How often does sprawled clothing, a messy desk, unorganized files, and leftover plates and bottles slow down your productivity. You have the intention of getting started immediately on your work, but you get so distracted by the devastating environment that surrounds you. I can totally relate, however, I’ve picked up a bunch of good habits and tricks along the way. Today, I’ll teach you how to create a clean, non-toxic home environment that provides you with inspiration, creativity, and plenty of health benefits.
Why a clean home environment is important
Your home environment is a reflection of your inner environment. If things are messy on the outside, you can bet things are probably messy on the inside. Focusing on creating a clean, non-toxic home environment is super important when it comes to how you show up everyday in your life.
If your bedroom isn’t conducive to sleep, you’ll feel it all day.
When your office is a mess and doesn’t inspire and spark your creativity, you’re work is going to suffer.
If you’re kitchen is a mess, you won’t want to cook a delicious healthy meal.
Just like how you become most like the top five people you hang around the most, the same goes for the environment you surround yourself in. No matter what your goals or duties, don’t put yourself at an immediate disadvantage by neglecting the quality of your home environment.
What might be even more important than your productivity and creativity in and around the home, is your health…
Lurking toxins in the home
You may be surprised to find that the air and surfaces in your home are actually no cleaner than those outdoors. In fact, just like the trillions of bacteria we house in our stomachs, our homes house thousands of organisms, bacteria, and potentially toxic influences. Our home microbiome has a huge impact on health.
If we don’t take care of this diverse environment and actively remove toxins, our health can really take a toll.
Some of the most common toxins you’ll find lurking in your home include:
- mold
- pesticides – being sprayed in the yard and tracked inside
- antibacterial products – chemicals affect our guts and skins
- air pollutants (formaldehyde, benzene, air fresheners, etc.)
- furniture (paints, dyes, sprays)
- personal care and cleaning products
- new building materials (new floors/carpets)
Your house may be a swamp of chemical toxins and bacteria ready to strike if you aren’t careful. Most of the products you might think help clean the home, are actually damaging that home microbiome and with it, your health.
Health effects of indoor air pollution
According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), indoor air pollution can cause:
- irritation of the eyes, nose, and throat
- headaches
- dizziness
- fatigue
On top of that, asthma, allergies, and respiratory diseases may be linked to exposure of common indoor air pollutants. It’s quite alarming that the place you call home might be the cause of some of your health issues.
Strategies to create a clean home
Now that you know the importance of having a clean, non-toxic home environment, let’s talk about what you can do.
Start with cleaning the air
By addressing any issues with air quality in your home first, you can knock out two birds with one stone (both your health, productivity, and mood will get a boost).
The easiest way to do this? Add some greenery to your house! NASA did a study investigating the ability of common indoor plants to remove chemicals from indoor air way back in 1989 and found exactly what you would expect: plants play a major role in the removal of chemicals from indoor air. After this study, they compiled a list of the best air-filtering plants that I highly recommend checking out. My personal favorites are the snake plant, heart leaf, and aloe vera – some of the most un-killable and aesthetic plants out there.
Not only will indoor plants remove carbon dioxide and toxins from the air, they also look great and create a lively atmosphere. Seeing all of my plants really puts me in a clean, energized mood.
Another option to clean the air in your home is to invest in a high quality air-filter. I recommend using the Air Doctor, which removes virtually 100% of particle pollutants and the vast majority of toxic ozone and volatile organic chemicals from your home.
Adding negative ions is a cheap and effective way to clean the air in your home too! Most toxic particles are positively charged and cause you to feel stuffy or sluggish. Himalayan Salt Lamps and mini waterfalls release tons of negative ions to combat these toxins and dilute the air so that you can breathe cleaner and easier. Not to mention they are beautiful additions to your home.
Use Feng Shui
With the strategies above, you’ll be able to remove a good chunk of toxins from the air in your home. Now, it’s time to get organized and create a space that works for you.
Feng Shui is an ancient Chinese practice that uses energy forces to harmonize the environment. It’s often used to orient buildings and design indoor spaces to support the flow of Qi (life energy). When you get the proper flow of Qi in different spaces in your home, you create more productivity, better moods, more inspiration, and even potential health benefits.
I’ll have to do another post on the main principles of Feng Shui, but here’s a few you can try right now:
- Put your bed in the commanding position (Far corner of the room facing the door) – this creates a sense of security and serenity and is said to improve your sleep.
- Remove all electronics from your bedroom because they send off frequencies that disrupt the calm environment in which you sleep. Studies also link electronic signals to sleep and other health problems.
- Keep your bathroom door closed and the toilet lid down – water=wealth and you don’t want to let it drain away.
- Maintain a clean office space with only the essentials to promote productivity without distractions.
Although there are plenty more Feng Shui principles, it’s really about keeping a clean, organized, and effective home environment. Pick up your clothes, take out the trash, organize your files, label everything, and most importantly…
Use your intuition
Create your home environment in a way that feels and looks good to you. Add a tiny water fall or essential oils to keep the air crisp and fresh. Add colorful paintings or inspirational quotes to keep you feeling motivated. Do whatever makes your heart shine. Let your creativity and uniqueness shine.
By making simple adjustments to your home environment, you set up every other area of your life to thrive!
Now is the perfect time
What better time to start cleaning and detoxing your home than the present? When you realize that our society already spends on average 90% of our time indoors, with quarantine it’s probably close to 100%, cleaning your home environment is urgent. Now is the perfect time to take some proactive steps to do what needs to be done.
Start as simple as you’d like – clean your desk, clean your room, organize your closet. Take some time to think about how you want your home to look, feel like, and smell. What thoughts and moods do you want it to spur within you? What could you do to transform your home into a zen, relaxing, productive living space? Step by step, you can transform your home into a clean, invigorating, non-toxic environment.
How do you keep a clean home?
Let me know in the comments.
