix of lemon or Purify from DoTerra mixed with baking soda as a carpet freshener! And LOVE wool dryer balls with a few drops of lavender EO on them!