There’s a lot of goodness and positive energy we can gain when we detox our bodies, and the same goes with our homes! Our home is meant to be our happy, cozy, comfort zone, yet sometimes it gets overlooked and various types of stressors and toxins can accumulate. Here are several ways we can all de-stress and detoxify our home environment, creating more peace and healthy vibes.
- Bring nature indoors
Bring the wonder of nature inside by adding more plants around the home. It’s been proven that indoor plants can help reduce stress in addition to cleaning the air. Even if you’re not a green thumb (trust me – I get it!), there are several types of low-maintenance plants that can add good energy around your home. Further, it’s important to open the windows as often as possible and let that fresh air flow. Even on a mild winter day, turning off the heat for an hour and letting in that fresh air can give your home a much-needed mini-detox.
- Have a garden
It’s not that hard or expensive to grow an organic garden. My wife and I have typically planted a garden and grown tomatoes, zucchini, squash, corn, potatoes and more. You’ll not only be growing healthy food to eat, but it’s a great family activity that fosters a wholesome, healthy lifestyle. Even if you have a small place or limited lawn space, there are creative ways to grow your food indoors and out. Don’t forget to compost regularly – your garden (and the landfills) will thank you!
- Read labels
There are a lot of chemicals we bring in to our home that we may not even recognize as toxic. Ironically, many of these chemicals are meant to ‘clean’ our homes, yet they are filled with ingredients that are not only environmental pollutants, but that can also make us sick. Cleaning with natural ingredients such as vinegar, baking soda and lemon juice is a good start, as well as limiting the artificial scents, dyes and other products such as volatile organic compounds (VOCs). Read the labels on everything you buy, and if you see skull and crossbones, it’s likely a good one to pass on.
- Be energy efficient
Most modern homes aren’t terribly environmentally friendly. We use a lot of resources to run a household, so doing our bit to keep our local water source, our lawns, and our planet clean is always a good idea. This involves buying LED lightbulbs, energy-efficient appliances, cutting down on water use, having a rain barrel, replacing drafty windows, using rechargeable batteries and solar panels, and so on. Do you have a clothes line? Nothing beats that smell and we save money in the process!
- Cut down on clutter
Clutter is a type of toxin in a way. It collects dust and occupies our mind. Taking time to cut all the clutter way back and do a purge will do wonders to detox any space, and be sure to recycle or donate as much as possible. Although practicing feng shui is a popular method to add positive energy into the home, simply recognizing what incites calm and peace for you personally is all you need to see results.
- Create great memories
Whether you have a tiny apartment or a sprawling home, it’s important to make it a happy space filled with love, family, friends and fun. A home can be very toxic if there’s negative energy, so we need to work at making our home a caring, loving, safe space for everyone. Plan for fun, memorable times at home; pizza and a movie, games night, pot lucks, candlelight dinners – make it an environment where people can find happiness.
As we can see, there are so many ways to detoxify around our homes, creating a more organic, nourishing space for our bodies and our minds. It doesn’t take a lot of time or money to get started, it just takes more awareness and commitment. Moving forward, we can start to add in healthier and more ecologically-friendly items around our homes as we replace old ones; it doesn’t need to happen all at once. Home is where the heart – and our health – is.
“We shape our dwellings, and afterwards, our dwellings shape us.” – Winston Churchill