Quick And Easy Ways To Reduce Toxins TODAY

We (hopefully) all want to reduce toxins as much as possible. But the list seems endless. There are pesticides on our lawns and in our food. There are flame retardants in our clothes and furniture. Cookware is toxic. Cleaning products are poison. Personal care products are killing us. There are PVCs, EMFs, VOCs, oh my! Avoiding them all seems daunting and impossible. It’s easy to get overwhelmed and just avoid all of it. Before you bury your head in the sand, read this. Here are some quick and easy ways you can reduce toxins TODAY!

Benefit from Prop 65

Proposition 65 is a California law requiring warnings on any products containing toxic substances. You can learn more on the Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment website. This is great, even for people not living in California. In this age of internet purchasing, Prop 65 notices are required to be placed online. So, wherever you live you can check if a product has a Prop 65 warning. Just pull up any product on Amazon (because EVERYTHING is there, right?). If there are toxic chemicals, at the very bottom of the main product information section you will see “California residents: Click here for Proposition 65 warning.” When you click, it will take you to this page for the specific information. This will help you buy less toxic products going forward!

Get a Houseplant

You probably know that there are toxins in the air from mold, dust, and chemicals. HEPA filters can be expensive and it might be too cold (or smoggy or buggy) to open the windows. Fortunately, houseplants are an affordable and effective way to purify the air. They naturally absorb chemicals and other toxins, removing indoor pollutants from your home. Ferns, Palms, Ficus, and Peace Lilies are all great choices to start with. Check out these articles for more information on choosing and caring for the best plants to remove toxins from your home:

Turn off your Wi-Fi at Night

There are many health concerns associated with the electromagnetic radiation Wi-Fi and other radio devices use to communicate. They may affect cell growth, brain development and functioning, fertility, sleep, and memory. It is probably not realistic to avoid Wi-Fi. Even if you didn’t need it for your personal use or in your home, you are undoubtedly exposed when you are out, at work, or in a “hot spot.” Wi-Fi is everywhere.

But just turning it off before you go to bed can be tremendously helpful. While you are sleeping, your parasympathetic nervous system is working hard to detox, restore, and repair your mind and body. If your body isn’t dealing with Wi-Fi at this time, it can more effectively heal any damage you incur from it during your waking hours. And you’re not using the Wi-Fi while you are sleeping anyway, right? And PS – stop sleeping with your phone under your pillow!

Use Natural Cleaning Products

I know, I know – I said this was something easy you could do today. And going through all your cleaning products and replacing them does not sound that easy. Luckily, you won’t have to do all that. You can clean almost everything with products you already have in your home. That’s right – all it takes is Vinegar, Baking Soda, and Lemons! They are safe, nontoxic, inexpensive, and effective. There is really no need to ever use expensive, chemical-laden cleaners again. A 1-to-1 solution of white vinegar and water in a spray bottle is a great disinfectant multipurpose cleaner. Mix baking soda with water for a paste that is abrasive and perfect for scrubbing kitchens and bathrooms. Rubbing surfaces with a half a lemon will not only clean and disinfect, it will also leave everything smelling great. Check out these articles for more specific uses, mixtures, and methods:

Clean Up your Food

Yes, I said this was all stuff you could do “today,” but you have to go food shopping pretty soon, right? So, start your next shopping list today. Make an effort to read labels, avoid GMOs and pesticides, and go organic.

GMOs are genetically modified ingredients that are harmful to health and the environment. They produce their own toxic insecticides and have been linked to birth defects, chronic illness, brain damage, GI issues, infertility, organ damage, and much more. GMOs are currently banned in at least 26 countries, but the US is not one of them. Mandatory GMO labeling is coming soon, but don’t depend on that – the legislation is anything but clear. There are tons of loopholes and companies can put a QR code linking to ingredient information on products in lieu of a GMO label. So, it is really up to YOU to ensure your food is safe.

Start by avoiding foods with high concentrations of GMOs like aspartame and farmed fish. For foods that are almost always produced using GMOs – corn, soy, cottonseed, canola, zucchini, yellow squash and Hawaiian papaya – look for the Non-GMO Project Verified label. Organic is even better because this not only means free of GMOs, but also produced without hormones, antibiotics, pesticides, sewer sludge, ionizing radiation, or synthetic fertilizer. Organic can be more expensive than convention food (but sometimes it’s not – you might be surprised), but it’s worth the investment for food that is most at risk for toxins. If you need to be selective, the Environmental Working Group annually publishes a Dirty Dozen list. These foods, when conventionally grown, tested positive for the most pesticides and other chemicals. Read more about GMOs, Organic food, and healthy eating at:

Congratulation Yourself

If you do just these small things, you’ll be taking a big step toward making your family a little safer and healthier. As you work to reduce toxins in your life, the key is to not get overwhelmed. Work on one thing. Then, when you’ve completed that or made it a habit, move on to the next thing. If you are looking for some “next step” ideas, my buddy Rae Dawn has some great suggestions in this guest post.

No matter what, don’t give up! Every little bit brings you closer to a safe, healthy, less-toxic life!