Toxic Home

Do you have a toxic home?  What does that even mean?  There are fragrances all around us and some are very toxic.

The Toxic Home

Scents and fragrances are everywhere – both inside and outside.  We love the smell of fresh air and the pine in the forest but when those ‘scents’ are chemically made so that they can make your home smell nice, you may have a toxic home.  That is because those fragrances are chemicals.

Sure, they smell like the real thing but you’re actually inhaling chemicals into your body.  They absorb into the tissues in your airways, including your lungs and even into your liver.  They also absorb through your skin if you use regular laundry detergent or fabric softener.  Do you use any kind of perfume or cologne?  If so, you are contributing to the toxicity.  You are also disrupting your endocrine system.  Even scented candles can be toxic.

Air Fresheners

I used to use air fresheners all the time because I liked how ‘clean’ it made my house smell.  It took care of the odors in my home (or so I thought).  But, after about a year or so of using them regularly, I started to have side effects, such as headaches / migraines and even sneezing spells.  I didn’t attribute these side effects to the air fresheners, but I eventually noticed it would happen more so whenever I replaced an air freshener that was no longer giving a strong scent.

Air fresheners come in different forms.  There are the plug-in type and the diffuser types.  You can also find them in an aerosol can or a fragranced candle.  You have to be really careful when purchasing any of these types of products because many are chemically scented.  If you haven’t already, you may become sensitive to the scent and start getting reactions that you never have before.

Toxicity

Once this happens, you start having side effects such as:

• Headaches / migraines
• Sneezing
• Rashes
• Decreased immune function
• Acne
• Brian fog / Anxiety

You start to not feel good but it comes on gradually.  If you’re like me, you may not realize that it is coming from the chemicals in your home.

 

Cleaning products

Other home products that cause issues are cleaning products.  Again, we want our house to smell good so we use pine scented products rather than using natural products to clean our homes.  What can we do?

Clean products

A better way to go is to use natural products such as the following:

• Vinegar – and no, it will not make your house smell like pickles!
• Castile soap
• Homemade dryer sheets – learn how to make your own here.
• Homemade laundry detergent
• Clean soaps (and exfoliators) – ones that don’t use fragrances!

Chemical free living

Once you realize what those chemicals are doing to you and your home, you won’t hesitate to live chemical free.  Luckily, it’s not that hard.  Ditch the chemically scented air fresheners, laundry detergents, dryer sheets, and other cleaning products and opt for a natural approach.  Be kind to your body because your organs, tissues and hormones will thank you by making you feel wonderful.

Hormonal issues

One last word on chemicals…

Chemicals are hormone disruptors – what that means is that they mimic our natural hormones and can cause all sorts of problems in our bodies.  This include menstrual problems like very heavy bleeding and fibroid growth.  If you are having problems in this area, take note and start making some changes.  Call your doctor to get some medical advice but also make some of the changes that I have suggested here.  It can make a world of difference!  See my hormone story and how I made some changes that have a huge impact.  Lose the toxic home!