Your diet is a varied whole foods diet consisting mostly of vegetables, you opt for organic wherever you can, you supplement religiously, get your body moving regularly, and your skin care is all-natural and on point. What left is there to do when it comes to your clean living lifestyle? A lot actually.
Clean lifestyles are all about feeling our best and healthiest as we aim to promote longevity. A major approach to achieving this is by limiting our toxin exposure. One thing to consider is our exposure to the toxins we have in our home. Those living a clean lifestyle are conscious about what they put on and in their bodies, so it makes sense and should naturally follow to be conscious of what we surround our body with. While it’s impossible to have full control of our surroundings, you can, to a degree, have a say in this by limiting your exposure to toxins in your home.
Here are some common toxins found in your home:
1. Benzene
Benzene, a known human carcinogen is found in many household products such as adhesives used for minor home repair work, degreasers, a variety of solvents, and lacquer and paint. It is the fumes that we should be concerned about as benzene most commonly enters our body through inhalation.
Alternatives
Thanks to all the proven negative effects Benzene has on the human body, there are many benzene-free alternatives to most household items. Opt for benzene-free paint and adhesives to lessen your homes toxicity.
2. Formaldehyde
Formaldehyde is a preservative used commonly in commercial products. Read the label for its other names such as DMDM hydantoin, urea, 5-Bromo-5-nitro-1,3-dioxane etc. Formaldehyde is used to preserve products to prevent any bacterial growth and to prolong its shelf life. Unfortunately, formaldehyde is linked to causing cancer, especially when exposed to high amounts. With that said, formaldehyde can be found all over the household ranging from personal care products such as shampoo and hand washes, cleaning products such as air-freshener, and home maintenance products such as paint and glue.
Alternatives
You can lessen your exposure to formaldehyde simply by keeping proper ventilation in your home as formaldehyde fumes quickly break down when exposed to air. Choose formaldehyde-free products which you can easily find when opting for all-natural and ‘green’ products.
3. Glyphosate
Glyphosate is an herbicide which is widely used everywhere especially for mass-produced agricultural products such as cotton. That means anything from your earbuds, to tampons to t-shirts all potentially are adding toxicity through your home by the likely presence of Glyphosate. Why this is concerning is because Glyphosate was recently confirmed to be a carcinogen. Apart from potential exposure to this herbicide from your cotton products, glyphosate is sold as an herbicide as well so if you do any maintenance for your garden, front lawn, or backyard, you may want to take a look at the kind of chemicals you’re using to keep your plants bug and weed-free.
Alternatives
Fortunately, where your green thumb is concerned, there are many all-natural and even DIY alternatives to keeping unwanted pests and weeds off your precious plants. Ingredients such as vinegar, lemons, crushed peppers and essential oils like clove and citrus oils all can effectively do the same job as Glyphosate, without adding any toxicity to your home. Where cotton products are concerned, do your best to choose products made with organic cotton as this will lessen your skin contact with toxins and is also better for the environment in the long run.
4. Lead
Lead has long been busted as a dangerous chemical. As a neurotoxin and an endocrine disruptor, exposure to this chemical should be eliminated as best as we can. Unfortunately, lead can be found in our homes, especially with older products. Used in many other things other than your lipstick, you can find lead in paint, stained glass windows, varnishes and protective coatings on various surfaces and appliances.
Alternatives
Although many manufacturers still use lead to create products, you can start by choosing lead-free products such as lead-free paints and adhesives. If lead is already in your home such as the paint on your walls, you can call a professional paint stripper to remove the paint and to cover it with lead-free paint instead.
HOW CAN I PROTECT MY BODY FROM TOXINS IN MY HOME?
There’s a long list of chemicals that can be found in our home, and regardless if it has been scientifically proven to be toxic or not to our body or if there isn’t enough information yet on a given household chemical, it’s always best to err on the side of caution where your body’s overall toxic load is concerned. We get enough exposure to toxins on a daily basis from the food we eat, the air we breathe, and the things we touch. While this is a normal part of modern life and a healthy body can effectively filter out and protect from the negative effects of these toxins, it’s still important to consider the cumulative effect of all the toxins that surround us and to eliminate them when and where we can.
Keep your body on toxin-eliminating mode through a healthy functioning liver, our ultimate detox organ. Try our Liver Care supplement, which is specifically made with liver supporting ingredients to help rip your body of toxins that you can accumulate on a daily basis.
