6 Tips to Detox Your Home Why Toxins are the New Normal and What to Do About It – My client, I’ll call her Mary, couldn’t stand it anymore. Her headaches had been getting worse for two months and nobody could tell her why. Mary could no longer think clearly due to the pain and the brain fog, and she was determined to get to the bottom of it.
Mary had seen three different doctors to ask for their opinions about why her headaches were suddenly worse. With each visit, she became more discouraged. She didn’t want to be put on long-term pain medication, and even if the pain went away the brain fog was still a problem. It was time to seek alternative opinions.
Mary’s friend, another client of mine, had recommended that Mary reach out to me to help her finally solve this issue. And we did.
TOXINS ARE THE NEW NORMAL
When new clients who are relatively healthy come to me for help with a new acute symptom that came out of nowhere, I always put my detective hat on. Step one is to get to the source of the problem. In almost every case, there’s a reason new symptoms have shown up and that reason is very often a new toxin in their environment.
The toxicity of our homes has skyrocketed in recent years. I can’t overstate this. Home products that were generally safe or contained mild amounts of toxic materials have been altered to contain many harmful chemicals in the past 10-20 years. PULL SOMETHING FROM DATA ONLINE.
Household products that can potentially be harmful (and very often are) include: laundry detergent, fabric softener, dryer sheets, any product containing bleach, hand soaps, plug-in air fresheners, aerosol air fresheners, evaporating air fresheners, scented candles, dish soap, dishwasher fluid, dishwasher cleaning tabs, floor cleaning solution, shampoo, hair conditioner, shower gel, personal fragrances like perfumes and colognes, aftershave, deodorants, body sprays, shaving cream, cosmetics of all kinds….shall I continue?
Essentially, every mainstream household product available on the market can be harmful to our health, which is why it is so important to detox our homes.
HIDDEN INVADERS
What’s so toxic about laundry detergent? Millions of people use it every day with no problems, right? That may be true for now, but every day, more people are reaching their limit. With the toxic load growing around us, it’s no longer a matter of if most of us will experience chronic health symptoms, it’s when. But there is always the option to protect yourself. That’s what Mary did.
Mary and I started our investigation by reviewing the last few months to identify anything new in her environment. Eventually, we pinpointed the source: a scented candle set Mary’s daughter had given her for Mother’s Day. Out of love and appreciation for her daughter’s gift, Mary had been burning these scented candles daily. She never thought something so common could cause her headaches, but I explained that many conventional scented candles contain toxic fragrances that can irritate nerves throughout the body, especially cranial nerves. Mary agreed to stop burning them as a test.
Mary and I then spent time reviewing all of her go-to household cleaning and self-care products. While she was aware that fragrance-free products were often preferred for infants, she never thought she needed them as an adult. And Mary had never heard that perfume and cosmetics could be toxic and irritating to the body.
Within two weeks of avoiding the scented candles, Mary’s headaches were gone, and two months later, after doing a total overhaul of her household products, Mary noticed that her arthritis improved, her mental focus increased, her sleep was better, and she stopped feeling so tired all of the time. This is the power of removing hidden toxins, which can take us down slowly over time – truly, “death by a thousand cuts.”
6 TIPS TO DETOX YOUR HOME
Hydrogen peroxide is a miracle cleaner (I have a whole blog devoted to it!) and I use it daily. From stain remover to bathroom mold and mildew fighter, hydrogen peroxide is a cheap and effective way to clean your home without compromising your health in any way.
Clean air is healthy air, so bring in some air-quality improving house plants like spider plants and peace lilies, vacuum regularly, and remember that filters are your friend. We clean our kitchens – why not our air? Clean clothes (for real) are actually hard to come by. Most of us buy clothes that are made with genetically modified plant material, passed through production lines using literally tons of chemicals, and then sprayed with fungicides before they’re sent to the retailer where you find them. Do some research on nontoxic brands and production methods, and ALWAYS wash new clothes when you get them home to remove any toxic residues from their manufacture.
Scent-free is the way to be. Go for scent-free dish soaps, laundry detergents, dryer products, fabric softeners, and anything else you can. Scented products are almost always toxic – those added “fragrances” are lab-concocted nightmares for the liver, nerves, and immune system. You don’t want to breathe those in. Go scent-free instead.
The natural path is the ideal path to stay healthy in this world. Replace your perfume or cologne with a beautiful blend of essential oils from a company like Living Libations. Use shampoos with only a few ingredients that you can pronounce (yes, they do exist) and avoid any with “fragrance”, “perfume”, or “parfum” as an ingredient.
My house, my rules is a phrase I mostly reserve for my daughters, but I also apply it to nontoxic living in general. My home is my haven. It’s a safe space where I can control my environment, which means a lot to anyone who is struggling with their health. Our world is toxic but in my house, I call the shots. This means guarding against any toxins before they enter. I encourage everyone I know to adopt a similar mindset of making their home an oasis of clean air and chemical-free living.
FREE AT LAST
Once I learned about all of the toxins that had been creeping into my home for years, I panicked. I was working on overcoming my own health issues at the time, and around every corner, it seemed like another danger was lurking. It was scary and overwhelming at first.
But, as I transitioned to cleaner living with nontoxic products and natural alternatives, I felt such a sense of relief. I can’t control the world outside, but I can certainly control what I bring into my home. The peace of mind I have, knowing that my family and I are at least safe in the space that matters the most, is worth all of the worry that motivated me to restock my cupboards. And though it may feel uncomfortable to change, freedom from chronic symptoms of any kind is priceless and worth all the effort it takes to get there.
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