6 Ways to Reduce Environmental Toxins in your Home
Coming at you today with a very important topic, but one that a lot of us feel overwhelmed about and have no idea where to start!
Reducing your exposure to environmental toxins in your home.
What are environmental toxins? This phrase has been rather new to me in the last 5 years and something I’m constantly learning more and more about. Environmental toxins are substances in our environment that can be harmful to humans. Examples include hormone disruptors (interfere with our endocrine system - I’ve talked about the consequences of these chemicals in a post here), heavy metals (lead, mercury, arsenic), pesticides, air pollutants, plastics, industrial chemicals…
These environmental toxins are everywhere, and a lot is out of our hands, such as in our air outside. It’s hard to control the air pollutants in the outside air we breathe. But, there are a lot of areas in our life and especially in our home, where we can control our exposures to these toxins. However, this can feel SO overwhelming... I know I feel that!! So, I wanted to break down a few key areas to reduce your exposure in a doable way in your home.
One important thing to note is that I call this a “journey”. It doesn’t happen overnight! I’ve definitely learned that taking small steps can make a significant difference over time. I am not perfect, our family and home sure isn’t perfect in all of these areas, but I do try where we can to make better choices (without my husband totally thinking I’ve gone crazy LOL). You also need to do what works for your own life, and what is realistic for you.
The list I share below are areas I have learned are some of the most important areas, and the swaps I’ve personally made in my life and in our home over time… but, I know we are all different, so what works for me may not work for someone else. But hopefully, at the very least, this guide will empower you and inspire you! The good thing is that more and more consumers are paying attention and demanding better, and there are more and more safer options for our homes on the market than there used to be! That at least makes making these swaps a tiny bit easier.
Here are my top ways to make changes in your everyday life and home to reduce your exposure to environmental toxins.
Reduce your Plastic Use. This has been a journey for us over time the last several years! Plastics contain hormone-disrupting chemicals like BPA and phthalates which are linked to breast cancer, fertility issues, and premature puberty. I first focused on my bowls and food storage containers that we use regularly in the kitchen and now use glass food storage containers instead of plastic (you can find lots of options for this luckily, and there are even packs of glass storage containers at stores like Target with a variety of sizes and lids!). We also have stainless steel water bottles for my kids water bottles instead of plastic ones. We are far from perfect, and still use some plastic and single use plastic in our home, but I know that small steps really do add up!!! Speaking of single use plastic, try a compostable plastic bag when you need a plastic bag - you’ll be helping the environment so much (I love these ones here). And if you are a parent, you can find lots of bamboo plates and cup options for your kids, instead of plastic ones. Here are some plates and cups we love for my kids.
Be Mindful of your Personal Care Products. Check the ingredients on your personal care products. I am talking about your shampoo, body wash, face and body lotions, deodorant, face wash, soap, sunscreens… things you use on your skin every single day! What I have learned is that a lot of mainstream products on the store shelf I used to use contain parabens and other hormone disrupting chemicals. Since we apply these products daily to our skin (our largest organ), and this is something that we can control, it can be an easy swap to make once you learn what products to get. Focus first on the products you apply daily. To make it less overwhelming, scan your products on the EWG’s app, and it will give it a safety rating. It will also show you ewg verified products that are great options. Also, try and avoid products with “fragrance” as an ingredient - this loophole hides a lot of chemicals and hormone disruptors. Most of my personal care products are Beautycounter because I don’t have to second guess or worry about ingredients and I know it’s safe - so saves me time and worry - their safety standards are laid out here! Also, Beautycounter has helped pass 15 laws to date, so one day it won’t be so hard to determine what products on the store shelf are not good for us. This is also a major reason I have a brand advocate link with Beautycounter and have helped advocate in Washington DC to help pass better laws. (If you want to try out Beautycounter, email me at annaknewell@gmail.com and I can help find something for you and I have a 20% off code!! I love helping others find safe options for their skin)
Be mindful of your beauty products and use safer brands. Traditional beauty products may contain potentially harmful chemicals such as parabens, phthalates, sulfates, heavy metals and synthetic fragrances. The good news is that the public is more aware and seeking better options and there are more and more “clean beauty” brands that seek to minimize these exposures and ingredients. It’s still pretty hard to decipher which brand to use because any brand can call themselves “clean” even though they may contain not-so-good ingredients. But, big name stores like Ulta have created clean categories to make it a bit easier on the consumer, and you can also check the brand to see if they lay out their safety standards on their websites. Again, this is all overwhelming and another reason why Beautycounter is my top brand and when I wear makeup, it’s the brand I wear. I love that it tests for heavy metals, something common in makeup - especially lip products - and no other brand is testing for it but should be.
Choose Healthier Household Cleaners. Many conventional cleaners contain harsh chemicals that can be harmful to your health and the environment. And even ones marketed as clean still contain not-so-good things (scanning your cleaning products on the EWG app will help you see the safety rating!). My favorite natural household cleaner we use the most in our home is Branch Basics. You buy a concentrate to fill up the bottles so it’s also less waste! We use their All-Purpose Spray for everything! We’ve used for over 4 years and I don’t stray far from this brand.
Avoid chemical fertilizers and weed killers on your lawn. The use of chemical fertilizers and weed killers can expose humans and pets to potentially harmful substances and the prolonged exposure has been linked to health issues in humans - including skin irritations, respiratory problems, and more severe long-term health effects. However, this topic one has been a really tough sell for Chad who loves a perfect yard and doesn’t understand why we can’t use them because “everyone else around us is”!! But, I have a non-negotiable on using chemicals on my lawn and garden. Because not only are the chemicals harmful to our children who roll around in the grass often, but they also hurt the butterflies and bees and are disrupting our ecosystem. I always tell Chad that our health of our family is way more important than a weed. And it looks more natural in my opinion :) My hope is that the more and more we all stop using chemical fertilizers on our lawns, we can have a ripple effect and companies will be forced to provide a safer option.
Avoid burning synthetic candles in your home. Some fragrances found in candles may contain hormone disrupting chemicals that interfere with our hormone balance in our body, and also phthalates with harmful effects on human health. Some also may be allergic or sensitive to the chemicals used in these synthetic fragrances- leading to respiratory issues, headaches, or skin irritations. I know this is a hard swap for many and we have burned a candle or two in our home, so we are not perfect. But, there are a lot of safer, more natural candle brands on the market. Or, you can use an oil diffuser with pure essenital oils - which we will do the most! You can also make your home smell cozy with a simmering pot on the stove, which I have loved to do, and share about on my blog often - like this one here.
Okay, that was a good start, right?! Remember… it doesn’t happen overnight and small changes really do add up over time!!!! Once I made these changes, I moved on to our laundry detergent, wool dryer balls instead of dryer sheets, bedding/mattresses and also swapped our insect repellant (love the Badger brand or natural patches you apply to clothing)
Reach out if you need help making any of the above changes. It really does take a village!
