Home Health: Lowering Your Toxic Load For Less

Lowering your toxic load for a healthier home + essentially a healthier you doesn’t need to break the bank. Here are some of my favorite {relatively} inexpensive products for beginning to chip away at the toxins lurking in your home.

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BEDROOM

If you’re not ready to make the financial commitment to the sizable purchase of a non-toxic mattress or even pillows try opting for organic cotton mattress protectors + pillow covers. This Naturepedic waterproof mattress cover is especially great for little ones who may still wet the bed. They keep the mattress dry + dust mites at bay. For non-waterproof covers, Avocado Green is non-toxic down to the elastic but is on the pricier side.

Organic cotton pillow covers are especially great if you have memory foam or poly-filled pillows. These Coyuchi ones keep out allergens like dust mites + the harmful toxins released by the breakdown of memory foam + polyester filled pillows.

In addition to organic mattress pads + pillow covers consider investing in some organic bedding. Though this too can be a small investment the trade off for a less toxic sleep is huge. If you’re not sure about making the full commitment to all organic bedding just try a set of pillowcases first + see the difference. I have recently started using Boll + Branch bedding + can absolutely tell the difference! Their bedding is a wonderful luxurious treat!

How to Get A Good Night’s Sleep: Create A Wellness Bedroom

LIVING AREA

Purchasing all new furniture that is free from polyurethane fill + fire retardants can be really pricey. So what is one to do? First step is stop buying anything made from pressed wood + the aforementioned polyurethane/fire retardants. Second is to invest in a quality air purifier. This will help filter out the toxins that are being released. There are many different styles + price points on the market but look for ones that do not use UV or ionizers as purification methods. Also be sure to choose one that has at least 3 filters + have a HEPA + charcoal layer. Keep in mind the square footage of your space as well + look for the appropriate size for your room.

Adding some air-purifying plants will also help. Not only will they aid in cleaning the air but will create a biophilic atmosphere in your home. It has been shown that a space with a strong connection to nature can greatly reduce stress levels + promote health + healing in an individual.

Limit the use of candles + definitely get rid of all the toxic, cheap candles. Diffusing essential oils is a great way to add some wonderful scents to the home without loads of harmful chemicals. I have been using essential oils for about 5 years now + will say this…USE WITH CAUTION! Just because something is “natural” does NOT mean it is completely safe + can be used with reckless abandon. I limit the oils I diffuse + the amount of time they are diffused for. With small children in the home I stick with mainly lavender + lemon for their bedrooms + only run them for about an hour. In larger areas of the home I will incorporate a couple others like peppermint + spruce or fir. Please, please, please do not over-use essential oils + do some heavy research before applying them topically, especially to children.

KITCHEN

The easiest place to detox in your kitchen is with your food. Start purchasing as many organic fruits + veggies as possible + heavily limit refined sugars + red meat. While organic can be a little bit more expensive it’s practically a necessity in optimizing nutrition + health. If it’s not in your budget to go all organic, following the list of the EWG Dirty Dozen + Clean 15 will help you when shopping.

You have heard this everywhere but getting rid of plastic in the kitchen is also crucial to lowering the toxic load in your home. With fluctuations in temperature + degrading oils + acids, plastic can start to leach into our food sources, making all that organic food basically go to waste. Purchasing glass storage containers for both dry-goods + refrigerated foods is the best move you can make. Look for ones like these large Ball mason jar containers or ones with wood lids like these. Less plastic is good for both human health + the health of our planet.

While a whole-house water filtration system is ideal, it can be a sizable purchase. In the meantime look for a water purification system for your drinking water like this one. The key to an effective water filter is reverse-osmosis.

BATHROOM

Improve your beauty routine with cleaner beauty products. Even though the cosmetic industry is still very much unregulated eliminating things like parabens, SLS + phthalates should be high priority. Once you are finished with a product or it has expired try a new clean beauty line. I love that Sephora has a lot of options of travel or trial size clean beauty products like Caudalie, Tata Harper + Herbivore. It lets you try out different products without spending a ton of moolah.

Just like purifying drinking water, the water you shower with should also be purified. You can easily achieve high quality water with a shower head filter. This inexpensive but effective purchase will give you peace of mind, not to mention probably better skin.

We all know that there can be some stinky moments in the bathroom but stop using harmful room sprays + opt for a homemade reed diffuser using bamboo skewers + essential oils or a room spray made from alcohol, water + essential oils.

When shopping for toilet paper + tampons look for chlorine free labels + go for organic cotton tampons. These items come in contact with sensitive + highly vascular areas of the body making the exposure to toxins much more likely + dangerous.

Conventional toothpaste contains a plethora of chemicals like foaming agents + dyes. There are a lot of natural options on the market now like this Jason Power Smile for some serious whitening power + Jack ‘n’ Jill toothpaste for kids.

Hand soap falls into the same category as toothpaste with unnecessary foaming agents + triclosan for killing bacteria. I like to use Dr. Bronner’s castile or hemp soap diluted with water in a foaming soap dispenser. This is 100% plant-based soap + does a great job! Plus it’s so easy + inexpensive to refill a glass foaming soap dispenser like this one.

Caudalie Favorites Product Review

GENERAL CLEANING PRODUCTS

Making the swap to natural cleaning products does not mean you have to spend more on fancy marketed ones. Loading up on basic cleaning essentials like white vinegar, baking soda, castile soap + microfiber cloths will save you a bundle + clean just as effectively without nasty chemicals or breaking the bank. When making a cleaning solution be sure to keep in a glass spray bottle like this. And if using essentials oils it’s helpful to keep the solution in an amber colored spray bottle to protect it from UV rays which causes the product to breakdown.

Microfiber cloths are perfect to use with just a little bit of water for attracting dirt + bacteria without any harsh chemicals. A lot of people have gone with Norwex which can be on the expensive side but these microfiber cloths are just as effective. While you’re at it, ditch the Swiffer + grab a microfiber mop for cleaning the floors, too!