Environmental toxins can cause serious health issues if you don’t take measures to get rid of them. These unseen toxins can build up in your system and home over time without you realizing it. Luckily there are a variety of ways you can safeguard your home environment so the air you breathe, the food you eat, and the surfaces you touch don’t cause harm. From simple cleaning fixes to switching out the type of paint you use, there is no excuse for living around harmful chemicals. Let’s break down the top methods experts have put together to keep you and your family living as healthy as possible at home!
Ways To Get Rid Of Environmental Pollutants
If you’re living around toxic paint chemicals, using too much insecticide, or even not dusting enough, your body may have an increased risk of cancer, fatigue or dizziness, lack of concentration, asthma, allergies, and even long term nervous system damage.
The first step of keeping your home environment safe is to keep up a regular cleaning schedule. Besides the basic advice of cleaning the dishes after you use them, wiping down dirty counters, and decluttering your space, pay extra attention to lurking dust. Dust may seem like such a benign pest, but having too much built up on your furniture, in your closets, and even in your carpets can seriously destroy your tolerance towards allergens. It’s no wonder why certain people develop severe allergic reactions after living in a dusty atmosphere for a long time. If you want to avoid this issue, replace any old carpeting and use baby wipes to make sure your hard surfaces are dust-free. Clean your old laundry and throw out any old blankets, pillows, or stuffed animals that are collecting heaps of dust. While this is annoying to deal with, your allergies and overall immune system will thank you!
The next step is to discontinue any habits like smoking tobacco, marijuana, or even using a vaporizer inside. These days, smoking substances inside the home is still fairly common across all age groups. However, the particles from the smoke can cling to your furniture, stay in the air, and harm the health of young children or elder adults living in the same area. In fact, a study showed that nearly 40% of all children who live in a smoke invested home develop severe asthma over time. If you can’t quit the habit, make sure to take it outside instead.
Switch Out Decorative Toxins
Make sure that any paints or pesticides are switched out in your home to remove environmental toxins as well. Lead paint can include traces of radon which is extremely harmful and can cause serious brain damage to people who are exposed to it long enough. If you want to test the riskiness of the paint in your home, you can send a chip sample of the paint from your wall your local health department just in case. They measure the levels of lead that are in your paint and will point you to either removing it completely or using a substitute.
As for pesticides, they are silent killers and should be kept far away from your home. Even topical exposure to a pesticide can cause severe chemical burns, breathing problems, and dizziness in certain people. Use natural alternatives if you wish to get rid of pests or call a professional pest service to deal with a larger insect or rodent problem. Never deal with strong chemicals by yourself as accidents can likely happen.
Follow The Rules
You probably have heard that drinking water and washing your hands is essential to great health. However, doing it the right way will be critical to not bring outside toxins and bacteria into your abode. Avoid drinking any water straight from the tap as traces of harmful chemicals and germs are lurking in it all times. Take the safe step of installing a water filter to filter out these toxins and encourage you to drink more water for better health overall. Most water filters on the market today are not expensive and are very easy to install with instructions. You can even choose to buy water bottles with a filter built in so you’re drinking safe water on the go. Make sure your bottles are glass or aluminum to avoid toxins transferred from plastic surfaces.
While it’s a piece of advice you’ve heard thousands of times since childhood, washing your hands for at least half a minute is crucial. Every time you return home, cook food, or finish cleaning, wash your hands. It might seem unnecessary because we all believe we’re invincible at some point, but it’s better to be safe than sorry. We never know how much bacteria our hands our carrying, and it’s easier to not find out the hard way. Choose soaps that are natural and help moisturize your hands in order to stay clean at all times!
Be Preventive With Environmental Toxins
To stay free from environmental toxins and pollutants, practice healthy cleaning habits and get rid of chemicals that promise to cleanse your home well. The more natural a paint chemical, insect remover, or cleaning product is, the better. It only takes one to two hours a week to clean up your home so it’s the best space to live in. Making sure our health is top notch on the holistic level is key for wellness overall. Your home will not only look much better with less junk, but your body and visiting guests will be happier in the long run!
