When we think of health, our body comes to mind – fitness, mind-body connection, taking your vitamins, avoiding a heat attack and so forth.
But what about the environment by which you are surrounded? It’s true, a healthy you is important, but to achieve complete well-being you must also consider the way you are living – literally. Yes, that’s right: Your home sweet home must also get a routine physical.
In her book, Super Cleanse: Detox Your Body for Long-Lasting Health and Beauty, author Adina Niemerow discusses a number of cleansing options to fine-tune your body. But she also shares with readers a plan for total home rejuvenation with a “detox” called “There’s No Place Like Home.”
Serious Health Risks
Niemerow explains that a multitude of common household and beauty products include ingredients, like alkylphenoxpolyethoxy (yeah, try pronouncing that one) ethanols, formaldehyde, sodium hypochlorate and dioxins, that have been linked to breast cancer, birth defects, immune disorders, reproductive problems and neurological damage – just to name a few.
Following are a few changes you can make to get your house – and beauty arsenal– in order:
Swap your laundry detergent
According to Niemerow, it’s one of the greatest pollutants of our nation’s waterways, including your homes. Change it in for this eco-friendly option: Mix one cup of grated Ivory bar soap, 1/2 cup washing soda and 1/2 cup borax in a small bowl, storing it in a resealable glass jar or container. You can find borax and washing soda at your local health food store. A little dab’ll do ya – you only need one tablespoon for a light load of laundry and two tablespoons for a heavy load.
Trade in your conventional lip shimmer
Sure, your favorite lipstick makes your pout look gorgeous, but it’s also loaded with nasty chemicals that dry out your pucker. Mix 1/8 ounce of shea butter, a small pinch of Stevia and one drop of an essential oil, like peppermint or lavender, in a small, leakproof glass jar.
Get sparkling windows
Mix one cup white vinegar and two cups warm water together in a bucket. Wipe down windows with a clean rag and dry with newspaper to avoid that lint that is often left behind after cleaning glass.
Be sure to stock up on earth-friendly glass pumps, jars and containers, so that you always have the right equipment on hand.
You might be surprised by how much getting your house in healthy working-order can motivate you to continue with your quest for total-body health as well. Like momma always said, “Cleanliness is next to …” Well, how about you insert whatever you want there? After all, who are we to tell you how a clean home should make you feel? Still, we think you’ll feel pretty darn good.
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