5 Steps to Removing Toxic Chemicals from Your Home
As a mom or dad, you naturally want to ensure you have a toxin-free home for your children and especially newborns. Even though toxic chemicals are not typically harmful in small doses, exposure to larger amounts can impact you, your partner, and your children over time. Just like we follow detox diets to cleanse our bodies, it pays off to detox your house as well. By following these five steps, you can take charge of significantly minimizing the impact of toxic chemicals for your children:
1. Consider the types of products you bring into your home
Did you know that everyday household items like paper products, paints, bathroom cleaners, and water bottles can contain pathogens like formaldehyde, asbestos, volatile organic compounds (VOCs), flame retardants, and BPA? It’s hard to believe, we know! You can be proactive and prevent many of these chemicals from entering your home though by following guidelines and rules of thumb for non-toxic household item shopping.
2. What dwells in the dust?
Unfortunately, dust is dangerous in more ways than one - it can house several toxic chemicals that can be particularly risky when exposed to newborns. The health risks to babies from pollutants in house dust may be 100 times greater than for adults, where house dust is the main exposure source for infants to allergens and a slew of toxic pathogens. So what can you do about all this?
You can make a huge difference by dusting the house once every two weeks. Dusting effectively helps eliminate the chemicals that house themselves in the dust.
3. Consider your mattress
You also want to make sure you take proper care of your mattress. Do you remember the dust just discussed? No matter how clean you are, one major source of dust and dust mites, bacteria, and other microorganisms will be on your mattress after five years of use. So it is super important to use a mattress protector that prevents bacteria build-up and to change once a week while letting your mattress air out. Vacuum your mattresses regularly, and replace your mattresses occasionally. See tips on how to minimize dust throughout your bedroom.
4. Consider natural remedies
Did you know that indoor air is actually two to five times more polluted than outdoor air? Sources of indoor air pollutants include asbestos, VOCs, formaldehyde and more. Plants save the day when serving as a natural absorber of these toxic chemicals in your home in order to improve indoor air quality. Consider ten top choices for house plants.
5. Other preventative measures to protect your children
While there is no way to make your home 100% free, there are preventative measures you can take to significantly cut down on home exposure to toxic chemicals. You are empowered to minimize the impact such toxic chemicals make in your home.
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Lisa Smalls is a freelance writer from NC. When she isn't busy wrangling up her kids, she enjoys finding new healthy recipes to try out for her family.