Create A Healthy Home With These Great Tips!
Healthy Home Tips
As you walk through your home use this guide to help create a healthy space. Use this to help you go through your bathroom, your kitchen and even check your laundry supplies among other things. It’s great, and an easy way to make a less toxic environment for your family.
Bathroom
–Air Fresheners? A Big No No! Most contain a number of toxic chemicals.
-Is there fragrance in your products? “What actually is fragrance?” I don’t know, do you? It’s just always safer to choose fragrance-free. Always check your ingredients list.
-What are you using to brush your teeth with?
Fluoride is toxic if swallowed. Under age 2 never use, 2 and Up teach to Rinse & Spit
Kitchen
–Do you love your non-stick cookware? Well you should replace with cast iron, stainless steel or glass. Stuck, using them, take care not to overheat which releases toxic fumes.
–A full pantry of canned items. Always try to cook with fresh or frozen; most canned food including liquid infant formula are lined with Bisphenol-A (BPA) a toxic chemical that leaches to food.
–Do you use iodized salt? You should! Iodine is necessary to maintain healthy thyroid function.
-Do you drink bottled water? You Should Stop! Water on-the-go… REUSEABLE WATER BOTTLES. Use stainless steel, not plastic or aluminum lined with plastic.
-Do you use plastic food containers? You shouldn’t! Use glass that way you can always heat it up. For baby bottles use BPA-free plastic.
LAUNDRY
-Are you using a green detergent? You wouldn’t know without a full ingredients list!
-Do your products disclose all their ingredients? A lot don’t…So support the ones that do, YOU HAVE A RIGHT TO KNOW.
-Skip laundry products you don’t need, like dryer sheets, fabric softeners and chlorine bleach.
All Around The House
-Do you love your older home.. well if it was built before 1978. It is possible that it contains lead paint. When you decide to remold use a wet sending technique to reduce dust and keep windows open to reduce dust. Keep kids away from the area and loose chips.
-Got Foam…In your furniture! Furniture can be made up with foam, that foam can be treated with a toxic fire retardants. Research your products and make sure you always choose naturally fire-resistant materials, like cotton and wool when possible. Is it better to “protect” your fabrics with a spray-on chemical coating or just clean up any spills quickly?
-Do you use compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs)? They should be handled and disposed of carefully, they contain mercury. Use them where there’s no danger of them breaking near children.
-Bugs in your garden…Do you use pesticides or insecticides? Try non-toxic alternatives first; pesticides should be a last resort. If you use them, please store out of reach of children.
-Do you have a wood deck, picnic table or playground set? Those made before 2005, they are likely to contain arsenic. Test to confirm and either replace with a safer wood or reduce your exposure by sealing it.