There’s no place like home… but that doesn’t mean it’s perfect. Look around you: There’s bound to be something made partly or entirely of manmade synthetics and chemicals that just don’t do the body good.
You obviously want home to be that safe place for you and your family, so it’s time to do something about all the stuff that could have an effect on your wellbeing. A few weekends’ worth of rehab will have your home detoxed just in time for spring — imagine how much you’ll enjoy sitting pretty while everyone else is rolling up their sleeves for that dreaded seasonal cleaning.
Let’s get to it.
1. Choose Microfiber Cloths
Experts like Ty Pennington — yes, the former host of “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition” — swear by microfiber cloths. They’re super efficient cleaning agents, sopping up dirt and dust much more completely than regular towels or sponges. Pennington says this allows him to use less cleaning solution, too, since the microfiber does so much of the grunt work.
2. Simplify Your Cleaning Products, Too
You can make your cleaning routine even greener by swapping manmade cleaning solutions for more natural, equally effective options. There are countless swaps: Lemons take care of rust stains, vinegar stalls the growth of bacteria and baking soda fights odor. You might find yourself wondering why you bought those fancy squirt-bottle cleaners in the first place once you try these old-school champs.
3. Pick and Choose the Proper Plastics
It seems as though everything is made of plastic these days — except, you know, the fragile screen on your iPhone that you regularly drop.
In order to keep chemicals at bay, check labels on all the plastic products you buy to ensure they do not contain Bisphenol A (BPA), which has been linked to cancer. This not only includes food-storage products, but also toys, shower curtains, teething rings and even bottles made for your babies — they, too, might contain chemicals. Aside from the mark for BPA, look out for a “3” or “PVC” as well.