Toxins are essentially everywhere around us and almost unavoidable. We inhale them while driving to work and wipe down our kitchen counters. They can be found in furniture, cushions and mattresses. The fresh vegetable and fruit produce is coated and sprayed with damaging pesticides, herbicides and genetically modified organisms (GMO´s). Older paint contains lead. That is just to name a few. But there are definitely ways how to reduce one´s exposure to them.
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| www.howstuffworks.com |
There is a few tips to keep your home toxic-free:
1) Remove your shoes
Remove shoes before entering the house and encourage family members to do so. It will prevent accumulation of dust, which can contain toxins and metals like lead.
2) Vacuum frequently
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| www.mrhomecare.in |
Vacuum frequently, especially if you have carpets. Try to do this for up to twice a week and steam clean them with a clean water. Do this on dry and sunny days.
3) Choose organic cleaning products or make DIY ones
Choose organic and eco-friendly cleaning and washing products for the home. Use eco-certified but always check labels for chlorine bleach, phosphate, petroleum and chemical fragrance. We expect these to clean our house and leave everything artificially clean and super polished. We will get this task done by commercial products, which we use an array of for different tasks in the house, such as mopping, cleaning the windows, polishing, toilet cleaning, clothes washing and the host of others. Chemicals in these products will do what we expect them to do but they also contribute to air pollution, they are poisonous when ingested and may be harmful when we inhale or touch them. Some may cause immediate reactions and irritations to the skin or eyes while others can cause long term chronic illnesses such as cancer. Most dangerous cleaning products are drain cleaners, oven cleaners and acidic toilet bowl cleaners. Chemicals in them can cause burns on the skin and eyes and breathe problems with the damage to the throat. Similar to the personal care and cosmetics, they can cause long term health damage with hormone disruption, damage to the nervous system, lungs and cancer. In addition, they pollute the air, water and the whole environment.
Please check the articles in these links for the more comprehensive info:
The article in the first link will give you some ideas and tips what eco-cleaning products one can use. However, there is also a possibility to create your own DIY eco-home products, here are some tips:
- 1/2 cup white vinegar to a bucket of hot water - for mopping tile and linoleum floors
- 1/2 cup white vinegar or lemon juice + 1/2 cup water - pour in the spray bottle, for window cleaning
- 1/4 cup baking soda and 1/2 cup white vinegar + 2 litres of water - for all purpose cleaner
- 1 cup olive oil + 1/2 cup lemon juice in a spray bottle for polishing wood furniture. Polish dry with a fresh cloth
- cornstarch or baking soda - for greasy counter tops and around the stove - let it soak the grease and then just wipe off
- 2 cups castille soap + 2 tbsp water + 2 tbsp vinegar for homemade dish soap
TIP: Try to add a few drops of essential oils in your DIY cleaners, they are great for cleaning and smell lovely too. Best are: tea tree, lavender, lemon, orange and peppermint essential oils.
4) Choose organic produce
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| www.seela.org |
When and where possible, choose organic foods and produce. This will lessen the toxic and chemical exposure to the body, however not eliminate it completely. We can control the foods we eat and put into our bodies. Try avoiding all packaged foods as those in boxes, packets and tins. Read the labels on the products. Avoid completely those with warning numbers that you do not know and list of ingredients that you cannot pronounce.
These 12 items in the fresh produce are called dirty dozen and it is always advisable to buy them organic (listed in order of contamination)
- apples
- celery
- sweet bell peppers
- peaches
- strawberries
- nectarines
- grapes
- spinach
- lettuce
- cucumber
- blueberries
- potatoes
Here is the list of clean fifteen, listed in order of least contamination:
- onions
- sweet corn (frozen)
- pineapple
- avocado
- cabbage
- sweet peas (frozen)
- asparagus
- mango
- eggplant
- kiwi
- cantaloupe
- sweet potatoes
- grapefruit
- watermelon
- mushrooms
However, it is very beneficial to go and buy an organic produce and other products, for many this can be also hard to afford. It is therefore important to remove some pesticides coating on the fresh vegetables and fruits. Pesticides have been linked to birth defects, cancer, parkinson´s, autism and other illnesses.
You can buy veg and fruit cleaner in the health shop (always check for unwanted ingredients) but there are also DIY at home ideas that you can do:
- for produce wash - fill kitchen sink with 1 part vinegar and 4 parts water. Let your produce soak for up to 2 hours. Remove and rinse with water.
- for produce wash - fill the kitchen sink with 1 part salt and 9 parts water, let it soak, and rinse afterwards. This should work as well as the vinegar, if not better.
- for produce spray - mix 1 tbsp lemon juice with 2 tbsp baking soda and 1 cup of water in a clean spray bottle. Spray your produce and let sit for 5-10 minutes. Rinse off and enjoy.
Eating fresh produce far outweighs the risk that comes with eating non-organic vegetables and fruits, so pesticides should not stop you from buying and eating fresh veggies and fruits. If you can afford it, try to buy organic and thus reduce the amount of pesticides and the unwanted health problems that come with it.
5) Use eco-friendly cookware
Use only environmentally friendly cooking appliances and cookware. Steer clear of using non-stick pans and pots and those containing aluminium. Teflon is used for the coating in non-stick pots and pans. Cooking with it has implications for your health. Teflon contains these compounds listed below:
- PFTE (polytetrafluoroethylene) - is a coating often used for non-stick cookware. When heating teflon to high temperatures, some people reported flu like symptoms
- PFOA (perfluorooctanoic) - is known as C8 and a synthetic compound, and also involved in manufacturing of Teflon. Using it has been linked to serious changes in organs.
