Detox Your Home: 10 Steps to a Healthy Household

If your health is important to you, and you’ve never taken the time to detox your home, then don’t wait any longer.

Many of us realise the importance of giving our body a cleanse from time to time. This helps get rid of toxins and create a healthy environment for our cells to live in. But a lot of people forget about cleaning out their home.

Why is it Important to Detox Your Home?

This is essential because we are in it every single day and being exposed to toxic chemicals over a long period of time can cause problems related to the nervous and immune system.

Did you know indoor air is typically 2-5 times more polluted than outdoor air? Not only this, but furnishings, upholstery, synthetic building materials and cleaning products in homes can emit a variety of toxic compounds e.g. formaldehyde. Indoor air pollution can also be caused by pollen, bacteria, and moulds, as outdoor air contaminants like car exhaust fumes find their way into buildings.

10 Ways to Detox Your Home

1. Keep House Plants in Every Room of Your House

Plants are an easy and affordable way to clean the indoor air and detox your home. They absorb some of the toxic particles from the air, at the same time taking in carbon dioxide which is then processed into oxygen. Micro organisms associated with the plants are present in the potting soil too and these are responsible for much of the cleaning effect.

Here are 10 indoor plants which efficiently remove toxins and are very easy to care for (bonus!):

• Garden Mum
• Spider Plant
• Dracaena
• Weeping Fig
• Peace Lily
• Boston Fern
• Snake Plant
• Bamboo Palm
• Aloe Vera

2. Switch to Non-Toxic Lifestyle and Cleaning Products

The average person is exposed to over 100 chemicals from personal care products they have used before leaving the house in the morning. Scary, huh? People make the mistake of believing that because a product is on the shelf in the supermarket that it must be safe to use. This simply isn’t so. They are generally filled with a whole host of chemicals that are toxic to the human body. If you want to dive deeper into this topic, you can read my article “Are Your Household Products Poisoning You?“

Switching to natural products is a great way to detox your home. It is so easy to make your own natural cleaning products. You can use a combination of basic ingredients like bicarb soda, vinegar and essential oils to do general house cleaning. Read more about homemade natural cleaning alternatives for every area of your home here. 

Otherwise, find a company you love and trust, and support it. There are ethical companies which create beautiful, safe home and personal care products. By doing this you will not only benefit your health, but also the health of the environment.

3. Reduce Exposure to EMF Radiation

Watch out for invisible electromagnetic frequencies which can potentially cause electromagnetic hypersensitivity. This is characterised by symptoms related to inflammatory processes in the skin, nervous system, respiratory, cardiovascular and musculoskeletal systems. People who spend more than 50 minutes using a mobile have a higher risk of early dementia and other thermal damage from the burning of glucose in the brain. Wireless radiation can also disrupt sleep due to being linked to a reduction in the hormone melatonin.

EMF exposure can come from your phone, wireless computers, wireless security systems, all cordless devices, power points, electronic equipment and modems. Here are some tips to reduce your exposure and detox your home:

•  When a wireless device is close to you, more than 50% of the radio frequency is absorbed into your brain and body. Radiation absorption dramatically decreases when you distance yourself from the source. Keep mobiles and wireless laptops away from your body. Don’t use them on your lap. Use the speaker phone when talking on the phone. And absolutely never sleep with your mobile under your pillow.
• When you aren’t using your iPad or iPhone, turn on the aeroplane mode, and turn off the Wi-Fi and bluetooth. Do this at night if you use your mobile as an alarm (the alarm will still work).
• Switch off wireless networks and devices when you’re not using them e.g. at night.
• Do not sleep near a wall that has an electric panel, electric metre or appliance on the other side.
• Invest in earthing products like a sheet and pillow case, and a mat to use when you’re on the computer. When your body is grounded, it has the ability to cancel, reduce or push away electric fields from the body. You can find these products in the “Wellness” section of my shop.

4. Create Clean and Consistent Airflow

This is especially important after winter as everyone usually has the house closed up and the air conditioner running, which results in breathing in the same old circulating air.

