Start an internet search for laundry detergent and within 20 minutes you’re researching sofas, frying pans, shower curtains and scented candles. It’s scary stuff out there, but marketing terms don’t always provide comfort. A totally non-toxic home is unrealistic. Labels don’t determine risk, because the type of substance, amount and route of exposure determine risk.
The best approach to creating a healthy home is to make gradual changes. For instance, wait until you’ve used up your current bottle of laundry detergent, then opt for an alternative. Many times, simply following manufacturers’ instructions on how to use a product, fixing leaks, turning on the fan while cooking, and making sure your smoke and carbon monoxide alarms are in good working order are the most beneficial things you can do for your home’s health.
These 12 steps for reducing toxic threats in your home follow guidelines laid out by the CDC, EPA, FDA, Health Canada and the Consumer Product Safety Commission. You can take the first step today and circle back to others later.
1. Simplify the cleaning cabinet
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) say regular cleaning is enough to reduce the number of germs on most household surfaces. Unless someone in the home is sick or has a compromised immune system, disinfecting usually isn’t necessary. Dirt and everyday gunk can be removed with a standard all-purpose cleaner that’s appropriate for the surface or even just soap and water.
The Safer Choice label is more meaningful than just green packaging. Before awarding the Safer Choice label the EPA conducts extensive review of the product’s chemical ingredients, effectiveness, pH, and packaging. Still, even Safer Choice cleaners can be harmful if ingested or used improperly. Follow directions, use ventilation and rubber gloves as directed.
Never mix household cleaning products unless directions specify doing so. Never add any other product to a disinfecting product or bleach. These combinations may form gases that are dangerous to breathe.
Start here: A good first step is to pare down your assortment of specialized and duplicate cleaners to just a few items: a good all-purpose cleaner that will work on most surfaces and any specialty products you truly need.
2. Let clean laundry smell like clean laundry
How many different fragrances do you add into your towels, scented detergent, fabric softener, scent beads, dryer sheets, maybe a linen spray afterwards? It’s not necessarily bad, just superfluous. According to this EPA Safer Choice fact sheet fragrance-free means a product has no fragrance materials added and no added materials to mask odors, while unscented can contain other chemicals to mask odors.
Safer Choice has its own fragrance-free designation which is separate from their Safer Choice label. That doesn’t mean that all fragrance is unsafe, just that fragrance-free products leave out any ingredients whose sole purpose is to add a scent. Likewise, instead of reaching for that lovely tropical scent plug-in when your damp bathmat stinks, the trash can’s dirty or there’s a mysterious leak under the sink, try tackling the source of the stench first.
Start here: The laundry room is an easy place to start cutting back on fragrance, next time your detergent is all used up try fragrance-free and skip using the scent beads. Give it a month and see how you like it. Chances are that’s one thing you won’t miss.
3. Use the kitchen exhaust fan while you cook
Cooking can contribute to particle pollution indoors. Burning food can produce large amounts of particles very quickly. Use your range hood whenever you cook with the oven or stove. Allow your range hood to continue to run for an additional 10 to 20 minutes after you’re done cooking.
This allows the particles to move through your range hood and outside. When possible, cook on the back burners rather than the front burners. According to the EPA, range hoods that exhaust to the outside perform better than ones that do not. If the air quality is good outside your home, open a window.
But if you’re dealing with wildfire smoke outside your home, opening windows can let more smoke get into your home. Controlling the source and ventilating are key. Furnace filters and portable air cleaners won’t remove all types and amounts of air pollution.
Start here: Follow manufacturer’s instructions on how to maintain your range hood’s filter to make sure it’s working properly.
4. Capture dust instead of sending it around the room
When you’re dusting, make sure you’re using a dampened rag. Using a feather duster can be counterproductive as you’ll be spreading dust around your house instead of picking it up. Make sure you’re vacuuming all of those tricky-to-reach spots like windowsills, bookshelves, baseboards, and under your furniture. And consider a vacuum with a HEPA filter.
Without one, you can release some of that dust you’re sucking up back into the air. Make sure you have a routine that’s easy to accomplish so it’s not something you dread. Shedding shoes at the door can go a long way in reducing the amount of dirt coming into your house.
Did you know that lead in soil can end up in household dust via your shoes or clothes? Also, keep some supportive shoes by the door that you can slip into when you come in so you’re not walking around in dirty shoes or barefoot if you don’t like that either.
Start here: Invest in some washable doormats. You can start reducing dust in your home today using items you likely already own, such as a washable rug and some dampened rags.
5. Fix moisture problems before buying mold products
A bottle of cleaner won’t fix a leaky pipe. According to the CDC, mold can cause health problems for some people, including stuffy noses, sore throats, coughing, wheezing, burning eyes and skin rashes. People with asthma or certain types of mold allergies can have more serious reactions to mold.