- Aluminium is a metal that has been linked to severe health issues. It collects in your body tissues and can make you very sick. When heated, it reacts and leeches into the food and specifically reacts to acidic foods like tomatoes. Cheap aluminium cookware is the worst and it is not better to use tinfoil while cooking, either. We tend to use it without thinking much about it.
Teflon coated cookware start to chip and flake away quite early after starting using it because it is not very durable. Once the teflon coating is scratched, the best thing is to throw your pan away.
There are better choices for cooking in a healthier way without poisoning your food with chemicals:
- ceramics - choose high quality ceramics without lead, found in glazed ceramics. They are scratch resistant and durable as well
- stainless steel - they are much less prone to leeching and reactive when heated. Buy only good quality stainless steel that is not high in nickle
- cast iron - can last very long time. Cooking with is is a time-honoured tradition. Taking care of your cast iron pots is beneficial and useful and also a good habit to have. To do so, wash it gently, dry it immediately and wipe it with a light coat of oil.
6) Use glass and ceramics and avoid plastics
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| www.betterlivingthroughdesign.com |
Always or when possible, choose glass and ceramics over plastic. Plastics contain BPA, BPS and phthalates and are concern for our health. BPA is found not only in plastic bottles and jars but in coating of food tins as well. Try to choose glass bottles and containers for kids too. Plastics contain endocrine-disrupting chemicals, that interfere with the hormone system, causing birth defects, metabolic disorders and tumors. There is a possibility to choose BPA free containers, but they are not always free of all toxins.
7) Find chemical free hair salon
If possible, try to look and find chemical free hair salon. This may be more difficult to find, but they do exist, so try to do some research in the city where you live.
8) Drink clean water
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| www.placesintheforest.com |
It is beneficial for our health to drink clean water, but tap water does not provide us with the water we would like to drink. Tap water is full of dirt, unwanted bacteria and pesticides, and even contains heavy metals like chlorine and fluoride. Therefore it is good to invest in a good quality water filter system like reverse osmosis water filter or a ionizer. Spring water is even better option for our health. It is pure clean water from the earth with additional minerals in it.
9) Open windows in your house
Open windows in your home regularly to clean the air from common pollutants like formaldehyde, allergens like dander and dust mites. Do this even if it is cold outside. As little as 5 minutes a day has been shown to significantly decrease the concentrations of indoor air pollutants in your home. To detoxify further, you can purchase and use a good quality eco-friendly humidifiers.
10) Exercise
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| www.sheffieldsportsmedicine.com |
Exercise is very beneficial for one´s health. While moving, we move organs and muscles in our body, as well as the body flow to the heart and brain. Exercise does not only make you feel better and younger but it also helps with removing toxins from the body when sweating. Try to do 30 minutes 4-6x a day, with combination of cardio movements and strength training and some stretching. It is great to incorporate some HIIT (high intensity interval training) into your workout routine, it helps with endurance, improving your stamina and you burn calories even after you stop exercising.
11) Buy PBDE free furniture
Buy PBDE (polybrominated Diphenyl Ethers) free furniture. PBDE are chemicals used in flame retardants on furniture. These were widely used in the past when fires were very common occurrence in many households. It does not happen much nowadays, but these chemicals are still being used when manufacturing the furniture. It is a chemical of concern with potential neurobehavioral effects. When shopping for a new sofa, make sure to read the labels and find out what the fabric and material is made out of.
12) Stop using artificial sweeteners
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| www.foodandhealthrevolution.com |
Stop using artificial sweeteners, such as aspartame and sucralose. These have been linked to number of illnesses like diabetes, heart attacks and strokes. For healthier options rather choose stevia, raw honey and date syrup or xylitol and maple syrup in smaller amounts.
13) Eliminate the use of electronic devices
Eliminate using electronic devices and thus eliminate your exposure to radiation, especially with cell phones and WIFI signal. When sleeping, leave your phone in a different room and switch your WIFI off. More studies are revealing that the cell phone radiation causes cancer.
For what the world look like if cell phone radiation was visible check this link below:
14) Try to avoid sitting in the chair for prolonged period of time
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| www.fastcoexist.com |
Sitting in your chair can have dramatic consequences on your health. Prolonged sitting has been tied to various chronic diseases and even early death. When sitting, all our organs shut down in this unnatural position, because they do not get the adequate movements as they do when we move, walk and exercise. Electric activity in muscles drops significantly and calorie burning rate goes down to 1 calorie per minute, and the result is decreased blow flow pumping into the heart and brain. It must also be said that even if we exercise regularly an hour a day, will not reverse the effects sitting has on our overall health. Sitting for 6 hrs a day for 10-20 years may leave you with a loss of 7 quality-adjusted life years (those without illness and death). In woman, it has also been shown decrease in bone mass upwards of 1% every year. When at work or at home sitting, try to stand up from your chair, desk or couch regularly and walk around, every hour, if possible. You can do little stretches too, if your environment allows you to do so.
15) Destroy bugs and mites in your bed
When we sleep, we sweat. This
creates and ideal environment for the mites in our bed. There can be
around 1,5mil dust mites living in the average bed, feeding on our old
skin cells. If you make your bed immediately after waking up, the mites
are trapped under the sheets until bedtime. They can survive only by
taking water from the atmosphere using their small glands. So,
simply leave the bed unmade during the day or at least while you prepare
for work. Remove the duvet to dry and let the rest of the bedding air
dry. This way, mites will dehydrate and eventually die. It is also advisable to change you bedding at least every 2 weeks.
16) Reduce stress and negativity
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| www.judiholler.com |
Reduce stress and negativity in your life. We are what we think.
Think positive thoughts and shift your emotions. They, together with the
way you feel, play a huge part in regards to your overall health.
sources:
mindbodygreen.com
organicburst.com
healthy-holistic-living.com
faithful-to-nature.co.za
organicconsumers.com
collective-evolution.com
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