Detox Your House

8 Tips for Detoxifying Your Home

By Jess Ainscough

For many of us, our homes are our sanctuary. Our humble abodes are where we feel safe, relaxed and comfortable. We sleep in them, eat in them, and entertain friends and family in them. So with all this time spent holed up at home, wouldn’t you want to make sure you’re residing in the safest, cleanest and healthiest environment possible? I’m not talking about dousing your house head to toe in Domestos and Mr Sheen. No, in order to create healthy home, you need to address each area with a good ol’ detox. For the sake of you and your family’s health, it’s important that your most lived-in areas are completely safe and welcoming.

1. Embrace natural cleaners - It’s time to overhaul the state of your cleaning cupboard. Toss out anything that contains chemicals and poison. When you’re getting trigger-happy with a spray bottle of poison in a confined bathroom, it is going to do some damage to your health. Most of us tend to rely far too much on heavy-duty chemical cleaners when natural ‘old-fashioned’ solutions are sufficient, cheaper and less harmful to our health and the environment. There are three simple ingredients that will change the way you approach cleaning – vinegar, bi-carb soda and borax. Use them to clean your bathroom, kitchen and household surfaces. Mop your floors with vinegar and hot water. You can even get creative with essential oils such as tea tree, which is great for disinfecting the loo and floors.

2. Invest in indoor plants - Indoor pollution is a major health concern, especially during the cooler months when we spend more time inside. There are certain indoor house plants that filter the surrounding air, increase oxygen and act as humidifiers. For example, the peace lily mops up ammonia, acetone, ethyl acetate, benzene and formaldehyde from the atmosphere. Other good indoor plants include aloe vera, bamboo palm, spider plant and weeping fig. These also look great displayed around your home.

3. Display Himalayan salt rocks - Himalayan salt lamps act as an air ionizer. They increase the amount of beneficial negative ions in the air, counterbalancing the positive ion charge from electrical equipment. It’s wise to place a Himalayan salt lamp near your computer, TV, radio or any other appliances. 

4. Bask in a healthy aroma - Aromatherapy is a beautiful healing method. India’s Ayurvedic healing tradition routinely uses essential-oil fragrances to obtain the right doshic balance needed for good health. You don’t need to go to India to reap the benefits through. Anyone can play alchemist at home. Get your home smelling all nice, and enjoy the benefits of aromatherapy at the same time. Add some pure essential oils to an oil burner, burn some natural incense or light some natural candles. Soy wax candles are beautiful and, most importantly, safe for you to breath in. Whatever you choose to burn, make sure it is completely,100 per cent natural. If it’s in the air and you inhale it, it will go straight into your system. 

5. De-clutter your home - Clearing out the clutter in your home will do more than make your space look nice and inviting. According to feng shui philosophy, de-cluttering your home will also help to free up space in your mind and allow for positive energy to flow into your life.

6. Let there be light - Pull back curtains and open your windows to let plenty of air and light into your home. Not only will this improve your air quality, but it will also provide you with an energized and stimulating natural environment.

7. Sort out your water - Depending on where you live, chances are there are nasties like fluoride and chlorine in your water. When you’re drinking it, bathing in it and brushing your teeth in it, you need to have clean and pure water. Otherwise, many health problems can set in. Do some research and find a water purifying system to suit your household. Many of them will only do half the job, removing chlorine but not fluoride and vice versa. It’s best to source a system that does both. 

8. Do your laundry naturally - Commercial laundry products are based on petrochemicals and contain phosphates, enzymes, chlorine and bleaches that are highly toxic. There are many benefits to doing your laundry the natural way. As well as being kinder to your skin and your health, natural products cause fewer allergic reactions, are less harsh on the fibers of the fabric and limit the amount of chemicals being drained into rivers and lakes. There are a few environmentally-friendly laundry products on the market, however it’s important to read the label. Check the ingredients list to make sure the product is based on vegetable and mineral sources, free of enzymes, bleach and fragrance, it is biodegradable and has not been tested on animals. Laundry and dryer balls are also said to be an effective way of doing the laundry without chemical.