• Keep doors and windows open as much as possible to create consistent fresh airflow.
• If not taken care of correctly, air conditioners can become a breeding ground for bacteria to accumulate due to a build up of dust and moisture in the system. This results in an increased risk of illness due to inhalation of the bacteria being pumped out by the air conditioner. The filters need to be cleaned every two weeks to avoid build up of bacteria, mould and fungi. Please refer to this article to learn how to properly clean your air conditioner.
• Use exhaust fans in bathrooms and kitchens to help move air outside, and ceiling fans to support healthy airflow.
• You can invest in an air purifier like the IQ Air’s HyperHEPA filtration which traps particles from viruses, dust mites, smoke and other allergens. It has a 99.7% efficiency rate for removing particles great than or equal to 1/83,000 of an inch in diameter.

5. Be Conscious of Toxins in Carpets

Carpets keep you cosy, but unfortunately they can introduce a variety of toxins as well as trap dirt, lead, fleas and dust mites. Use natural fibre wool & cotton rugs, or if possible, replace your carpeting with hardwood floors. Otherwise be sure to vacuum at least once per week.

6. Keep House Dust to a Minimum

Dust and mop at least once per week and don’t forget about your ceiling fans. Be sure not to just dust or mop with dry cloths, instead use a damp cloth. This avoids spreading and lifting dust into the air.

7. Use Safe Cookware

Teflon (PTFE) is a coating used on non-stick cookware and contains perfluorinated chemicals (PFC’s) which have been linked to cerebrovascular disease, neurotoxicity and cancer. This coating can leach harmful endocrine disruptors into food – especially when heated. PFC’s do not degrade well naturally and can therefore potentially accumulate in the human body. Cook with glass baking dishes, and pure ceramic pans. Keep leftovers in glass or ceramic containers in the fridge whenever possible to avoid harmful BPA, and never heat up food in a plastic container.

8. Filter Your Water

Hundreds of chemicals have been identified in drinking water. These include chlorine, fluorine compounds, Trihalomethanes (THMs), assorted hormones, pesticides, prescription drugs and PFAS chemicals. Many of these toxins are endocrine disruptors, neurotoxins and carcinogenic. 

Help to detox your home by buying a good quality water filter for your taps and shower head. If your budget allows, I would suggest simply buying a whole house water system that takes care of everything.

9. Watch Out for Mould

Mould is a major contender in many serious health conditions, including asthma, compromised immunity, respiratory infections, eczema, and neurological problems. Many people are unaware that they may have mould growing in their home as it’s not always visible.

To stop and prevent the growth of mould: keep things dry.

• Plumbing leaks are one of the leading causes of mould. Check for them under kitchen and bathroom sinks, around water heaters and behind washing machines and dishwashers. You should also regularly clean the gutters to allow water to flow away from your house.
• Humid indoor air is another major contributor to mould. Keep indoor humidity below fifty percent. I recommend investing in a dehumidifier, particularly for the bathroom if necessary, to keep this in check. Make sure all rooms are well ventilated by adhering to the tips in point number four in this article.
• To clean mould off small non-porous surfaces naturally, you can use products like vinegar, bicarb of soda, lemon juice, and tea tree oil. Vinegar in particular has anti-fungal and anti-bacterial properties which have been shown to be effective at removing many types of moulds. For a detailed description of how to use these products, please refer to this article.
• If you have mould over large areas, it is recommended to pay for a mould remediation specialist to safely remove it. They can also assess your home for any other signs of mould, which is a good idea.

10. Declutter and Minimalise

I’m sure most people can agree that having a clean, organised space helps us feel peaceful and in control. On the other hand, when our home is a mess, we can feel chaotic and disorganised. Well, this correlation actually has science to back it up.

A study published in Current Psychology found a link between procrastination, dissatisfaction and frustration with a cluttered environment. It impacts mental wellbeing along with increasing the stress level cortisol. The constant image of clutter actually overloads our brains and decreases our working memory. Living in a cluttered environment clutters your mind, while living in an open, simple space frees up space in your mind and reduces stress and anxiety.

My best piece of advice is:  if something doesn’t spark a feeling of joy when you hold it or look at it, get rid of it. If you haven’t used an item for at least 6 months, that’s another sign to sell it or give it away. For everything you want to keep, invest in smart storage solutions so that everything is put away neatly and has its place.

Obviously we can’t live in a bubble, but we can reduce our exposure to both internal and external toxins by detoxing our living space. This allows the body’s own detoxification process to function more efficiently, and strengthens our immune system so that we may live happier and healthier lives.