Want a healthier home for you and your family? There are some simple steps you can take to create a healthier home.
This blog largely started out of my passion for making my home a healthier place for myself and my family. My desire for this has largely come from wanting to take control of my chronic health conditions.
I have fibromyalgia, a chronic illness defined by chronic widespread pain, fatigue and many other often debilitating symptoms. Currently, conventional medicine offers very little for those of us with fibromyalgia. Many have found some relief from improving their general health and living more naturally. It has been very helpful for me. I also have asthma and allergies, all of this also helps improve those symptoms as well.
A few years ago I had some heart related health scares and a massive case of hives thought to be due to an auto immune issue. Spending a lot of time at the doctor’s office getting tests done is a good way to remind yourself that you want to create a healthy environment at home.
Why You Should Create a Healthier Home
We use a lot of products in our home and bring in a lot of items. This can create a bit of a chemical soup. We are breathing in all kinds of stuff in our homes.
Everything from lead to phthalates can be hiding in our homes. We want our homes to be safe not some place that could be harming our health.
These chemicals we often find in our homes can be endocrine disrupters or even be linked to cancer. We spend a lot of our lives in our homes so it’s the best place to reduce our exposure to harmful chemicals.
There are some simple things you can do that will help reduce your exposure to harmful chemicals in your home. This will help you create a healthier home for your family. Don’t worry the tips don’t include throwing out all of your stuff and being an extreme minimalist.
Easy Steps to a Healthier Home
Creating a healthier home can seem overwhelming at first, but if you follow some simple steps you will be well on your way to better health for your family.
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Switch Your Cleaners
Cleaners can contain a lot of bad ingredients. Many of the ingredients are linked to asthma, can contain endocrine disrupting ingredients and cause other health problems. Choosing natural cleaners or make your own cleaners can help reduce the number of toxicants entering your home and improve your health.
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Clean Up Your Diet
Eating a healthier diet is good for pretty much every part of our health. Things like choosing less processed food and organic when possible, can really help. Also limiting sugar can really improve our health, this one is hard for me!
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Clean the Air
Indoor air pollution can be a big problem. We are making our homes more and more air tight, trapping pollutants from cleaners, chemicals in furniture, outdoor pollution and more. There are many great ways to reduce indoor air pollution, like good furnace filters, using natural cleaners, airing out your home, and air cleaning plants.
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Use Safer Cookware
Coatings on cookware, like Teflon, can increase our risk of health issues. It can also contribute to indoor air pollution. Choosing safer cookware like stainless steel or cast iron can help reduce these risks.
If you want to learn even more about creating a healthier home, join the Homemaking for Everyone Facebook group. Also sign up below for my mailing list.
Rhonda
Thanks for popping into to read my post about my daughter’s Lilly painted pumpkin! I appreciate the kind comment! Enjoyed reading your post! Great tips! I fail to think about the cookware I use. Definitely something to be more aware and vigilant about! ~Rhonda
Lisa Sharp
They were beautiful! Glad you liked the tips.
Micaela @MindfulMomma
Gosh – I sure hope your health scares are over Lisa! I’m sure it’s frustrating not having answers for the things that are going on. It sure seems like you are already living a healthy life – so keep it up and keep up the positive attitude!
Lisa Sharp
Ironically this went up at 5 a.m. (it was pre-scheduled) and at 5 a.m. I went to the ER again! ha I had another gallbladder attack. Thanks for the kind words. 🙂
Allison Jones
These are great tips! We have really bad allergies and figured out recently that the air in our home was NOT helping. We replaced our filters, but I will be utilizing some of your other suggestions as well.
LiveLifeWell,
Allison
Lisa Sharp
Allergies are no fun! Hope these suggestions help.
Mlle Parker
Great tips! I have bad allergies and realized last month that the bad air in my room is causing it to be worse. I will try some of your tips.
Angela Tolsma
I wish more people were aware of the chemicals they have in their houses. Living in an apartment it’s hard to do much about air quality, besides filling it with plants and I can’t keep a plant alive at all!! Great tips!
Abby
These are great tips, Lisa. I don’t live with a chronic illness, but I do try to make the healthiest choices for my family.
Thanks for linking up with The Alder Collective! Your post has been pinned to our group board. We hope you’ll join us again next Tuesday at 8 pm EST!
Robin
I’m so sorry you have fibromyalgia – my mom has it, so I’ve seen how exhausting and painful it can be firsthand! She also switched over to a more natural lifestyle after her symptoms began, so I was raised with the same principles that you follow. I’m very glad to have grown up with such a chemical-conscious parent – it’s lead to healthier choices within my own household!