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Detoxing Your Home… Even On A Budget

  • April 15, 2020/
  • Posted By : racheleva/
  • 0 comments /
  • Under : Health, Home, Lifestyle, Recipes

By Dr. Rachel Eva Dew, Doctor of Natural Medicine and Courtney Schank, Interior Designer and Healthy Lifestyle Consultant 

We spend so much time, energy, money and attention detoxing our bodies, but what about our homes? There are hidden toxins all around us that negatively impact our health the same way that toxic foods do. This is why we teamed up to provide you a guide to detoxing your home both practically and aesthetically!

Below is our one hour talk on home detox and under that, all the details and links we discussed.

Within this guide you will find simple tips and tricks for detoxing your home, even on a budget, as well as some of our favorite brands and resources. We will provide links to recipes and products towards the end of this blog.

Let’s dive in…

Top 6 Tips For Detoxing Your Home:

  1. Clean air! Improper ventilation, mold, dust and toxins from candles, building materials, pets and off-gassing from your furniture and paint can cause your air to be damaging to you.
  2. Ditch toxic cleaning products – opt for non-toxic ones or even DIY’s 
  3. Replace toxic kitchen ware and cooking utensils
  4. Replace plastic with glass – from storing your water, to your food, eliminating plastic eliminates toxins and carcinogens
  5. Drink and bathe in clean, filtered water
  6. Begin replacing toxic furniture and bedding

Clean Air

While we both highly recommend air filters and purifiers, there are some additional things that should be done in order to keep the air in your home clean and safe. Here’s how to increase clean air in your home in addition to air purifiers:

  1. Dust and deep clean frequently
  2. Open your windows in order to air out and ventilate your home
  3. Diffuse essential oils – my favorites are lavender & geranium
  4. Make your own cleaning products
  5. Use plants to clean your air! They are beautiful and effective

Best plants to purify the air: English Ivy, Pothos, Snake Plants, Spider Plants, Bamboo, Chinese Evergreen, Weeping Fig, Dragon Tree, Aloe Vera, Gerbera Daisies

Check out this blog post to see all of our favorite plants for different areas of your home – click HERE

My 2 favorite home air filter systems are – 

  1. Dyson
  2. Air Doctor

But those are fairly pricey. If you are on a budget you can get a more cost-effective air filter system such as Germ Guardian or the IonB-1000.

Clean Water

Ditch the plastic – beginning with your filter and ending with the storage container – even the pitcher systems that are BPA free still have harmful toxins and carcinogens. Store water in glass containers once filtered.

My favorite filter systems are Aquatru and for more cost effective options try filtering your water with a Brita system (usually you can find one for around $20) and then immediately store the water in glass containers.

For more options and information take a read through this BLOG

Non-Toxic Cooking

Perfluorooctanoic acid, or PFOA, a chemical formerly used in the production of nonstick pans like Teflon was highly toxic. Polytetrafluoroethylene, or PTFE, Teflon’s generic name is still used and is just one of the many toxins your body can be exposed to through your cookware. That’s where stainless steel, ceramic, enameled, or cast iron pots and pans come in as non-toxic and  great non-stick alternatives 

Here are some of my favorites:

  • Greenlife 
  • Lodge Cast Iron
  • Cast iron dutch oven – Amazon Basics makes a cost effective option
  • For stainless steel Cuisinart
  • The Always Pan 

Non-Toxic Skin

Clean skin begins with the water you shower in! Our skin is the body’s largest microbiome and toxins absorbed through the skin negatively impacts your health and the visual quality of skin. Be sure to get a water filter for your shower that will protect your skin from drinking in heavy metals such as fluoride, mercury, PCB’s, chlorine, lead, arsenic and dioxin. 

Here are a few options for shower filters ranging in price:

  • Aquablisss
  • Aquasana

Non-Toxic Home

Here are some of my favorite safe, non-toxic changes to make to your home. You can find more options and information at the blog post below.

  1. Mattress: Naturepedic, Avocado, Awara, cost effective option: Live and Sleep CLASSIC2020 you can get $50 off plus a free pillow 
  2. Sheets: Plover, SOL Organics, and Coyuchi
  3. Furniture: Medley Home, InMod, and The Futon Shop
  4. Paint: Clare and ECOS
  5. Towels: Towl, Coyuchi, and SOL Organics

Learn about all of the certifications companies work towards here as well as all of our favorite brands – click HERE

Looking to make some other healthy changes to your home? Read this BLOG 

Learn how to create a meditation space in your home – click HERE

Non-Toxic Cleaning

It’s time to up-level your cleaning products. Cleaning products are notorious for having harsh toxic chemicals that are dangerous to you, your family and your pets. To read more about toxic chemicals and a full list of DIY non-toxic cleaning recipes, read Dr. Rachel’s recent blog HERE

Here are a few simple home cleaning product staples –

  • Vodka
  • Lemons
  • Apple cider vinegar
  • Castile soap
  • Baking soda
  • Lemon essential oil
  • Lavender essential oil
  • Pure unscented Castile soap

Self-Care – The Art of the Home Spa Experience

  • April 20, 2017/
  • Posted By : racheleva/
  • 0 comments /
  • Under : Energy, Healing, Health, Home, Lifestyle, Recipes, Relationships, Self Development, Spirituality

Self-care is a huge part of not only my physical and emotional practices but also my spiritual practice. Nurturing and caring for oneself allows for a deeper and more intimate relationship with self, community and a deeper spiritual life.

