Make Your Home Non-Toxic

5 Simple Swaps to start making your home a safe, clean environment for your family!

When I became a mother, my priorities shifted from myself to my baby. I began to question everything... the food we eat, the cleaning products we use, the products we put on our skin.

Being a mother made me consider what I use in my home and how that could effect my baby negatively. And if it's affecting my baby, then it's affecting me and my husband too! This is when I started on my non-toxic journey... a journey which I am still on.

A non-toxic journey is not an all or nothing. It's little changes you can make that build up gradually to cleaner living. It's not throwing everything out that you have just bought (unless you want to) and starting fresh. It's also not being totally paranoid over every single substance you come into contact with.... that's also unhealthy. I found that it is best to start making changes to things that you can and as time goes on swapping more things out for cleaner products. This leads to better health for you and your family.

Here's how I would start:

Cleaning Products

When your cleaning products start to run out, look at how you can swap these for a non-toxic product. There are so many companies on the market now that make effective, non-toxic products (so much more than when I started years ago). Start with your washing up liquid, surface sprays and dishwasher tablets. Or if you are feeling up to it, you can even make your own cleaning products.

Candles

These are a big no no. The candles that you see in the shops with wonderful fragrances and beautiful jars are actually not very good for you. The synthetic fragrances usually contain phthalates, which are released into the air and inhaled and absorbed into the body. These can have negative effects on the body such as exacerbating allergic symptoms and asthma and even alter hormone levels. I buy soy wax candles that are made with essential oils, they look cute, smell just as good and I am not polluting my own home with harsh chemicals.

Washing Detergents

We wear clothes all day everyday (pretty much) and so do our children. The regular shop bought products that you wash your clothes with are also laden with toxic substances, artificial fragrances and more. When your detergent next runs out, try swapping it for a clean, non-toxic detergent. Think about how good it will feel knowing that the things that touch your body the most aren't covered in chemicals.

Baby & Children Products

Shampoo, conditioner, bubble bath, nappies, baby wipes, nappy cream, All the things that touch our babies skin daily... let's make sure that these are not hindering their health in any way. There are fantastic companies out there who have taken the time to formulate products that work extremely well and are good for babies and children, take advantage of that!

Drinks

What you drink out of every day is going straight into your mouth. How about swapping your plastic water bottles and plastic cups for a lead-free stainless steel or glass cup. Same with children, so many babies and children are drinking from plastic. Those plastics are leaching into the water and then straight into their bodies. Stainless steel and glass products are also durable and unless my children actually lose one, I don't have to replace them often.

Hopefully these tips have inspired you to start improving your home environment. There are even some great apps out there to help you and that tell you how clean a product is. The good thing is that when you take the time to find a great non-toxic product, then you can just buy it again and again and know that you have made a big difference in your home. Sometimes these products are very reasonable in price, sometimes they are slightly more expensive than regular products. You will have to decide how and when you prioritise buying them within your budget. Just know that small changes add up over time and make a big difference!

Looking for some recommendations, head over to some of my favourites where I provide a list of products that I use on a regular basis.