Detox your home: 10 tips to enjoy a healthier home environment

It is the simplest and most economical way for you to improve your indoor air quality.

Get into good daily ventilation habits:

• Eliminate toxic substances
• Restore the balance of the air
• Regulate air humidity

When and how should I ventilate?

Cross ventilation is the most effective (windows facing each other).

• In winter, airing the rooms in short intervals of about 5 minutes twice a day is sufficient to freshen up the indoor air.
• In spring and autumn go for 8 to 15 minutes, and
• In summer it can be extended to 30 minutes at least.

• Perfumes, parabens, and other toxic products are part of the very long list of harmful substances present in cleaning and cosmetic products that we use on daily basis.
• They can cause mild symptoms such as irritation, dizziness, headaches, or even alter hormones, affect reproductive capacity, damage the nervous system.
• The safest option is to use natural products or at least certified organic products.
• Why not try homemade cleaning products using white vinegar water and baking soda? 

Some plastic packaging can be toxic, and release harmful chemicals that may cause serious health effects, for example, in the endocrine system. Look around: there is plastic everywhere (bags, bottles, kitchen containers, toys, furniture...) Replace the plastic with healthier options that protect your health and that of the planet.

•  In the kitchen, use glass, ceramic, wood, or stainless steel.
• In the supermarket, avoid buying products that are packaged in plastic. Choose cardboard containers or those sold in bulk.
• Wooden furniture and quality furniture.
• For decoration and lighting, choose natural materials.

The materials you paint your house with or cover your walls may be releasing harmful chemicals: volatile organic compounds (VOCs) that can contaminate the air. Paint takes up a lot of space in the home and we need to pay special attention to it.

• If you belong to that large sector of the population that spends a good part of the day locked up, whether at home or at the office... clean up the dust whenever you can.
• A lot of toxins from furniture, fabrics, paints... get into the air and are deposited as dust. It is necessary to clean especially when there are babies and small children who spend time on the floor.

What toxins does dust contain?

• In every house, the composition will be different but what is most worrying are the persistent substances (which do not degrade) and bioaccumulate in our body.
• Pay attention to leave your shoes outside or at the entrance. Shoes often carry contaminated dust from the outside: pesticides sprayed in public parks, bacteria.

Everything feels better with plants and flowers in the house. You just have to keep in mind that some may cause allergies and be toxic for children and pets. Check out the ASPCA guide  to make sure you buy the right thing. 

In recent years the artificial electromagnetic radiation to which we are exposed generated by electrical installations, mobile phones, household appliances has increased exponentially. Although most of us do not feel its effects (electrosensitivity) it may be gradually damaging our health. Check out our article about ways to reduce this type of pollution. 

In addition to artificial radiation, there is also natural radiation. They do not affect us all equally, but sometimes they can be responsible for an immune system with low defences, nervous tics, bruxism, hyperativity.

Each color has unique qualities. They influence your mood and emotions. Selecting the color of the rooms you live in is no small detail. To create a harmonious atmosphere, try to use a maximum of 3 different colors in each space.

• For the colors that dominate the walls and floors, choose soft tones.
• For secondary colors, choose a complementary tone to the main one.
• For the decoration and accessories colors, a more risky color.

If we pay attention to the details around us we get positive benefits for the mind and emotions and ultimately for the whole body and the well-being of our life. Feng Shui offers many guidelines for that.

Look at some of these examples.

• Reduce the number of sharp angles or corners that point directly at us, at least in furniture and decorative objects. Prioritize the curve and the circle in front of the square or the triangle
•  Keep the whole house in order, both in the rooms and in the furniture
• Avoid the accumulation of unnecessary things.
• Plants and decoration: get rid of damaged or broken objects and take care of plants