Spring is finally in the air! I don’t know about you, but as the days get a little warmer and the sun sets a little later, I find myself re-energized, awake and motivated with a renewed sense of self.
Spring is such an amazing season. It is a time of growth, of change and of resurgence. Everything that gave way to the cold, harsh winter finally returns, more vibrant and more beautiful than it was before.
As the earth begins to re-energize and start anew, it is also the perfect time to reset and refresh both your body and your home. Just as stagnation depletes our bodies, our homes feel the effects as well. The harsh winters and long, cold nights force us to seal up our windows, turn on the heat and hibernate indoors.
This lack of movement and circulation within the home can actually create an increasingly toxic environment. Without fresh air to flush the toxins out, things begin to accumulate. It’s just like our bodies. If we allow toxins to continue to circulate within our bodies for too long, we become sick. The same can be said for our homes.
So, let’s use this fresh spring air to reset and refresh our homes. With these 6 steps, it’s simple!
How Toxic Is Your Home?
A clean home does not necessarily mean a healthy home. Toxins enter our homes from many different sources and, ironically, our cleaning products are a major one. From the dust in the air and the dirt we track in on our shoes to the slue of chemicals we spray throughout the house, our homes tend to accumulate a great deal of toxins that we inevitably end up ingesting or absorbing.
The air in a typical home in the US contains over 500 chemicals, making it 2-5 times more polluted than outdoor air. Luckily, there are some simple steps you can take to detox your home this Spring.
How To Detox Your Home
1. Purify The Air With Plants
There are tons of house plants that help to purify the air in our homes. Even if you don’t have a green thumb, there are lots of strong, self-sufficient plants you can get. Plants like aloe vera and english ivy or a peace lily or even a spider plant are all great plants to have around the house to help purify the air around you. No green thumb required.
2. Detox Your Cabinets
A major source of toxins in our home comes from our cleaning supplies. Everything from dryer sheets and bleach to air fresheners and candles contain hazardous, harmful ingredients that impact our health. Start by simply sorting through your cabinet of cleaning supplies and reading the labels. Become aware of what is really in all those sprays and wipes and soaps so you can make more conscious choices down the road.
Now, I’m not saying you should throw everything out and immediately run to the nearest natural market. Make the transition to natural cleaning products at your own pace. Maybe you want to finish up what you’ve already paid for and use that time to learn how to make your own or research some pre-made natural alternatives. Small steps in the right direction are totally fine!
3. No Shoes Allowed!
One of the simplest, yet most important steps in detoxifying your home is enforcing a strict no-shoes rule. The bottoms of our shoes track in everything from dirt and bacteria to toxins, like herbicides and fungal spores. Make it a rule that shoes come off as soon as you enter the house.
4. Open Windows
Just like our bodies, the air in our home needs to circulate. Stagnation is the route of disease in humans and it is the root of poor air quality in our home. It can be tough in those long winter months to find a chance to turn down the heat and crack open the windows. This makes for, not only stale, dry air, but toxic air.
At any point, the air in our home can be more than twice as polluted as the air right outside our walls. Opening windows creates air circulation that helps to flush out these toxins.
5. Get a HEPA Filter
Do your best to keep dust accumulation to a minimum. Between dust mites and the chemicals that can accumulate within the dust in your home, this can greatly impact your home’s air quality. Consider a HEPA-filter vacuum as these will pick up the widest range of particles and remove allergens.
6. Start Small
While this may all seem like a lot of steps to detox your home, it’s easier than it looks. Start small by taking a couple of these suggestions at a time. How hard is it to open the windows now that the weather is warming, right? Already, you’ve reduced your toxic load dramatically! Taking your shoes off when you come home- not too hard, right? You’ve got this! Just tackle one thing at a time when the time is right for you.
Maybe you start by replacing your air fresheners in your home with homemade, safe alternatives and buying a plant. Next month, maybe you swap out a couple of your cleaning products. Take it slow! If you are consciously making an effort of any size to improve the air quality in your home, you are on the right track!
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