How Do I “Detox” My Home?
Frank LipmanAugust 31

No shoes in the house (as most household dirt, pesticides and lead come in on your shoes)

• Go barefoot or wear slippers

Place floor mats vertically by your entryways to wipe your shoes

• This way more dirt and residue from your shoes stay on the mat

Keep the air clean

• Keep your windows and doors open as much as possible to ventilate
• Have your air ducts and vents cleaned with nontoxic cleaners
• Get a portable air cleaner/purifier, especially for the bedrooms
• Use green plants as natural air detoxifiers
• Remove odors with baking soda
• Use fresh flowers or bowls of herbs like rosemary and sage to add a pleasant fragrance to rooms

Be conscious of the potential for carpeting to hold toxins

• Use natural fiber wool & cotton rugs
• If possible, replace your wall-to-wall carpeting with hardwood floors, all natural linoleum or ceramic tiles
• Use nontoxic glues, adhesives, stains or sealers for installation

Keep house dust to a minimum (as more dust means more toxins).

• Mop all surfaces at least once a week
• Vacuum carpets with a vacuum cleaner (with a HEPA filter, preferably) HEPA-filter vacuums capture the widest range of particles and get rid of allergens

Avoid excess moisture (as it encourages the growth of mold and mildew)

• Check areas for moisture accumulation or leaks (particularly basements)
• Regularly clean surfaces where mold usually grows – around showers and tubs and beneath sinks

Get a shower filter (as many contaminants in tap water become gases at room temperature)

• A shower filter can help keep these toxins from becoming airborne

Get a water filter (as more than 700 chemicals have been identified in drinking water)

• Filtering your tap water is better than drinking bottled water

Switch from the standard household cleaning products to cleaner and greener ones

• These don’t damage your health nor the environment’s as much and work as well as the mass marketed ones. You can also use basic ingredients you have around the house, for instance, you can use vinegar in place of bleach, baking soda to scrub your tiles and hydrogen peroxide to remove stains. According to our very own blogger, Annie Bond, the author of “Better Basics For The Home” you can clean anything with water and these 5 basic ingredients: Baking Soda, Washing Soda, Distilled White Vinegar, Vegetable based liquid Soap eg Dr. Bronner’s Peppermint Soap and Tea Tree oil

Use Plastics wisely (as some contain BPA, which is linked to cancer).

• Avoid plastic food packaging (when you can)
• Don’t wrap food in plastic
• Don’t microwave food in plastic containers
• Choose baby bottles made from glass or BPA-free plastic
• Stay away from children’s toys marked with a “3″ or “PVC.”

Avoid non stick pans, pots, bakeware and utensils (because they contain Teflon)

Clean out your medicine cabinet (personal care products are loaded with toxins)

Seal or replace particleboard walls, floors or cabinets (as they contain formaldehyde, which causes sensitivity)

• Avoid plywood, fiberglass, fiberboard and paneling

Tell the dry cleaner not to use the plastic wrap (as the plastic traps the dry cleaning chemicals on clothes and in your closet)

• Let your dry cleaning air out (preferably outside) before storing it
• Use “wet cleaning” if you are lucky enough to have it in your area

Avoid toxic pest control in your home and toxic lawn chemicals in your garden

• These lawn chemicals get inside on your shoes

When painting indoors, use latex (water based) or other least toxic brands

• Open all windows to ventilate

And most important, no amount of environmental toxins are as important as emotional toxicity. You can do all the above, but if there is a house full of anger, resentment, jealousy, hurt and a lack of love, compassion and forgiveness, the house will remain toxic