The air inside our home is on average 3-5 times more polluted than the air outside. How can this be? We hear a lot about outside pollution caused by things like diesel cars, particularly if situated in a busy city, but not about the harmful chemicals that circulate inside our homes.
This pollution is due to the daily use of products that stay on surfaces, on the clothes we wear and in the air that we breathe. They contribute to skin conditions and damage to our respiratory and hormonal health.
Two common pollutants that we can easily do something about are cleaning and personal care products such as:
- Air fresheners
- Bleach and ammonia-based cleaners
- Anti-bacterial sprays
- Strongly scented laundry products and personal care products
- Perfume
- Hairsprays and spray deodorants
So if we want to reduce the harm caused by toxic chemicals in our homes then there's a few immediate steps we can take...
- Stop buying aerosol based products such as deodorants as these propel volatile organic compounds into the air that when we breathe in, reach the deepest part of our lungs and straight into our bloodstream
- Throw away plug in air fresheners which contain a concoction of harmful hormone disrupting chemicals - arguably the worst product to have in your home!
- Switch to green bleach aka oxygen bleach instead of chlorine bleach
- Switch to plant based cleaning products with natural scents that state they are paraben and phthalate free. Parabens are preservatives that are designed to increase product shelf life and phthalates are in fragrances to increase the durability of synthetic scents. Both are known to disrupt hormone regulation.
If you would like to know more about how to find and remove toxins from your home then follow Arborfill on Instagram and come along to a low tox living and green cleaning workshop where you can also learn how to make your own non-toxic cleaning products in a fun, social environment.