Have you ever stopped to think about all the chemicals and toxins in our homes?
Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) care a group of chemicals that vaporize easily. VOCs can be found in carpetand other household products. Pesticides can be found in more than 50% of our food and used in spray for household pests like ants and roaches. Cleaning supplies are full of chemicals. And, heavy metals can be found in food, materials and drinking water.
So, how can we work towards having a Healthy Home? We must purposely make changes, even if small changes over time, in order to make our homes and lives healthier.
When you update your home, consider new products that do not off gas VOCs or allow products to off-gas before bringing into the house. If you buy new living room furniture, unwrap and leave in the garage for a few days before carrying into the rooms. If you paint rooms, make sure you have proper ventilation and take breaks for fresh air often.
For cleaning supplies, consider buying organic products or making your own cleaning solutions. There are many recipes on the Internet so take a little time to research and find what works best for you. Using essential oils is a popular method for cleaning and one that we use often. To reduce the need for constant cleaning, make a new rule of NO SHOES in the house. Think about all the surfaces we walk on and the germs and gunk that we are tracking home! And, keep the bathrooms clean and house at the right humidity to help reduce the growth of mold and mildew.
Love seafood? I do! But, I definitely don’t want to cook a bunch of shrimp or swordfish that may be high in mercury. Be sure to use your range/cooktop ventilation when cooking seafood and reduce consumption of foods that may contain heavy metals. Using a water filter is always good, too! We used to buy bottled water but trying to reduce waste, we shifted to filtered water pitchers and keep cold water available for good hydration.
General Home Maintenance is a must! Changing your furnace filters regularly, making sure bathroom and kitchen vents are properly piped to outdoors, avoiding lawn chemicals and increasing household plants for naturla air filtering are good maintenance tasks, habits, and general routine checklist chores.
