Four Easy But Important Ways We Should be Detoxing Our Homes

For most of us, when we think about “detoxing,” we think primarily about dietary cleanses or fasting.  But detoxing is so much broader than what we temporarily choose to put in or keep out of our bodies.  We should think about detoxing as a way of life instead of a periodic cleanse.  So this involves making choices within our homes—the place we all (especially this year!) spend so much of our time.  Our homes should be sanctuaries that give us a break from the onslaught of toxins we encounter outside, in restaurants, stores, gas stations, and from the unfortunate, but unavoidable pollution we’ve created in our environment.

Here are four simple, but really impactful, choices we can make within our homes to make it the toxin-free haven we want it to be:

1.  Water Purification Systems

Water.  We all know we should strive to drink at least half of our body weight each day.  If we’re putting this much of anything into our bodies, it should be as pure as possible, right?  Unfortunately, tap water, even in the most pristine places, is traveling to your faucet through long, and likely very old, pipes, and carries with it a heavy load of toxins and metals.  Thankfully, there are a lot of options for purifying our drinking water.  We used to rely solely on a Brita water filter, which is a great option, but last year we installed a reverse osmosis water filtration system, which uses four separate water filters to clean tap water.  It’s awesome, and makes me feel really confident that we’re getting the purest water possible.

We should also be considering the water we bathe in.  After all, we’re trying to get clean, right?  Luckily, there are really inexpensive water filters that attach directly to the shower head, like this one.  I’ll take my rinse toxin-free please!

2.   Toxin-Free Sleep Environment

Another thing we spend a lot of time doing is sleeping (maybe not enough time for most of us!).  We don’t get much more intimate with anything else we use than our bedding.  For this reason, we should really consider organic, toxin-free, natural latex mattresses and pillows, and organic sheets, both for ourselves and our kiddos.  This isn’t inexpensive, I know.  But it’s an investment, both in quality pieces and in our health.  We have a Saatva mattress that has been really comfy in addition to being made with antimicrobial organic cotton.  But there are a bunch of options out there!  Check out this site for a listing of 2020’s best.  And even if we only switch out a pillow or sheets, that’s a major improvement! Every positive change toward natural products makes a difference. 

3.  Clean Cleaning Products

I’m reading a book called “Eat Real to Heal,” and learned that a lot of dishwasher detergent contains chlorine, which mixes with the hot water in the dishwasher and gets released as gas through the vents.  And chlorine is no bueno for you.  Most natural brands like Seventh Generation won’t present this problem, but it’s something to check in whatever brand you choose.  We should also try to use plant-based, bleach-free laundry detergents to ensure that what we’re wearing all day long isn’t laden with chemicals.

And there are so many natural options for all cleaning products these days!  I am so excited to start using the Blueland line.  Not only are the ingredients in all of their products non-toxic and natural, but there is no plastic waste! You reuse the lovely (and labeled!) glass bottles, and simply drop refill tablets into water, and start cleaning.  No more throwing away plastic bottles!  So awesome.

If the only thing we did to detoxify our home was switch to all-natural cleaning products, that would be huge—both for us and the environment.

4.  Pure Air

We should all be focused on breathing more mindfully and deeply.  But if the air we’re breathing in our home is full of impurities, it definitely undercuts the health benefit of deep breathing.  This is especially pertinent right now, as many of us in California are enveloped in toxic smoke.  And unfortunately, it’s not much better inside our homes, as the smoke seeps in and stays in. 

One easy thing we can do is put plants in every room.  Plants can actually remove volatile organic compounds from the air through a process called phytoremediation—according to research from NASA, the top ten air-cleaning plants are:  (1) Boston Fern; (2) Florist’s Mum; (3) Gerbera daisy; (4) Dwarf date palm; (5) Janet Craig; (6) Bamboo Palm; (7) Kimberley queen fern; (8) Rubber plant; (9) English ivy; and (10) Weeping fig.  So, not only do plants enhance the beauty of our home, they also improve the air quality!

Another thing to consider is adding an air purifier to the mix.  We just bought one (ok, five) for the first time to deal with the wildfire smoke, and it’s made a big difference. 

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Sometimes it feels overwhelming (to me, anyway) thinking about the quantity of toxins we encounter in modern life.  But even though we can’t control everything in our environment, we can take tangible, effective steps toward purifying our homes.  I hope some of these hit home (pun always intended) with you too!