Household toxins are chemical substances that eventually increase in quantity inside the boundary of your home and affect the health and environment of your household. Like ethylene glycol, sodium hypochlorite ammonia, Mercury, aluminum, formaldehyde, propylene glycol, BTX isomers, polyvinylidene chloride etc. These are all commonly present in cleaners, or personal hygiene products, or even containers and paint. That is why it is important to get the toxin levels checked in your home. Then you can use whatever measures to remove that particular toxin buildup.
Most Common Household Toxins and Efficient Ways to Remove Them
The toxins are invisible to the naked eye but their presence can be sensed through odors, materialistic consistency buildups and of course, effect on health. Any of these symptoms appear; you immediately need to have your home tested for harmful toxins. But first, let’s walk you through the common toxins first and how to remove them.
Ethylene glycol aka antifreeze
Antifreeze is mostly known as the engine coolant is one of the household toxins which can cause heart, brain and organ damage if consumed by mistake to living creatures like humans, animals and plants. But in which way it can be found in households you may wonder! Well, the core chemical of antifreeze is ethylene glycol is found in car wash fluids, detergents, industrial solvents, paints, cosmetics.
How to Remove Ethylene glycol aka antifreeze ?
Store the products containing the toxin further away from where you spend most of Your time and absolutely out of reach from children and pets. Ethanol and fomepizole are ideal antidotes for the toxicity of the substances.
Sodium/calcium hypochlorite
We all use bleach to clean the house at some point. It is an irreplaceable product for removing deep stains and germs. But it comes with sodium hypochlorite or calcium hypochlorite which are harmful to skin, body parts and internal organs. It has become another common household toxin.
How to Remove Sodium/calcium hypochlorite?
To remove that extra bit of toxic presence, you have to neutralize it with sodium metabisulfite solution (1.1grams per 1.25 gallons water). It would neutralize the toxic bleach residue.
Ammonia
Ammonia is the most common toxin you will come across in your home. Because One of the primary ingredients of all house cleaners is ammonia. In fact, if you can smell ammonia walking into a house you would rather think it is the safest and cleanest place ever to be at. But long term exposure to ammonia causes eyes, nose, throat and respiratory tract irritation and burning. Thus once in a while, it is better to check and remove the toxin.
How to Remove Ammonia ?
Vinegar solution is an ammonia trace and smell Neutralizer. So if the ammonia levels are out of control in your house, just clean the house with while vinegar-water solution once.
Mercury
Cloth dryers, clothes irons, washing machines, also, space heaters consist of mercury switches (holders models) Thermometers, thermostats, light bulbs, button batteries, and some relays that also carry a fair amount of mercury. Exposure to mercury intrigues hormonal disruptions, Parkinson’s disease and lowered body immunity.
How to remove Mercury ?
If the Mercury levels are high in your home, you need to use sulfur powder to reduce the level. Sulfur binds the Mercury and the sulfur itself can be easily removed using a damp towel.
Aluminum
For Alzheimer’s, cognition and memory issues, the substance aluminum is a neurotoxin that has been proved to contribute to the development of Alzheimer’s disease as well as other issues with cognition and memory. Aluminum is extremely common household toxin and is frequently found in beverage containers and cooking pots and pans.
How to Remove Aluminum?
Like ammonia, aluminum also gets neutralized by water-vinegar solution. And high heat vaporizes aluminum as well so cook your food on high to eliminate any amount of aluminum
BTX isomers – A common household toxin that everyone wants to avoid
Gasoline, paint, varnish, shellac, rust preventives, detergent, thinners, cleaners and cigarette smoke contain the BTX isomers (Benzene, Toluene and Xylene). nervous system problems and bone marrow toxicity are the most dangerous effects of these chemical exposures. So it has to be kept out of reach from every family member as well as pets. And it is better to use these chemicals outside the house.
How to Remove BTX isomers ?
The easiest way to reduce the amount of BTX isomers is to clean the carpets and floors regularly with disinfecting cleaners. And never bring outside shoes in the house. This way the level of BTX would reduce eventually without using other harmful chemicals like hydrogen peroxide and ozone (BTX neutralizer).
DEA, TEA, APEs, and Propylene Glycol
Diethanolamine (DEA), Triethanolamine (TEA), Alkylphenol ethoxylates (APEs) and Propylene Glycol; these chemicals are the core ingredients of household cleaners. The immune system, nervous system, organs like the liver, kidney get affected by these toxins creating bigger health issues. So for your own health’s sake, you need to get rid of these.
How to remove DEA, TEA, APEs, and Propylene Glycol ?
To remove or reduce the amount of DEA, TEA, APEs, and Propylene Glycol, the simplest way is to switch to mild cleaners rather than chemical ones like soap, water, baking soda, vinegar, lemon juice etc. These will get rid of the toxins.
Phthalates and PVC (polyvinyl chloride)
Phthalates (plastic) and PVC (polyvinyl chloride) are a part of the house structures. Food containers, flooring lubricating oil, personal care products. But they do build and increase harmful toxins levels. Living with that much toxicity causes issues with the liver, kidney and lungs and it can cause birth defects and fertility issues.
How to Remove Phthalates and PVC ?
Phthalates and PVC are impossible to avoid completely. But switching to glass, ceramic metal for containers and using wooden floors instead of the tiling is a great way to dial down the quantity while you detox the house.
How to reduce and avoid the toxin build-up?
So, we talked about the toxins and how to remove them separately. But it is safe to say that trying to remove the toxins is much harder and time-consuming than how it builds up. Thus, it is better if you avoid the toxicity build-up in the first place.
- Being cautious about what types of products you are bringing to your home. Always check the ingredients of a product and try to avoid the above-mentioned ones. This way you will be able to avoid and reduce toxins like formaldehyde, asbestos, volatile organic compounds (VOCs), flame retardants, and BPA.
- Regularly dusting and cleaning the floor and carpet helps to reduce all the previous toxins build-ups along with avoiding the new ones. Dust can carry out the toxins all-around your home. So dusting is important.
- Switching to natural and organic remedies and products will help through the toxicity removing process. They make your lifestyle healthier and minimize the chance of getting sick.
- Plants are the most natural and effective way you get rid of all the toxins together. You just need to bring in plants and maintain them. 3 to 5 plants in every room would detox your house like no other. The air will be fresher and your moods will light up as well.
- Never use outside footwear inside the house. Most of the unpleasant and harmful chemicals that her not used in the house may enter the house through those shoes. So shoes, leather jackets and overcoats should never make their way past the main gate. You can keep them in isolated cabinets and drawers just near the main gate. It would prevent a lot of toxicity.
- Vacuuming, dusting and cleaning are fine and effective but what about the air? Yes, plants can help and will help immensely in the long run. But for instant reaction and detoxing, an air purifier is the ultimate way. You must use the eco-friendly option to purify the air. It will help reduce toxins and prevent respiratory tract and lung issues.
Bottom line
In conclusion, we can say that the toxins are easy to build up in the household environment and less easy to remove. The phthalates and PVC can be controlled by stopping using plastic products around the house. Maximum toxin buildup happens because of the products you use that are chemical-based. So switching to an organic and natural approach to life might help you save a lot of time, energy and money. Also, it rules out the possibility of causing health issues.