Keep indoor humidity as low as possible and no higher than 50 percent as recommended by the CDC. Fix leaks in roofs, walls and plumbing. Thoroughly dry homes that have been flooded within 24 to 48 hours. If a particular room feels damp, buy a small humidity monitor to help determine whether you need to increase the room’s ventilation, buy a dehumidifier or make some type of repair.
If you’ve got a musty odor that keeps coming back but can’t figure out where it’s coming from, keep looking. In some cases you may need to hire a professional if you have extensive mold growth, sewage backup or water in walls. Painting over the stain may make the stain disappear, but the underlying problem is still there.
Start here: Check behind and under sinks, around windows, behind furniture pushed up against walls that get damp and around appliances that use water. Save your money for leaky pipe repairs, not odor-eliminating sprays and air fresheners.
6. Choose a water filter for your actual water
Before you run out and purchase an expensive water filter just so your tap water tastes good, consider whether or not it makes sense to add a filter to your home’s water system. The best way to decide if you should purchase a water filter is by getting a handle on your home’s current water composition.
If you use public water, get a copy of your water utility’s annual water quality report. If you use a private well, the CDC recommends having your water tested for dangerous chemicals and microbes at least once a year. Your local health department can help you figure out what kinds of tests your well water should receive, and where to find a state-certified testing lab.
Once you’ve gotten a handle on your water composition, you’ll be able to tell if it makes sense to purchase a filter, and if there are no hazardous microbes or chemicals present in your tap water, there may be no need to purchase a water filter. Price alone isn’t necessarily indicative of the best match for your filtration needs.
Instead, look for filters with NSF certification, which shows what the filter is certified to remove. For instance, a filter with NSF Standard 42 reduces the taste and odor of chlorine, but that doesn’t mean it’s going to be able to remove potentially-harmful substances such as lead. Finally, remember that filters require regular maintenance to ensure they’re working properly and don’t become sites of microbial growth.
So, you should not only purchase a water filter, but also budget for replacement cartridges, replacing them as recommended by the filter’s manufacturer.
Start here: When shopping for a water filter, start with a particular goal in mind, meaning a substance you’d like removed.
7. Use cookware correctly, and replace it thoughtfully
Nonstick pans aren’t as dire as people make them out to be. According to the FDA, research indicates that there’s negligible migration of PFAS from authorized polymerized PFAS into food from cookware coatings. The issues are more specific than the broad idea that using a pan that contains PFAS will automatically poison your food.
Health Canada has some great recommendations: don’t preheat an empty nonstick pan, don’t use it above 260 degrees Celsius or 500 degrees Fahrenheit whether you’re on the stove or cooking in your oven, use your exhaust fan or otherwise ventilate the area. Extreme heat really does make a difference.
Same goes for air flow, and it decreases your exposure when you’re actively cooking. If you’re looking to avoid fluorinated pans altogether, stainless steel and cast iron are popular alternatives, just keep in mind how those pans differ in weight, care and cooking. Some pans tout themselves as toxin-free, which might be great, but make sure to check what they’re made of and how they’re supposed to be used.
Start here: If you’re wondering whether your pans are OK, give them a once-over. Read instructions and follow them. Consider investing in an additional pan to dedicate to recipes or situations that require cooking at very high temperatures.
8. Plan painting projects around ventilation and older surfaces
Some products are labeled as being low-VOC or no-VOC, which indicates that the product contains a lesser amount of volatile organic compounds (VOCs). However, this doesn’t necessarily make the product safer. Some toxic VOCs are excluded from regulations and can be included in products at high levels without counting toward the product’s VOC content.
So, for instance, a product with a lower amount of VOCs could actually be less safe to use indoors than a product with a higher amount of VOCs. Follow all instructions regarding ventilation and drying times. Make sure nobody sleeps in a room on the same night that you’ve painted it.
Follow all other safety instructions to ensure that any lingering fumes dissipate. If you’re doing more than painting in your home such as cutting, drilling, sanding, or scraping, and it was built prior to 1978, there’s a chance that disturbing the surfaces could create a cloud of toxic lead dust.
The EPA recommends contacting a lead-safe certified contractor to help with this type of work or following their instructions for how to proceed in a lead-safe manner yourself.
Start here: At minimum, make sure that you know the age of your home, check on your home’s ventilation and decide whether lead-safe practices are a consideration for your project.
9. Ask specific questions about new furniture
The EPA regulates the amount of formaldehyde emitted from three types of composite woods including hardwood plywood, medium-density fiberboard, and particleboard. These materials, which are used to make items like furniture, kitchen cabinets, flooring, picture frames, and wooden toys, must be certified as complying with the EPA’s formaldehyde emission standards for composite wood (TSCA Title VI) by an EPA-recognized third-party certifier.
