Did you know that some things in your house could be making you or your family feel sick? Yikes! But don't worry, I've got some cool tips to help you make your home a healthy paradise. Let's dive in!
1. Air Filters Are Awesome!
Guess what? The air inside your house might be dirtier than the air outside! Crazy, right? Most of us hang out inside for about 90% of the day (1)!
Things like carpets, scented candles, cooking smells, bug sprays, cleaning sprays, and even our comfy couches can make the air inside not-so-fresh (2, 3). Oh, and don’t forget about those sneaky mold, germs, pollen, and tiny dust bugs that could be hiding out too.
But don't worry! A super easy fix is to use air filters in your place. They're like superheroes for your air, catching all the bad stuff so you can breathe easy. The coolest air filters out there are from Austin Air, Air Doctor, and Air Oasis. And remember, keeping your home clean helps a bunch too. So, let's make our indoor air awesome together!
2. Clean Water, Happy Life
Guess what? Even though we think our drinking water in the U.S. is super safe, sometimes it's not as clean as we hope. A whopping 45 million people run into icky water issues every year (4). And get this: we can't even drink water from lakes or rivers without cleaning it first!
Our tap water might have some sneaky stuff in it like BPA (that's a tough chemical), bug killers (pesticides), weed killers (herbicides), heavy metals, teeny-tiny plastics, and even leftovers from makeup, soaps, and medicines (5, 6, 7). Yikes, that sounds kinda scary, doesn't it?
Let's talk about Austin, Texas, for a sec. There, almost a million folks are using water every day that's got some of those not-so-nice things in it (tap water database). But don't worry, we've got some cool tricks to make water super clean again!
You can use fancy gadgets like reverse osmosis filters, activated carbon filters, grab some spring water, or even get a water distiller. These tools are like magic for making sure your water is safe and tasty to drink. So, let's get to cleaning that water and make it sparkle!
3. Glass & Stainless Steel for the Win!
Let's dive deeper into the water we drink! Guess what? Using plastic water bottles every day might not be the best idea.
Most of these bottles are made from a stuff called PET. It's not cool because it can sneak some yucky things like phthalates into your water (8). And phthalates? They're not our friends (9). They mess with our bodies in ways we don't want, hiding in lotions, soaps, and even our favorite scents.
And there's this thing called BPA, a sneaky chemical that can get into our water too. It's linked to some pretty serious health issues like messing with how we feel and even our memory (10). Plus, when plastic bottles get really hot, they can let even more bad stuff into the water (11, 12).
Oh, and those tiny pieces of plastic, called microplastics? They're everywhere, even in bottled water. Studies show that a lot of bottled water has these tiny invaders (13). Even heating plastic in the microwave can release billions of them into our food (14). Yikes!
But here's a happy swap - using glass or stainless steel bottles and cups. They're like superheroes for your drink, keeping those pesky contaminants away. Plus, they're good for the planet and can be used over and over again. Let's make the switch and keep our water clean and safe!
4. Store Food in Glass
Plastic containers are a no-go. Glass containers are the way to go! They keep your food fresh and don’t have any bad chemicals.
5. Pick Safe Personal Care Products
Here's a fun tip: if you wouldn't eat it, don't put it on your skin! Believe it or not, beauty stuff like makeup, shampoo, and deodorant is made with over 12,000 different things, and not all of them are super safe (15).
Makeup and other beauty products can have lots of weird ingredients. Some of these can mess with the air inside your house because of the fake smells they use (16). They can even mess with your body's signals, with stuff called phthalates that shouldn't be on your skin (17).
And guess what? Some makeup has metals like aluminum, which is not good for your brain or bones (18). Scientists are finding out that some of these ingredients we thought were okay might actually not be so great for us after all (19).
So, what can you do to stay safe? Don't worry, there are good choices out there! The The EWG Skin Deep Cosmetics Database is a cool place to find safe beauty products. Plus, our Strong Jaw community has a list of awesome shampoos, sunscreens, toothpaste, and more that are better for you (just send us a message)!
6. Say Bye to Non-Stick Cookware
Here's a fun tip: if you wouldn't eat it, don't put it on your skin! Believe it or not, beauty stuff like makeup, shampoo, and deodorant is made with over 12,000 different things, and not all of them are super safe.
Makeup and other beauty products can have lots of weird ingredients. Some of these can mess with the air inside your house because of the fake smells they use. They can even mess with your body's signals, with stuff called phthalates that shouldn't be on your skin.
And guess what? Some makeup has metals like aluminum, which is not good for your brain or bones. Scientists are finding out that some of these ingredients we thought were okay might actually not be so great for us after all.
