7 Ways To Detox Your Home For Free

If you have read any of my other blog posts it’s no secret that I place a lot of emphasis on detoxing the home. There are plenty of ways to spend money doing this like buying a water or air purifier, all new glass containers, natural cleaning products or even buying all new non-toxic furniture. But there’s no reason to delay the start of your low-tox journey due to a shortage of funds. Here are 7 ways to detox your home for free + you can start right now.

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This is not medical advice. This post is for educational purposes only.

(Updated: 4/8/21)

Air Out

Opening your windows for a few minutes every day can help vent out some off-gassing of harmful chemicals in your home like formaldehyde + other VOCs lurking in furniture, paint + flooring. We all know there are some very cold winter days when this doesn’t make sense but trying to get in 5-10 minutes of airing out most days is better than nothing at all.

Be cautious in the Spring when pollen counts are high. Opening the windows during this time can let in more allergens defeating the whole purpose of airing out your home. During high pollen days stick to 5-10 minutes of opened windows + avoid windy days.

Don’t forget to air yourself out + spend sometime outside for a walk or even cleaning up the yard. During the winter there are days school doesn’t have the kids go outside because it’s too cold. On days like this we try to get them outside at home for some fresh air + Vitamin D for about 10-20 minutes.

Breakup With Your Exterminator

Want to detox your home for free AND save money?? Eliminating chemical pesticides from the home will not only save the health of your family, especially children, but will save you some cold hard cash as well. Win-win if you ask me.

The previous owner of our home had a yearly contract for extermination services so we had it rolled over into our name. We continued with service for about another year or two + I’m so mad we didn’t cancel it sooner. It’s a hard decision as a parent with small children…you don’t want pests in the house but you definitely don’t want them around those harsh chemicals either. For us, freeing up money + not worrying about chemical exposure won out over the occasional pest.

It takes a little more work as a homeowner but take time to identify weak points in the home where pests can enter then fix them. Keeping the home clean will also discourage pests from looking for “snacks” or attempting to build a home. Clearing the outside of the home from places where pests like to hide or can find food will also help alleviate the problem of pests hanging around.

Purge Plastic

You already know that plastic, even if it is BPA + BPS free, is no bueno for the environment + the human body. If your plastic containers have scratches, cracks or even feel a little warped from use, get rid of them now! They can be used in the garage for storing items like screws or nails. But do not use them for food.

Three things can cause plastic to leach into food…temperature change, acidity + oils. So if you are putting hot tomato sauce into a plastic container that is the perfect storm to begin the chemical leaching process into your food.

Getting rid of plastic containers now doesn’t mean you need to purchase new glass containers right away. Use your current dishes for storing items + cover with non-plastic coverings (we LOVE Beeswrap) until you are ready to buy those pretty toxin-free glass containers.

Use Natural Cleaners

Instead of going out to buy new cleaners, even natural ones right away, use what you probably already have at home…white vinegar + baking soda. This combination or even just vinegar alone can be used for so many things. If you have essential oils in the home (which if you don’t, what are you waiting for??) a couple drops can be added to some vinegar + water to create your own cleaning solution. I like to keep my oils simple + use lemon + rosemary, or my favorite, Thieves.

Using microfiber cloths with a little bit of water is also a magical cleaning tool. The natural charge of the microfiber attracts dust + dirt then can be thrown in the wash to be cleaned. Affordable, reusable + no need to toxic cleaning sprays. Can’t go wrong with that.

While you’re at it ditch the carpet deodorizer, fabric refresher, scented laundry detergent, plug in air fresheners, etc. They may make a short-term impact on scent but leave a long-term negative impact on your health from hormone disruptors + mucus membrane irritants (eyes, nose, lungs). And once you smell “real fragrance” it’s hard not to smell the synthetic fragrance in these typical household products. You know they’re bad…the literature is all over the place. So stop using them. I promise you won’t miss the fake smell of “ocean mist”. Synthetic fragrance is one of the biggest things to detox your home from.

10 Ways to Reduce Toxins In Your Home Right Now

Change Habits

Changing your daily habits is the first place to start when you want to detox your home. This may take some willpower but by putting the health + wellness of your family first these changes come easy. Having a no-shoes policy + a basket to wrangle them at the front door is the first step to creating healthy home habits.

Refraining from polluting the indoor air through cigarette smoke, chemical perfumes + toxic candles filled with synthetic fragrances + chemical laced waxes. Opt for to “cleaner” perfumes like Rosie Jane + swapping out the cheap candles for higher quality soy, coconut or beeswax brands that use essential oils instead of fragrance oils, or no additional scents at all.

Even better…diffuse some of those essential oils to create the right atmosphere in your home. You can play with so many combinations to create a feeling of relaxation, energy, cleanliness. The list goes on.

Clean Regularly

Dust, take out the trash, clean with a non-toxic cleaner. These three simple things will keep toxic chemicals from building up. Dust collects chemicals. Trash creates stale smells + attracts pests. Not cleaning surfaces means viruses + bacteria get out of balance. We very rarely disinfect unless someone is actively ill + highly contagious. Then I will use our Force of Nature spray, open windows + use our air purifiers. No disinfecting sprays like Lysol + no bleach. Using these items can be irritating to your skin, lungs + eye, not to mention overuse can possibly make the strong bacteria + viruses stronger by killing off the good ones that keep them in checks. The microbiome of our home is just as important as the microbiomes of our body + in nature.

This may be the easiest way to detox your home for free.

Turn Off Electronics

Home pollution from EMFs isn’t something most people take into consideration, mainly because it’s a relatively new area of concern. With the increase of technology in our lives in the form of WiFi, Bluetooth, 4G + soon-to-be 5G, in addition to the older forms of EMFs from microwaves + other appliances, lighting (especially those on dimmers), high tension power lines, transformers outside our homes + electric companies switching over to smart meters we are constantly being bombarded by unseen radiation. Because technology is developing faster than we are evolving we don’t understand the full effects on our health.

Since there is no escaping electronics outside the home, we can attempt to lower our exposure within the home. Turning off the WiFi at night, or at the very least turning off most items that use it, can help reduce the amount of unseen EMFs coursing through the home + ultimately the body. Our bodies are 2/3 water (which is a conductor for electricity) + our major systems (nervous + cardiovascular) depend heavily on electrical impulses to regulate the body. So take a minute to consider what constant EMFs are doing to us! At the very least, don’t have WiFi routers in the bedroom.

Electronic devices emit positive ions. And although the term positive ions seems like it may be harmless they are actual detrimental to the body. Positive ions turn into free radicals which harm our cells + increase blood acidity. This can lead to a whole host of symptoms from headaches + inflammation, to anxiety + asthma. Even though positive ions occur naturally in the atmosphere, adding to that level with technology + electronics only compounds the problem.

What can you do to reduce or neutralize these positive ions + detox your home for free? Limit the usage + number of electronics + introduce negative ions. When the warmer weather rolls around, take some time walking outside barefoot to connect with the ground (grass, dirt, sand, natural moving water). This is called “earthing” + can help the body get back to its natural electrical rhythm. We take full advantage of living by the ocean + go on barefoot walks in the sand + water. Naturally flowing water is filled with negative ions that help reduce the free radical causing positive ions in the body.

The human body is amazing at regeneration + healing itself but it needs a fighting chance to do so. Lowering our toxic loads is the first step in creating that opportunity. If we can design + manage our homes in a healthier manner we can mitigate the negative effects of a toxic load building up in our bodies + environment.

If you are looking to add some new products into your journey to detox your home, here are some relatively inexpensive items that we love: