How To Detox Your House

by Dr. Kirsten Singler NMD

Detoxing you home is just as important as detoxing your body. Today, environmental contaminants are found in many common items in our homes. When we are surrounded with these contaminants, they enter into our lungs, into our skin, into our mucous membranes and therefore into our bodies. Over time, these agents disrupt our hormones, thyroid function, immune function, and inhibit the vitality of the body. There are numerous studies that show each contaminant’s effect on the body and the disease process that it creates. If you are curious about the studies, use educational agencies such as The Environmental Working Group and The National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences as starting points for your research.

Once ready to detox your house, I recommend that you start making the changes that come easily such as removing shoes and swapping out cleaning supplies. Once you have made the easiest changes, make a plan to address the more complex items such as furniture made from composite woods. Set goals on your calendar so that you can break this down into multiple little projects, rather than one overwhelming project. Also, choose 1 room each month that you plan to detox. The key to success in making these changes, is in taking it step by step and setting attainable goals.

Start with simple steps:

• Remove shoes before entering the house. Shoes carry most of the particulate pollutants into a house.
• Place a good mat at the door that will collect dust from shoes.
• Replace air filters every month. Consider using HEPA air filter.
• Remove all air fragrances such as fragrant candles, air fresheners, and plug-ins such as Glade air fresheners.
• Avoid using dryer sheets.
• Use fragrance-free, non-toxic, biodegradable clothes washing detergent.
• Avoid using car air fresheners.
• Keep your house clean. Do deep cleaning every 2 weeks to remove dust.
• Keep a large plant in each room such as spider plant, dragon tongue, or rubber tree in each room.
• Watch for mold. Keep mold at bay with hydrogen peroxide cleaners. When shopping for a new location, avoid houses with mold.

Then move into larger projects:

• Remove carpet of you have it and replace with bamboo, tile, cement, or hardwood floors.
• Eliminate furniture that is plastic, poly-fibers, or composite-made. Purchase 100% wood or metal furniture that is sealed with non-toxic coatings. Look for furniture that is formaldehyde-free. Avoid poly-fiber cushions and look for organic, natural or wool fabrics and upholstery.
• Look for no VOC or low VOC paints when painting your house.
• Pay attention to your surroundings. When possible, choose to live away from golf courses, airports, refineries, agricultural crops, highways, mines, smelting facilities, dye (as in fabric dye) facilities.
• Avoid using pesticides. To rid your house of bugs, find and seal all entry points commonly found around pipes coming into the house. You can also use diatomaceous earth or boric acid powder to eliminate bugs.
• Avoid herbicides. Either hand weed your gardens and lawns, or choose landscapes that do not need to be weeded.
• Read the labels on your furniture. Before purchasing the item, write down the “ingredients” that were used to make the item, go home and research it’s toxicity profile. You will find that far too much of the furniture on the market is full of toxic chemicals such as formaldehyde, glues that off gas, flame retardants, heavy metals such as lead, and other volatile compounds that off gas in your house and into your lungs.

Bathroom:

• Avoid polyurethane shower curtain. Use jute, hemp, cotton, or polyester curtain.
• Get a shower filter for water coming out of shower.

Use the following cleaning supplies:

• Bon Ami (non-scratch scrub)
• Hydrogen peroxide based cleaner (for tiles and areas prone to mold)
• Thieves cleaner by Young Living (for toilet or anything that needs antimicrobial)
• Vinegar for cleaning any glass or mirrors
• Always look for key terms such as hypoallergenic, fragrance-free, biodegradable, non-toxic

Personal beauty supplies:

• Avoid products with parabens, corn- based products, fragrance, aluminum, dioxane, acrylates, benzophenone compounds, butylated compounds (BHA), carbon black, homosalate, hydroquinone, methlisothiazolinone, mthylchloroisothiazolinone, nitrosamines (DEA, TEA), octinoxate, PABA, petroleum, phenoxyethane, polytetraflouroethylene, phalates, p-phenlenediamone, quaternium-15, talc, toluene, triclosan and really anything with ingredients that you cannot identify.
• Look for soaps, shampoos, hair products, lotions, and make up that are labeled as non-toxic, paraben free, fragrance free, organic.
• Use non-toxic toothpaste.

Kitchen:

• Filter your water with with Berki filter, Envirofilter, reverse osmosis, or have RO water home delivery. When using RO water, always add trace minerals to your water.
• Purchase organic food so that you can ensure that you and your family are not consuming pesticides and herbicides. If this is new to you, start by avoiding the “Dirty Dozen” as posted by the environmental Working Group. You can find this list easily online.
• Avoid consuming meats and dairy products that are been raises with hormones and antibiotics. Choose grass-finished, free-range, hormone-free animal products.
• Avoid cooking and storing food in plastic, Teflon, and aluminum containers. Use stainless steel, glass, or ceramic.
• Use non-toxic, fragrance free dish soap for dishes, Murphy’s oil for cleaning floors, and Simple Green for cleaning the most dirty floors & entryways.

Laundry room:

• Use biodegradable, fragrance-free, non-toxic washing powder.
• Avoid using spray starch for ironing clothes.
• Avoid dry cleaning clothes (find a non-toxic dry cleaner if necessary).
• Avoid dryer sheets.

Bedroom:

• Keep this room free of dust.
• Wash bedding every 2 weeks (at least).
• Put a plant in your room if you have a window with natural light.
• Keep electronics out of the bedroom.
• Use a non-toxic mattress such as natural latex, wool, or organic cotton.
• Purchase organic clothing that is free from poly-fibers and harsh dyes.
• Use formaldehyde-free furniture and bed frame.