Here are some easy steps you can take to make your home a safer space today:
Take your shoes off. God knows what you track into your home from the outside world! This is one of the EASIEST things you can do that will make a HUGE impact. This is especially important if you have little kids who are crawling and sitting on the floor.
Nix conventional candles and room sprays. Use an essential oil diffuser instead. This is such a simple swap and you won’t regret it! My favorite combination to diffuse is DoTerra’s Lemon, On Guard and Breathe. You can also look for high-quality soy and beeswax candles.
Make a list of the top 5 most-used products (ex: shampoo, toothpaste, moisturizer, etc.) for each person in your family and swap one a month to a cleaner version. When selecting cleaner products, I like to reference Beautycounter’s Never List and select products that do not container any of those harmful ingredients.
Open windows. Indoor air is 2-5x more polluted than outdoor air. Allowing fresh air to circulate through your home will help remove some of the indoor toxins.
Plants. Use house plants as natural detoxifiers. (Admittedly, my thumb is black and I need to learn how to keep plants alive!)
Use glass in place of plastic whenever possible. This is especially important when you are storing or cooking food. Look for an affordable glass set of storage containers at Costco, Sam’s Club or another big box store.
Use reusable silicone bags instead of Ziplock-type bags or plastic wrap for food storage. I highly recommend Stasher bags!
Utilize reusable grocery bags when you shop. You can also find reusable mesh produce bags so you do not have to store produce in plastic. (Many options available on Amazon.)
Remove plastic wrap from dry cleaning as soon as possible. This will help air the chemicals out of your clothes. Consider hanging your dry-cleaned clothes in the garage or outside for a period of time before bringing them into your home.
Use greener cleaning products when possible. One of my favorite all-purpose cleaners is Dr. Bronner’s Castile Soap—this can be found at Target, Whole Foods or Fresh Thyme.
Replace dryer sheets with wool balls. You can use essential oils to scent the wool balls.
Dust and vacuum often. Dust is a magnet for chemicals. The less dust you have around your home the better. (This feels better for your sanity too – lol.)
Avoid the ingredient “fragrance” when purchasing products. See this post for more details on why.
Sanitize kid toys in a bath of distilled vinegar and DoTerra’s On Guard essential oil instead of using chemical-laden wipes. This is especially important if your kid puts his or her toys in their mouth! (I fill up a bathtub full of water and add 2 cups of vinegar and 10-20 drops of oil.)
Hopefully these tips are helpful! Take it one tip at a time! Detoxifying and making your home a safer space is a process but small shifts will create big changes over time. I’d love to know your favorite tips – leave them in the comments below!
