Creating a healthier home doesn’t have to be overwhelming or expensive. It starts with awareness and small, actionable steps that reduce the toxic burden in your space. As a building biology practitioner, I’m here to help you cut through the noise and give you science-backed, practical ways to detox your home and protect your family’s well-being.
Step 1: Start with the Air You Breathe
Your indoor air quality has a significant impact on your health. Because modern homes are tightly sealed for energy efficiency, indoor air can become stagnant and more polluted than outdoor air. Start detoxing your air with these steps:
- Open windows daily, even in colder weather, to flush out VOCs (volatile organic compounds) and other toxins.
- Use HEPA air purifiers in bedrooms and living spaces, especially if you’re dealing with dust, mold, or pets.
- Add air-purifying houseplants like snake plants, spider plants, and peace lilies. These help absorb toxins like formaldehyde and benzene.
- Eliminate artificial fragrances in candles, air fresheners, and sprays. Opt for essential oils or beeswax candles instead.
Want to learn exactly what air filters and solutions are best for your home? Book a Healthy Home Consultation with me to get personalized advice tailored to your space.
Step 2: Clean Up Your Cleaning Products
Conventional cleaners often contain harsh chemicals like ammonia, chlorine, and phthalates, which are linked to hormone disruption and respiratory issues. Here’s how to make a switch:
- Choose fragrance-free or essential oil-based cleaners.
- Look for third-party certifications like EWG Verified, Made Safe, or Safer Choice.
- Do an audit of your products and see if you can eliminate what you might not need or use one healthy product in place of several current products (pair down)
- Use products you already have in your kitchen for cleaning tasks like vinegar, baking soda and lemons. Not all home products have to be store bought.
Tip: Start with your most-used items like all-purpose cleaner and laundry detergent for the biggest impact.
Step 3: Filter Your Water
Whether you’re drinking it, cooking with it, or showering in it, water is a major pathway for toxin exposure. Municipal water often contains chlorine, fluoride, heavy metals, PFAS, and pesticide residues.
- Install a Clearly Filtered pitcher or under-sink filter to remove a wide range of contaminants.
- Upgrade to a Cloud RO System for advanced filtration that tackles PFAS, lead, arsenic, and more.
- Use a Jolie Shower Filter to reduce chlorine and other skin-drying toxins in your shower water.
- For whole-home protection, consider a RhinoMax Whole House Filter by Aquasana, which tackles chlorine, VOCs, herbicides, and industrial pollutants.
Water filtration can be confusing. In my Healthy Home Blueprint course, I walk you through exactly what to look for and how to find the right filter for your needs and budget.
Step 4: Reduce Plastic and Food Toxins in the Kitchen
Your kitchen can be a major source of toxins from cookware, containers, and food packaging. Here’s how to clean it up:
- Replace plastic storage containers with glass, stainless steel, or silicone.
- Avoid non-stick cookware with PFAS; opt for ceramic, cast iron, or stainless steel.
- Soak produce in baking soda to reduce exposure to pesticide toxins.
- Limit the use of your microwave to avoid unnecessary exposure to harmful EMFs and breaking down the nutrients in your food.
Read more about the kitchen and getting plastic out with these posts:
Step 5: Detox Your Bedroom for Better Sleep & Hormone Health
You spend nearly a third of your life in your bedroom—make it a safe haven.
- Switch to organic or OEKO-TEX certified bedding to avoid flame retardants and formaldehyde.
- Use a low-EMF alarm clock and keep phones out of the bedroom at night.
- Vacuum regularly with a HEPA filter vacuum to reduce dust, allergens, and microplastics.
- Choose non-toxic furniture made from solid wood or low-VOC materials.
In this blog post, I guide you through creating a toxin-free bedroom step-by-step, including vetted product lists and affordable swaps.
Step 6: Personal Care Products Matter Too
What you put on your skin is just as important as what you bring into your home.
- Check ingredient labels for parabens, phthalates, triclosan, and synthetic fragrance.
- Use apps like Think Dirty or EWG Skin Deep to check for safe products.
- Simplify your routine with fewer, high-quality products.
Step 7: Create New Home Habits
Detoxing your home isn’t just about products—it’s about creating routines that support a clean, healthy space:
- Take your shoes off at the door to reduce pesticide and lead dust.
- Wipe down surfaces with a damp cloth to trap dust.
- Run your bathroom fan or crack a window after showers to prevent mold.
- Schedule regular mini detoxes where you declutter and reassess your home environment.
Want Help Getting Started?
If this feels like a lot, you’re not alone—and you don’t have to do it all at once. I offer 1-on-1 Healthy Home Consultations where we walk through your home (virtually or in person) and make a customized plan to reduce toxins based on your goals, health needs, and lifestyle.
Or dive into my free training and workbook, a self-paced, step-by-step system that empowers you with everything you need to confidently create a healthy home. You’ll get product recommendations, video trainings, and checklists that take out the guesswork.
Let’s build a healthy home you love—one step at a time.
This is such an awesome idea for a workshop! I have been eliminating chemicals as we finish products and replace them with my essential oil cleaners. We are working on having no plastic or chemicals in the house as much as possible.
It’s a lot or work, but so worth it!
What a great resource! You are so right about indoor air being way more polluted – my daughter and I both have allergies and asthma, so we pay a lot of attention to our indoor air quality, but I know we could still do even more…
I’m glad you could find it helpful, Flossie!
This is a wonderful idea for a workshop! We try to keep chemicals out of our home when possible, but I am sure we still have a lot to learn.
I think we all are learning all the time 😊
Thank you for sharing such great information!
Of course, Janice!!
I can’t believe indoor air is five times more polluted than outdoor air! This post was so informative!
Yuck! Definitely a reason to make some changes!! 👍
Your course would be so helpful for me! We have two dogs and two cats and plan to start a family soon. Being responsible for all these little bodies, I want to make sure they live in the best environment possible!
That’s great that you’re thinking ahead, Elaine. Just being aware is the first step.
Ooo how exciting. I would be well up for taking part in a home detox challenge. Great idea and a healthy thing to do too xx
That’s great!! 😀
These are great ideas and I love the idea of a detox home. I’ll have to give some of these a shot.
Yes!! 🙌
I’ve never thought about detoxing a home, but the concept is brilliant! I would definitely be interested in learning how to do it!
That’s great, Nati! If you want more info I can send it over 😊
this sounds like a great workshop! we stopped using all the harsh cleaning products in our home, and it feels so much better to clean with natural cleaners!
That’s great!!
I totally agree with the fact that you are completely in control of anything you allow into your house. I think this is the preset to how you act, behave with others and how you run your life.
Such a good point, Kristen! It’s an empowering feeling!