Eliminating Toxins 101
Top 10 Ways To Reduce Your Environmental Toxin Exposure
Drink filtered water and filter your shower water.
Store NOTHING in plastic. Use glass.
Consider organic whenever possible, but prioritize the dirty dozen, clean 15, meat, and dairy.
Be cautious with the consumption of large predator fish like tuna, shark, king mackerel, and tilefish.
Use CLEAN beauty! Check if your make-up, shampoo, lotion, etc. are safe at Skin Deep.
Use natural cleaning products. You can check these by using the EWG app!
Remove shoes in the house. You carry toxins in on them!
Use nontoxic building materials and carpets whenever possible in any project or remodel.
Avoid using pesticides/herbicides in the home and garden.
Clean furnace filters regularly; consider using a HEPA filter.
Water
Water quality will vary from place to place, but in general, it is better to filter water with a multi-stage carbon filter or reverse osmosis filter.
Please eliminate the use of plastic water bottles. The plastics can leach into the water. Use stainless steel or glass instead!
NEVER drink your water that has been sitting in a plastic bottle in a hot car.
Filter shower water to limit your exposure to chlorinated hydrocarbons.
Consider purchasing a travel water filter!
Air
Avoid exposure to toxic fumes as much as possible including gasoline, exhaust, burnt food, etc.
Allow toxic out-gassing consumer products to properly ventilate.
Use home HEPA air filters and HEPA-certified vacuums.
Clean heat/AC vents and AC filters and ventilate your home regularly.
Drive with your windows up and the air set to recirculate (unless your car is new and still off-gassing)
Food
Buy organic when possible! If you have to choose, it is most important to use organic dairy products (milk, cheese, etc.), free-range meats, and organic pasteurized eggs. For fruits and vegetables focus on the dirty dozen and the clean 15!
Reduce consumption of large fish (swordfish, tuna, etc.) as they are higher in mercury.
Limit intake of packaged foods with chemical ingredients, this means eating FRESH whole foods!
The safest types of cookware include stainless steel, quality cast iron, glass, or porcelain. Use metal or wood tools! Stay away from plastic.
Buy foods that are stored in glass, or containers lined with wax paper, non-toxic wood, or stainless steel.
Buy “BPA-free” canned foods, or just remove canned foods altogether!
General Products
Use natural cleaning products. You can check these by using the EWG app or making your own at home! The Environmental Working Group has recipes on its website!
Do not spray pesticides or herbicides in your home or on your property.
For hair products (including shampoo and colors) look for products without sodium lauryl sulfate, paraben, phthalate, or other petrochemicals. Try to find a hair salon that uses non-toxic products.
Remove all products that have the word “fragrance” in the ingredient list.
Skin Care and Makeup
Use low-toxin make-up, face wash, and lotions (avoid products with: parabens, phthalates, fragrances, and propylene glycol ). You can check your products here: Skin Deep.
Antiperspirants and Deodorant
Avoid aluminum-containing antiperspirants and deodorants! You can find safe deodorants on the EWG app!
Dental Care
Avoid if possible having two different types of metals in adjacent teeth.
Avoid mercury amalgam fillings!
Home
Consider investing in a Hepa filter! This will filter the air of debris!
Use only natural cleaners!
Take off shoes at the door to reduce indoor chemicals and pesticides.
Change the filter on your furnace every 3 months!
Let a new car off gas by keeping the windows open.
Home Remodel
Choose stone or non-laminated hardwoods instead of carpet. If you use carpeting, chose a reduced or no VOC carpet or rug.
Use only green and low VOC products in a remodel or a new home.
Buy used furniture that has had a chance to “off-gas”, or try an avoid furniture with particle boards.
Avoid building products with urea formaldehyde.
Plastics
Plastic will disrupt your hormones.
Avoid using plastics with the numbers 3, 6, and 7 on the bottom. These are most likely to leach plastics into the food, juice, or water that they contain.
Store all things in glass or stainless steel!
Even if it says microwave safe, DO NOT microwave plastics!
Do not put plastic containers in the dishwasher.
Try to use wax paper or parchment or foil instead of plastic wrap.
Electromagnetic Fields
Use headphones with chords instead of BlueTooth.
Turn your phone on airplane mode at night.
Remove all electronics from your bedroom!