Ready to begin detoxing your home? Start here.

It can be overwhelming to begin detoxing your home of toxic products, ingredients, and habits. Don’t worry! You can do this. Start with this checklist and tackle one thing at a time. Remember that every little bit helps. As you become more familiar with ingredients, labels, “greenwashing” marketing, and alternatives it will get easier. Don’t forget that once you replace and item (laundry soap for example) you don’t have to think about it again. Done! Check it off the list and move on

Let’s get started:

*Make sure your soaps are sulfate free, triclosan free (no antibacterial soaps!) and free of parabens (methylparaben, polyparaben, ethylparaben). This goes for hand soap, detergents, shampoos, dish soaps and toothpaste.

*Get rid of plastic food containers and if you do have them, under no circumstance heat. Glass is so easy to use for food storage. Get reusable snack bags for the kids or lunches. Use reusable food covers instead of plastic wrap. If you need disposable lunch bags opt for paper or biodegradable versions.

*Get rid of anything with the word “fragrance” or “parfum” on the label. Remember “unscented” is not “fragrance free.”  Don’t forget to look for “natural fragrance.” It is often not any better. Be sure you dig a little deeper to find out what that actually is. Not sure? Contact the manufacturer. If they don’t have anything to hide, they will tell you! (I’ve done it many times!)

*Be diligent and committed to detoxing your children. Little bodies are developing rapidly and do not need exposure to toxic chemicals. Remember your toxic load is cumulative and that is going to add up a lot faster in children. Many allergies, behavioral issues and illnesses can be helped with environmental and lifestyle changes.

*Stop cooking with foil. There is emerging research linking heavy metal toxicity to some diseases including Alzheimer’s and dementia. And did you know that when food is cooked in Aluminum Foil, it is absorbed into the food? The amount of aluminum in red meat after being cooked in foil is up to a 378% increase and up to 215% in poultry. Link to study Use parchment paper instead. Same goes for non-stick cookware! Toss it now. Use cast iron or “green” versions of cookware. Use parchment paper instead. Same goes for non-stick cookware! Toss it now. Use cast iron or “green” versions of cookware.

*Clean up your personal care products. This includes cosmetics, lotions, skincare, hair products, baby care products, and anything else you put on your body. Remember, what you put on your body often ends up in your body. Most products on the market are full of hormone disrupting ingredients, harmful preservatives and fragrance.

*Try to avoid processes, prepackaged foods. Most of these items are not even real food! They are full of lab created ingredients, preservatives, food dyes, sugars, GMO’s and pesticides. Aim to eat mostly organic, real foods. Shop the perimeter of the grocery store and try to limit trips down the aisles.

*Add air purifying plants to your environment. Many common house plants remove highly toxic ingredients commonly found in the air like formaldehyde. Snake plants, Aloe and English Ivy are a few common house plants that detox air.

*Filter your water. Do not drink tap water. Bottled water is often not better. A recent study found most bottled water contains microplastics that you ingest when drinking. There are great options available that are cost effective (like the Zero brand or Berkey) all the way up to whole house filtering systems.

*No shoes in the house! Want to learn more? Click here

*Start reading labels on everything!

Next step, choosing a safe and less toxic candle for your home