5 Ways to Detox Your Home

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Today I’m going to give you five ways to detox your home environment. Everyone has heard the information on plastics and knows BPA is bad for you and the environment. But, what I didn’t know until recently is that many of the toxins in our homes, also release xenoestrogens. So what are xenoestrogens? Xenoestrogens are a form of synthetic estrogen, an endocrine disruptor, that are released through plastics, non-stick pots and pans, cleaning products, personal care products, and drinking water.

We are exposed to hundreds of toxins per day, and sadly, in today’s environment, there’s really no way around that. But, there are some easy things we can do to reduce the toxic load we carry in our bodies. This is especially important because xenoestrogens wreak havoc on our hormones, most likely contribute to early onset puberty in girls, and as the toxins build up in our system, they play a role in autoimmune issues, cancer, and other diseases.

When I first took a class on toxins, I kinda freaked out. On top of breathing the questionable air here in Nigeria, there are all these things inside the home to worry about. While I can’t control everything (that would be exhausting, right?), I thought of all the things my girls are exposed too, things that can make them start puberty earlier and contribute to disease, and decided we had to make some changes.

Here are 5 easy ways to help detox your home:

1. Plants like aloe vera are great natural air purifiers and also serve multiple purposes. Put one in each of your main living areas.

2. Replace any plastic food storage containers. When plastic meets hot food, the food melts into the plastic and you ingest the plastic which leeches xenoestrogens. Remember that Tupperware with the red ring around it that you haven’t been able to get out since you put spaghetti sauce in there four years ago? It’s not a stain. Tomato sauce is highly acidic and will eat away at plastic. BPA has been replaced by BPS (which has similar health effects as BPA) in many water bottles and food containers, so just because it says BPA-Free doesn’t mean it’s safe.

One of my favorite brands is Pyrex Ultimate which is glass with glass & silicone lids. You can also you mason jars which aren’t expensive and are multi-functional. My girls were pretty sad to lose all their plastic character plates and cups, but they love their bamboo plates and using small mason jars with silicone jacket sleeves.

3. Use stainless steel, cast iron, or enameled cast iron in place of non-stick cookware. Non-stick cookware is produced with perfluorinated chemicals (PFCs) which are known endocrine disruptors and are especially harmful to thyroid health. PFCs are bioaccumulative and have a half-life of 3.5 to 8.5 years (to be reduced by half). Here are some great options for stainless steel, cast iron, and enameled cast iron.

4. Eat organic when possible. I know that organic is a hard buy-in for some people or it’s not financially feasible to be 100% organic. The Environmental Working Group (EWG) recently released its yearly “Dirty Dozen” list along with the “The Clean 15”. The United States uses 1 billion pounds of pesticides each year and food is the largest non-work related exposure to pesticides, so eat organic when possible.

5. One of the “easiest” ways to change out your personal care products is to get rid of anything with the word “fragrance”, or parabens in the ingredients. I put easiest in quotes because I find this one to be particularly difficult, especially in regards to shampoo and conditioner. I’ve tried shampoo bars and apple cider vinegar rinses instead of conditioner, tried several well known natural shampoo brands and they just make my hair feel gross. The apple cider vinegar rinse works well, but I’m still on the hunt for shampoo.

If you any of you have suggestions leave them in the comments. I will also report back when I find that magic natural shampoo because certainly, it must exist. I have one on the way, so when I get it in a month I’ll let you know.

Making small changes can make a big difference for you and your families health. It can be overwhelming, so one thing I’ve done is pick 2-3 things to change per month. I’ll cover more ways to detox your home in future posts.

Let me know what changes you’re making or if you have already made changes what are some of your favorite products or practices. Ready to balance your hormones and detox your life? Book your 15-minute call with me today!