So, what can you do to stay safe? Don't worry, there are good choices out there! The EWG Skin Deep Cosmetics Database is a cool place to find safe beauty products. Plus, our Heart & Soil Community has a list of awesome shampoos, sunscreens, toothpaste, and more that are better for you!
7. Natural Cleaning Rocks
Guess what? Those everyday cleaning sprays and soaps are like a witch's brew of chemicals! They come with scary warnings because they can be bad for our health, even making it hard to breathe for some people (22).
But here's a cool secret: You can clean almost anything with just vinegar, baking soda, or lemon juice! These are nature's cleaning wizards. Plus, there are awesome companies like Branch Basics that make safe, earth-friendly cleaners for your whole house.
So, let's get our clean on the safe way and make our homes sparkle without the scary stuff!
8. Cook with Good Fats
Guess what? Picking the right cooking oil can make your home even healthier! A long time ago, people cooked with cool stuff like tallow, butter, lard, ghee, and olive oil. These are all natural and super good for you.
But now, we see a lot of canola, soybean, and sunflower oil in kitchens. They're super easy to find and don't cost much, but here's the catch: they go through a lot of processing, have something called linoleic acid that's not great for us, and might even play a part in making people sick with things like heart trouble and obesity.
So, let's try to use oils that are better for us, sticking to those that are natural and not too processed. It's like choosing the superheroes of oils for our cooking!
9. Go Organic & Wash Your Veggies
Guess what? Farmers use special sprays called pesticides to keep bugs and weeds away from crops. It helps grow lots of food, but sometimes these sprays can make us feel not so great. They're linked to some health troubles like making it tough for some people to have babies and causing lots of illnesses every year (23).
Peeling and rinsing your fruits and veggies in just water doesn't get all the spray stuff off (24). But here's a cool trick: you can wash them with some baking soda and apple cider vinegar or even ozone water to make them cleaner (25, 26).
And guess what else? Eating organic food is another awesome way to avoid those pesky sprays. Organic fruits and vegetables are grown without those harsh chemicals. They might cost a bit more, but they're super good for keeping you healthy and happy!
10. Ditch the Fake Scents
Guess what? Some everyday stuff like sunscreen, candles, and even those yummy-smelling air fresheners might not be so great for us (27). They've got something called synthetic fragrances, which are basically fake smells made from a bunch of chemicals—sometimes over 300 of them! And the craziest part? Companies don't always tell us what's in these smells (28).
These fake smells might make us feel like we're walking through a field of flowers, but they can actually make some people feel pretty sick. They can make it hard to breathe, give us headaches, and even mess with our brains (29, 30). Yikes!
But here's the good news: You can totally avoid these sneaky smells! Here's how:
- Say "no thanks" to air fresheners and dryer sheets. They're like a mystery box of smells.
- Go for cleaning products, soaps, and shampoos that don't have any scent. They do the job without the mystery chemicals.
- Light up your room with candles made from natural stuff like beeswax, coconut oil, or animal fat. They smell good and are much friendlier to your nose.
- Check out Made Safe. It's like a treasure map to find the safest, smell-good stuff for your home.
So, let's make our homes smell naturally awesome without those sneaky chemicals!.
11. Watch Out for EMFs
Welcome to the digital age, where our lives are filled with gadgets like phones, computers, and tablets! These cool devices give off something called EMFs, or electromagnetic fields, which are invisible energy waves.
Just like us and our planet, these gadgets have their own special fields. But now, we're around a lot more of these waves than ever before (31).
We're still figuring out exactly how these EMFs affect our health, but some people might feel really tired, have trouble thinking clearly, or get headaches (32).
But here's the good news: there are easy ways to keep those EMF waves from bothering you too much! Try these tips:
- Switch your phone or tablet to airplane mode when you're not using it.
- Keep your gadgets away from your head and, well, other important parts of your body.
- Take breaks from your devices. Maybe even put them in special bags called Faraday bags to block out EMFs.
Being smart about how we use our electronics can make our homes safer and healthier. Let's power up our health by turning down the EMFs!
Make Your Home a Healthy Haven!
Your house is where you chill the most, but it could be making you feel sick. Good news, though! You can totally make your space better and healthier.
Start by cleaning your water and air, pick cooking stuff that's safe, and say "no thanks" to fake smells. Making these small and cheap changes can really make your home a happy and healthy place.
Need a hand picking out the good stuff for your home? Our team of health experts are here to help you out with advice just for you! Send us a message here.