Detox Your Home Environment Naturally
Insta may be brimming with images of home goals, but in our opinion the best homes go far beyond aesthetics. True beauty and happiness, for the TINCTURE team, comes from health and wellbeing. With a little bit of uncompromised luxe thrown in there too, of course.
Our home goals are all about creating an environment which is good for you, in every sense. A space in which we can feel truly safe and at ease. And this is really only obtainable through choosing eco-conscious décor, cosmetics and lifestyle goodies as well as having an awareness of just how toxic the air in the average household has become.
More than 72,000 synthetic chemicals have been produced and used in household products since WWII. 884 of the chemicals found in cosmetics and personal care products are toxic. Well over 150 chemicals found in the home have now been linked to allergies, birth defects, cancer and psychological abnormalities among other devastating side effects. And according to the National Cancer Institute, there has been a 28% rise in childhood cancers since the introduction of pesticides into household products. The truth is, indoor air pollution is at an all time high and more often than not, is as harmful as outdoor air pollution – if not more so.
Fortunately, your home doesn’t have to be this way. It’s impossible to avoid all toxins but it is very possible to cut the worst culprits down, if not out entirely. And it’s easy too!
No shoes allowed
If you’ve ever visited Japan you’ll have experienced a culture where outdoor shoes are simply not something that are ever worn inside, apart from when you’re out shopping. Whether you’re at a restaurant, a cat café or your own home shoes are always left by the door and switched for house shoes or slippers. This is custom well-worth implementing in your own life as shoes worn in the outside world track in way more than mud – they also carry mould, dust, pollen and a fairly horrifying level of bacteria into every room in your house!
Naturally, you’ll want to give your floors a thorough clean after reading this and luckily, you can do so without a hint of harmful chemical with our TINCTURE Daily Floor Cleaner and TINCTURE Floor Concentrate (both perfect for wood, stone, laminate, tiles and all other types of hard flooring).
Switch to natural home scents
The idea of filling the air with perfume from a synthetic scented candle or air freshener might seem pleasant, but the truth is far from it. In 2010, the Environmental Working Group and the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics performed a study on 17 fragrances with shocking results. Behind the seemingly innocuous ingredient ‘perfume’ (or parfum) were listed an average of 29 chemicals. Upon analysing, test results showed an average of an extra 14 undisclosed chemicals also used. These included over 24 sensitizing chemicals (know for triggering allergic reactions), endocrine disruptors and even 12 chemicals not assessed for safety by government or industry. There were also various ingredients known as ‘obesogens’ detected, which can cause you to gain weight regardless of your diet and exercise regime.
There are many ways to delicately scent your home without the use of synthetic perfume. We love aromatherapy diffusers for creating bespoke blends to suit your mood and paraffin free candles made using organic essential oils. You’ll fragrance your home with the proprietary TINCTURE essential oil blends every time you give the place a quick clean too!
Avoid non-stick pans
Studies have shown that the Teflon chemical PFOA is so readily absorbed into our bodies that it will even pollute an unborn child. In a study released by the Environmental Working Group, testing the blood from 10 umbilical cords of new-born babies, the results showed that all subjects were highly contaminated with an average of 287 household chemicals, Teflon being one of the most prevalent.
Yes, Teflon can make life easier when cooking and washing up, but it’s really not worth the risk – switch to stainless steel, copper or iron instead.
Air Purifying Plants
Another fantastic way to detox your home environment is with the same plants NASA use to purify the air on board space craft! Read more about some of those in our blog: Indoor Air Pollution... Beat it with Botanicals!