Look for products with documentation showing they’ve been TSCA Title VI-certified. Keep in mind, though, that the certification applies to formaldehyde emissions only, and it doesn’t certify that a piece of furniture is emissions-free. Just as solid-wood pieces can be finished with emitting materials, rugs made from natural fibers can be made with emitting backings.
In addition to core materials, adhesives and finishes can emit chemicals. Products may be advertised as tested for emissions. Keep in mind, though, that any given emissions test will reflect the chemical factors included in that test. Avoid wasting money on items touted as natural, clean, and eco by choosing items that provide product information about their contents and manufacturing.
Start here: If you do need to make purchases, keep an emission-evaluation checklist by your side, but leave comfortable furnishings in place.
10. Make your home less inviting to pests
The EPA says the best approach is prevention. Eliminating the food, water, or shelter that pests need changes the environment in your home to one in which they will not thrive. Tips include storing food in tight plastic or glass containers, taking out the trash regularly and using tight-fitting trash can lids, and fixing leaks in your plumbing.
Take time to identify the pest because it helps to determine the proper treatment. Spending money on products to control all kinds of pests may not control the pest that you have in your home. Store all pesticides in their original containers, because children have been poisoned when pesticides are put into other containers.
Keep children and pets away from treated areas. Do not use products labeled for outdoor use inside your home. A pest control professional can use an approach called integrated pest management, or IPM. IPM is a process that uses prevention, monitoring, and treatment to get to the heart of a recurring pest problem.
Start here: Inspecting areas of recurring pest activity to find gaps for pests to enter your home or food or water sources can help you deal with a pest infestation. Sometimes, eliminating food, water, or shelter is all it takes to stop recurring pests.
11. Test for radon, even if the house seems fine
Radon mitigation might be one of the least photogenic projects there is. Instead of making your home more appealing, it’ll make your home safer. But radon, a radioactive gas that can build up inside buildings, can go undetected, since it won’t cause a smell or discoloration and can’t be detected through human senses, and lead to major problems.
In fact, the EPA considers radon the second leading cause of lung cancer responsible for about 21,000 deaths a year, including an estimated 2,900 in people who never smoked. The good news is that it’s easy to test for. While there is an EPA Radon Zone map that shows which areas are more prone to higher levels of radon, the agency suggests testing every home regardless of the zone it’s located in since radon levels can vary from home to home in the same neighborhoods.
The EPA recommends that any home that tests at or above 4 picocuries per liter should be mitigated and homes with levels of 2 to 4 picocuries per liter should be considered for mitigation.
Start here: Get a radon test kit or call your state radon office for more information on testing in your area. Put a reminder in your calendar to test and check results.
12. Check your carbon monoxide alarms
While it’s not exactly clear what qualifies as “non-toxic” and what doesn’t, there is one item that can be checked immediately to provide some measure of safety and security in your home, the carbon monoxide alarm. The Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) recommends that carbon monoxide alarms should be located in a central location outside each separate sleeping area, on each level of your home, and in any other locations required by local law.
While some combination units also detect carbon monoxide, not all smoke detectors will sense carbon monoxide, so make sure your smoke and carbon monoxide combination units are labeled as detecting both substances. In addition to proper placement, the CPSC recommends that alarms be kept in working order, including checking batteries, to ensure that you don’t lose protection in an emergency.
Carbon monoxide alarms are not a substitute for properly installed, adequately ventilated, properly maintained fuel burning equipment. If you think you may be experiencing effects of CO poisoning, go outside for fresh air immediately and call 911. Don’t remain in your home trying to determine the source of the CO.
Start here: As a starting point, test your alarms. Renters who find that they lack working carbon monoxide alarms where required should contact their landlord immediately to fix the problem.
Make the changes your home actually needs
All 12 steps need not be implemented immediately. Take your time. Of course, fix any active hazards, such as non-working smoke or carbon monoxide alarms, leaking plumbing, any other discovered contaminations, or an overdue radon test, and implement any missing safety measures first. Many of the changes are so minor that they will quickly become habits.
It won’t seem like work to turn on the vent fan when cooking or wipe surfaces with a damp cloth to pick up more of the dust, or to change filters on schedule. Wait to buy replacements for cleaning and other products until current supplies have been used up so you have adequate time to research ingredients and save money by getting rid of things only as they wear out. Your healthy home can have an old-but-comfy couch and oddly-colored cabinets and ordinary bath towels.
Martha ‘Marti’ Jones founded Fitness Four after three decades of living with IBS, Hashimoto’s thyroiditis, and pernicious anemia. She spent two decades in the food industry, so she knows how important it is to be aware of what you’re eating.
She’s 76, lives in Eastern North Carolina, walks and is learning to get used to lifting weights more and more. She spends as much time as she can in her backyard garden.
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