Cleaning Up the Air in Your Home

I’m just an average person who isn’t perfect in every aspect of life, but cleaning up the air in our homes is one area that’s an easy optimisation to help mitigate other toxicities and stressors we may be exposed to throughout the day. 

This passion for a non-toxic, yet modern, lifestyle stemmed from my having nagging health symptoms like bloating, fatigue, swelling, inflammation, loss of motivation, and overall, a variety of health concerns in my early twenties. I was also diagnosed with hypothyroidism, PCOS, immunodeficiency, and other chronic diseases.

I wasn’t about to let these symptoms and diagnoses define me for the rest of my life, so I set out to heal my body by revamping my lifestyle, environment, mindset, and nutrition. I did end up healing fully and getting off all medications. I truly have never felt or looked better in my entire life. It seems odd that cleaning up your air could be something that impacts health so profoundly, but it truly does and was a big component of my healing journey. When you reduce the toxins in your air, you’re lowering the chronic burden of inflammation and attack on your body and raising your body's ability to function fully. 

Every day you wake up, spend time, and sleep in your home. You want to ensure that the air you’re breathing is clean, circulated, and fresh. And if you have an office space you go to during the day, you’ll want to implement these strategies there too, if possible. 

CLEAN AIR

First up is ensuring your air is clean. This means ridding it of airborne particles, dust, and volatile organic compounds (VOCs). To do this, you’ll want to be sure you have clean air vents in your home. If you haven’t had those ducts cleaned in a while (or ever), go ahead and schedule a cleaning appointment. Do this approximately every two years. 

You’ll want to buy a pack of air filters for the house furnace; I recommend labelling them for every other month, or whatever is recommended based on the filter you purchase and the size of your home. This will remind you when it’s time to change them.

I recommend purchasing a high-efficiency particulate air (HEPA) air filter for the inside of your home to further clean the air from dust and toxic fumes that can come from furniture, flooring, and paints. You could buy just one and switch around the location in your home or purchase a few to cover more ground without moving the filter unit. 

In addition to filters, be sure to dust and vacuum regularly to maintain clean air within your home. 

CIRCULATED AIR

Opening the windows in your home to circulate fresh air is very important. Do this a few times a week to bring in fresh air and circulate out the stagnant air. Even in the wintertime, this is important.

UNSCENTED AIR

The air we breathe most often should not only be clean and fresh but unscented too. So swap out your household cleaning items, soaps, and laundry detergents for unscented versions. Even things like trash bags come in scents now, which you want to avoid if you’re focused on your health. The reason is that these scents are often toxic to your body and can cause serious complications in the long term. Additionally, if you’re trying to actively heal your body from something, these scents can cause inflammation and physiological stress, which makes it much harder for your body to heal. This goes for candles and wall plug-in room deodorisers too! Remove them from your home and car. If you do use scents in your home, you’ll want to choose non-toxic, organic, essential-oil-scented items. These should be used minimally but are a better option when you want (or need) a scent of some sort. 

At first, when I was making these changes in my life, I was nervous because I used to love scented lotions, candles, and other household items; however, after removing these scents, I now cannot stand going somewhere that has a lot of artificially scented items. I can feel how toxic it is, and don’t want to breathe it in. You’ll soon desire fresh unscented air once you make this change too.

Here’s a checklist for you to easily reference as you optimise the air around you. This is a great place to start, but I’d also recommend that you assess your home yourself to see if you have any more areas you can clean up.

Remove Synthetic Scents & Fragrances:

• Candles
• Wall plugs
• Room sprays
• Laundry detergent
• Dryer sheets
• Hand soap
• Body lotion
• Dishwasher soap 
• Trash bags
• Countertop cleaner
• Scented dolls if you have children
• Traditional perfumes and colognes (they now sell non-toxic versions)

Clean Air Quick Checklist

• Get your ducts cleaned
• Get house filters, and label/set reminders to change
• Get a HEPA air purifier 
• Dust and vacuum your home once per week (either put this in your calendar or hire it out if you don’t already have someone helping you clean your home)
• If you have a housekeeper, ensure they’re using the household products you provide so they’re non-toxic and on board with your plan
• Keep air circulated
  • Open windows in your home at least once a week 
• If you’re building a home or remodelling, minimise dust and chemicals
  • Hard flooring is superior to carpet due to easier cleaning
  • Use zero or low-VOC paints
  • Opt for organic mattresses and bedding
  • Keep HEPA air filter on high throughout the remodelling/building process 
  • Put air filter by any new furniture/rugs daily to decrease toxic fumes

I hope this helps to inspire and educate you in cleaning up the air in your home. Enjoy your house reset!