Your Best Self Blog

OCHD’s Spring-clean Your Life Guide, Part 3: Detox Your Home

BY: Dr Frank Lipman

My daughter was diagnosed with asthma when she was 5 years old. We tried conventional and alternative treatments, but nothing helped. Then we ripped up the carpeting in our home, and almost overnight her breathing improved.

There are 500 to 1,000 chemicals in the typical house trapped in carpeting, dirt, insulation, tap water and more. Some have been linked to asthma and allergies, others to cancer, and still more to disorders of the nervous system. So when you’re spring-cleaning, take the time to implement these five simple strategies to detox your home.

Home Detox Strategy No. 1: Leave your shoes at the door. The soles of your shoes can track in pesticides (from the park or your neighbour’s well-manicured yard), lead (from the street) and just plain dirt. Keep a pair of slippers to change into by the front door -- they’ll be comfier anyway -- or designate a pair of shoes as house-only.

Home Detox Strategy No. 2: Freshen up. Ventilate your home by opening the doors and windows when the weather’s pleasant. Keep a plant in every room of your house to help remove the toxins from the air. And instead of spraying chemical air-fresheners, make your rooms smell nice with fresh flowers or herbs, like sage and rosemary.

Home Detox Strategy No. 3: Clean naturally. Scrub your tiles with baking soda, remove stains with hydrogen peroxide and use vinegar in place of bleach. These natural cleaners are not only better for you, but also much cheaper.

Home Detox Strategy No. 4: Skip the stain guard. Even though it seems practical if you have a kid around the house, avoid buying stain-guarded furniture or bedding. They’re usually treated with perfluorinated acid, a chemical linked to fertility and kidney problems.

Home Detox Strategy No. 5: Get a fabric shower curtain. Many plastic curtains contain BPA (a chemical linked to cancer) and phthalates (which may cause endocrine and developmental problems). Avoid plastic elsewhere in the house too: Skip the plastic wrap, plastic containers and plastic bottles -- unless the packaging specifies they’re BPA- and phthalate-free.