We are exposed to more synthetic chemicals in our food, air & water, than ever before. While many of us avoid chemicals in our food, the sad fact remains that most of us aren’t aware of the nasty toxins we may inadvertently invite into our homes. While there really are countless ways to give your home a detox, here are 8 of the best ways to eliminate excess toxins from your home:

1. Skip the So-called “Air Fresheners:” Don’t be duped by commercials claiming 

that you may be suffering from “nose blindness,” declaring that you need to spray air fresheners to eliminate odors in your home. Does nose-blindness actually sound right to the advertisers, or you for that matter?   Whether they come in ozone-depleting aerosol cans, plug-in, candle or spray bottle forms, the vast majority have been found to contain dangerous phthalates. These nasty chemicals are linked to abnormally developed male genitalia, poor semen quality, low testosterone levels & your other reproductive issues. And, if that isn’t bad enough, they typically contain lighter fluid, acetone (the same ingredient that makes up nail polish remover), liquefied petroleum gas & a dizzying array of other toxic ingredients that increase the risk of your having breathing disorders.

2. Reduce the Amount of Plastic You Use: Just because you may have switched

to BPA-Free (Bisphenol-A) plastic doesn’t mean you are safe from the damage plastics can cause. Many manufacturers removed BPA from their plastics, replacing the toxic ingredient with equally damaging compounds known as EAs, which is short for estrogen activity. These synthetic chemicals pose a threat to your health, & to children in particular, increasing aggression, damaging their immune system, & wreaking havoc on your hormones.  You should switch to stainless steel or glass water bottles, food storage containers, or other household items.

3. Stop Heating Food in Plastic Containers in your Microwave Oven: The heat

increases the leaching of the toxic ingredients into your food that is stored in them. In research published in the journal Environmental Health, both BPA-free plastic & BPA-containing plastic were found to have estrogen activity, which means that they can throw off the delicate hormonal balance when they leech into your food or water.

4. Make the Laundry Switch: Most commercially-available laundry detergents &

water of over 6.5 million Americans. Some samples ranged between 5 and 175 timefabric softeners are loaded with harmful, & even cancer-causing, ingredients. While it may be tempting to you to assume that the amounts used were approved by the government as safe, the vast majority of ingredients used in laundry products were never tested for safety prior to their being allowed for use in our consumer products. Here’s a sampling of the chemicals in most laundry products: alpha-terpineol (linked to disorders of your brain & nervous system, loss of muscle control, depression & headaches), Benzyl acetate (linked to pancreatic cancer) & pentane (linked to your headaches, nausea, dizziness, fatigue, drowsiness & depression).

6. Start Filtering Your Drinking Water: Our tap water now contains a myriad of

toxic ingredients, including: lead, chlorine, fluoride & even sometimes prescription medications & hormones. As you learned above, 6.5 million Americans now drink water with Teflon. You should choose the best quality water filter you can afford. If that’s a simple pitcher model, it’s likely better than nothing at all (assuming you choose one that isn’t loaded with all sorts of chemical ingredients).

7. Add a Water Filter to Your Showerhead: While you’re picking up a water filter,

be sure to add one to your shower head. There are many affordable options that simply attach to a standard showerhead. Most of our water now contains chlorine, which we breathe in & absorb through our skin in the shower; however, most showerhead filters remove chlorine.

8. Choose Sustainable & Healthier Flooring Options: Many of our carpets contain a whole host of toxic ingredients including the

carcinogen formaldehyde. Vinyl plank flooring & linoleum can off-gas chemicals for years after they’re installed in your home. Choose wood, tile, bamboo, cork or another type of healthy flooring option when you are renovating or building your home.

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Wow!  Great & very interesting information as it taught me a lot. Oh, I knew some of it already, but who knew there are so many toxins, that we breathe in daily, in our own home?

Makes you scratch your head & wonder if there is a manufacturer out there that gives a damn about us??!! If they kill us all, who will be left to buy their products???  I find it doubtful after reading this that they give a damn about anything more than their bottom line; our planet can go to the dickens for all they care (& I’m being nice 🙂 ). Especially knowing what is going on in our world today, we all need to think about these things.  I won’t get on a soap box here, but we really need to be leaving a cleaner, healthier environment for our kids & grandkids. This simply isn’t good for anyone!

With all this said, I hope you have a great day & do what you can to make this world of ours a better place for now & the future…