Clean Living: 5 Things to Do to Start Living a Cleaner Lifestyle
I’m so happy to see that more and more people are becoming aware of how to live a cleaner, less toxic lifestyle. Taking control over our health and lives is crucial to our overall wellness and longevity in this life. If you are someone who is looking to start out living a cleaner lifestyle by reducing processed foods and exposure to harmful toxins, this post is for you.
In this post, I’ve combined my top tips on what you can do to have a happy, healthy, clean living lifestyle.
Clean Living: Where to Start
In today’s world, our homes are loaded with various household goods and products, many of which contain chemicals that are harmful to our health. From processed food, and cleaning supplies to synthetic materials in furniture and cosmetics, these substances can seep into our environment and affect us in subtle but significant ways. However, by becoming aware of these hidden dangers and taking proactive steps to minimize exposure, we can create a safer and healthier living space for ourselves and our families. This journey toward clean living isn’t just about avoiding toxins; it’s about prioritizing our well-being and making informed choices to protect ourselves from harmful chemicals. Continue reading this post for practical tips and strategies for reducing your exposure to toxic substances, and empowering yourself to embrace a lifestyle that promotes health, safety, and sustainability.
1. Shop Organic
Did you know that 75% of non-organic produce is sprayed with pesticides, many of which are found to be carcinogenic? These chemicals can cause cancer, disrupt hormones (which can cause infertility), and literally kill you. By purchasing organic, you can ensure you are eating food with the highest standards available.
You want to look for items with the green and white circle “USDA Organic” label on them. This label indicates the item is non-genetically modified, and free of pesticides, fertilizers, antibiotics, growth hormones, and preservatives. Pay now or pay later. This means you can pay a few extra dollars for organic and consider it an investment in your health, indicating your priorities, or you can buy non-organic, and you will pay later as you develop diseases caused by these harmful chemicals. Ultimately the choice is yours. For me personally, I know I would rather ditch the designer handbag and use that money towards feeding my family the healthiest food I can conveniently get my hands on.
Check out this blog post on the best places to buy organic groceries!
2. Switch to Non-Toxic Cleaning Supplies
Many of the big name, mainstream cleaning products are loaded with toxic, harmful chemicals that are harsh on your skin, not good to inhale and disrupt the endorcrine system. What’s crazy is we spend so much money on all of these fancy cleaning supplies when a simple concoction of distilled white vinegar, a few drops of dish soap and hot water in a glass spray bottle will literally clean 99% of things in your home. It’s SO much more cost effective and WAY less toxic. I use this mixture for everything from stains on my couch, to muddy paw prints, to showers, toilets, to kitchen counters. You name it, it works. Trust me, just try it. It is so easy, so cheap to make and works like a charm. The dish soap fights grease and so does the acid from the vinegar which also sanitizes. I use this glass spray bottle to make the mixture, and I just wipe with these microfiber cloths.
Another great tool that I swear by are these E-cloths for cleaning all windows and mirrors and stainless steel. Literally all you need is water and they make all streaks go away like freakin magic! I swear by them, 10/10 recommend as a low tox way to get streak free surfaces! I haven’t used it, but I know another great non-toxic cleaning supply brand that has a ton of different products is Branch Basics. They use all natural ingredients to make highly effective and safe cleaning products and other household products. This brand is extremely popular and I have heard nothing but great things!
3. Ditch the Fragrance
Fragrance is one of the most commonly used ingredients in a wide range of products such as shampoos, body perfumes, deodorants, lotion, makeup, cleaning products, candles, and so much more. The scary part is that the one ingredient on the list “fragrance” can actually be composed of up to 3,500 chemicals. These chemicals are known carcinogens and we readily put them on our necks and wrists to smell good, but also to be absorbed directly into our bloodstream which can disrupt our hormones and lead to an array of hormonal disorders, infertility, and even cancer.
One of the best places to begin your clean living journey is simply to reduce the amount of fragrance you are ingesting on a daily basis. Let’s be honest, if your house is clean you really shouldn’t need wall plug-ins in every single outlet, to spray Febreeze every day, or light candles every day. These chemicals are literally so horrible for you. It’s just not worth it to be ingesting that so frequently.
One way to begin is to swap out some of these products you use regularly with cleaner versions. You can use the EWG app to look up products and see which ones are rated clean vs toxic. One of my favorite sites for cleaner body fragrance options is Credo Beauty. They have a ton of different options of fragrances that are naturally derived. This one is one of my absolute favorites, I love it SO much and always get compliments! They also require all brands to categorize the fragrance in each product and encourage full ingredient disclosure. I no longer use wall plug-ins, and I have started making my own homemade candles using essential oils. Another option for fragrance is to not spray perfume every day, but rather just use it on the weekends or when you go out. I also started using this clean lotion, which has a natural scent of Chamomile that my husband compliments literally every time I put it on.
4. Clean Up Your Makeup Routine
One of the best things you can do on your journey to clean living is to clean up your makeup routine. Think about it, you probably put on several makeup products every single day. Between all her makeup products, the average woman puts on 12 products a day containing 168 chemicals on her face every single day! Many of these have been found to be carcinogenic. I have finally figured out the perfect makeup routine for me, which I explain in more detail in this post. You can start with swapping out just one product at a time and over time you can revamp your entire makeup routine to be much less toxic and harmful to your body. This is such a huge win, since you put these things on your face every day. If that alone can be cleaner, consider yourself off to a great start!
5. Purify Your Air
Another huge thing you can do to embark on your clean living journey and live a healthier lifestyle is to be intentional about purifying the air in your home. There are many things you can do this from keeping your home clean, opening windows, getting plans, and so on. However, a huge thing you can do is to get a HEPA Air Purifier like this one. I wrote an entire post that goes into detail about this specific air purifier, which you can read here.
The air in our homes contains so many pollutants such as dust, debris, germs, formaldehyde, allergens, carcinogens and so much more. Inhaling this stuff constantly can lead to an array of irritations such as asthma, allergies, and hormone disruption. By simply getting an air purifier, you are going to clean the air you and your family are breathing on a regular basis, significantly. This will make the air you are breathing cleaner and healthier and much safer for your health.
I hope this post helps you consider some great places to start on your clean living journey. Even if you just start with one of these ideas, you will be well on your way, and slowly and adopt more and more into your lifestyle. It’s best to start small and work your way up so you don’t completely shock your lifestyle. I hope you enjoy this process of working towards a healthier lifestyle for you and your family and that the benefits you reap are abundant.