When I am investing in myself it is as if I am putting deposits into the bank, think of these deposits not as money but as energy that can then be spent of the things you want such as deepening relationships, expanding career or achieving goals.

We cannot possibly show up and give successfully what our lives require of us unless we first have it to give away. If we simply give away all our energy from a depleted account that is when we lack excellence, balance and joy! It is also when we wear ourselves down and eventually break down.

Self-care needs to address our mental, physical, emotional and spiritual needs. Self-care can be anything that works for you or recharges you in a positive way.

I have created a self-care home spa experience that I incorporate into my self-care routine frequently (in whole or in part depending on the time I have set aside). Self-care does not have to be complex. In fact, most of mine is fairly basic yet highly effective. May this be helpful to you on your continued journey and exploration into the benefits of self-care!

Create Sacred Space

Start your home spa self-care experience by setting the tone or creating a sacred space. Turn the lights down, diffuse some lavender, light candles and play some beautiful relaxing music!

Breathe

Sit and close your eyes. Give yourself permission to put your ‘to do’ list away mentally and to let go of anything that you need to. Give yourself to feel whatever comes up. Spend a few minutes simply focusing on your breath. Breathe deep and relaxed breaths for a few minutes and just allow yourself to BE.

Detox Soak

Not only does a good detox soak in a tub reduce stress and tension mentally, physically and emotionally, it also helps to pull toxins out of your largest organ… your skin! Here is the detox recipe I use in my weekly baths, all of these ingredients can be found at WholeFoods or for more affordable option, on Amazon:

2 cups colloidal fine grain organic oatmeal

2 tablespoons of Coconut Charcoal

1 cup Apple Cider Vinegar

½ cup Arnica Oil

2 cups Magnesium Flakes

¼ cup Castor Oil

Draw a warm bath, stir in ingredients above. Feel free to add any essential oils you might enjoy as well such as lavender (for relaxation). Soak for at least 30 minutes.

Abhyanga (Self Massage)

You don’t have to set aside time and money to get a professional massage or miss out on the benefits if you either can’t afford one or simply don’t have time. Abhyanga is an Indian self-massage ritual that has many restorative and destressing perks in addition to the fast, accessible and in expensive aspects. All you need is a good clean (organic preferred) pure oil! The oils I recommend are Aragan, Almond or a good Ayurvedic oil blend. Generously apply oil starting from your feet and slowly massaging the oil in and working your way all the way up your body, even to your face and head! Rinse off after, but do not soap up. You will want some of the oils to be able to seep in throughout the day or overnight.

‘Details’

This is a time where I will give myself permission to pamper myself by paying attention to all the care and maintenance of the small ‘details’ such as putting on a face mask, giving myself a manicure or pedicure, plucking eyebrows, etc.

Stretch & Flow Restorative Yoga

Roll out your yoga mat or even a towel on the floor. Move your body through some light yoga stretches and restorative poses. If you don’t know any you can google some restorative yoga videos on YouTube or I highly recommend Cheri Clampett’s restorative yoga classes that are available on the Yoga Anytime Channel on Amazon. Whatever you choose, remember the goal is not to workout, the goal is to restore and nurture your body. So listen to your body, ask it what it needs and try to provide that. Your body may need to just stretch out and rest fully or spend a few minutes in one restorative pose. Either way, let go of expectations and let your body lead you.

Ritual

Finish up by creating a little ritual for yourself. A ritual can be anything as long as it has the following elements:

  1. Set an intention
  2. Invite in connection and guidance from a higher source (this can be God, nature, love, etc.)
  3. A sacred place/space (which you should have already created at the beginning of your self-care home spa practice)

Your ritual can be done through the use of artistic expression like painting or drawing, through burning incense, sage or Palo Santo wood, it can be done with crystals, with movement such as dance, it can be done communing in nature or anything else. Rituals should be personal and meaningful and breed connection with your higher true self and with God, Spirit, the Divine (or whatever is aligned with your beliefs).

 

 


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Rachel Eva is a life transformation coach, self-development author, and leader in integrative wellness. She is passionate about helping you transform your life.
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