Weekend Wellness: Detoxing Your Home
This is something that's been on my mind for a while - every day I feel like I'm reading more and more via the likes of goop, mind body green and Because I'm Addicted about all the things that are potentially bad for us living in our homes. (This is about chemicals btw, not a hanger-on friend that's sleeping on your couch if that's your story.... 😉 ).
I'm a child of the 80's and I can clearly remember my mom having the carpet man come and shampoo the house, while she was scrubbing the bathroom with ammonia & spraying down the oven with some sort of potent AF cleaner... you know, these things were all totally the norm. And while I'm the type that's pretty much always bought the version of things that's got the most eco-friendly formula there's so many potential toxins that we often don't even think about.
As we've moved into our new home I’ve been hyper focused on using products from eco-conscious companies whose products are made from natural earth minerals with no masking agents nor toxic chemicals to set us on the right path.
There were things I hadn't even considered when moving into our new home. For example:
Did you know that your new rug, if it's made of synthetic materials can emit noxious gases, including VOCs?
At our house we bought new textiles for several rooms in our home - we're always piling up pillows and lounging on the floor, so that one little bit of knowledge was major for us when deciding where to source our rugs, pillows, and blankets from.
I read a study that reported that the average home can contain more than 300 different chemicals... and while that number might be high for my home, or yours, I don't even want 10 or 20 chemicals hanging around...
As we brought items into our home I decided we should start with the right things and do a little detoxing too.
Here's what I did to set a healthy environment for our home and how to do your own home detox.
1. Shop For Organics & Eco Friendly Materials
Consider purchasing rugs & blankets made of sustainable materials - organic cotton, sisal, jute or wool are always good options. Furniture made of natural materials is also a good bet. A general rule of thumb, if it's hand made from an artisan it's likely fine, made in a factory, not so fine.
2. Be a Plant Mama
NASA published a study ages ago that justified a love of the plant babes. They're awesome detoxifiers, filtering out VOCs while prettying up your space! I add new ones to our home every single weekend, and you can ask your local garden center which are the easiest to maintain if you're new to the plant magic.
3. Say No to Chemical Cleaners
Just like you'd do for your food, real the label. And, if you don't know what the words mean or can't even pronounce it, it's probably not good for you. Respiratory irritation, headaches and even mood swings have been attributed to house cleaning supplies. And, do you guys remember those videos in the 80s about what can happen when mixing ammonia and bleach?! If not, google it, and DON'T ever do it.
A few other quick detox tips:
Take off your shoes at home. Just imagine for a minute the things that the bottom of your shoes see: pesticides, germs, asphalt, and so much more... and then you're going to lounge around on that stuff? Nope. Def nope.
Open your windows. Allow the fresh air in, and the fume-y stuff out.
Round up the bad stuff you clean with, and replace with essential oils. Tea tree, lemon, rosemary and pine are a few of my favorites for this.
What detox rituals are you guys doing? Any other things I should be trying?
Images 2-5 are from my Décor bohème Pinterest board. Go follow along for all sorts of stylish bohemian home ideas!
Wanderfully yours,
Andi
