Four ways to detox your home

Natural foods and pure water help detoxify your body — but that’s only half of the story. Many contaminants come from household products that you use every day. Send pollutants packing with these four easy steps.

Lose toxic trash

Paint, oil, and batteries contaminate soil and ground water, as well as old computers which contain lead. Take them to your local collection centre.

Avoid ammonia and chlorine

They have been linked to cancer, hormonal problems, and brain, nerve and liver damage; even small amounts can irritate skin and lungs. Buy natural cleaning products based on citrus peel extracts; or, make your own all-purpose cleaner: 2 teaspoons bicarbonate of soda, 1 tablespoon liquid soap, juice of 1 lemon, and 2 cups of hot water in a spray bottle.

Purge pesticides

A little jam laced with borax makes an effective ant poison; place on a dish near trails. (Note: Borax is poisonous, so keep it away from food, children and pets.) Make a cockroach trap by half-filling a jar with beer. They’ll die happy. If you must use an insecticide, buy one based on natural pyrethrum. Fit fly-wire screens and grow pest-repelling plants such as mint near doors.

Prevention is better than cure

Planning to renovate? First identify toxicity problems — e.g. asbestos, old fibreglass insulation, or lead paint — that you should fix while you’re tearing things apart. Make environmentally friendly, non-toxic choices, such as milk and lime-based paints for walls, and ceramic tile, slate, hardwood, bamboo or plantation cork for floors. Get rid of old vinyl flooring: the manufacturing process requires vinyl chloride, a carcinogen, and it can gas off phthalates, troublesome chemicals that disrupt hormones. If you’re set on carpet, go for wool or cotton with a natural backing, and ensure no insecticide or mothproofing has been added. Plywood and particleboard, which are used in nearly all kitchen cabinets, contain formaldehyde, a volatile organic compound (VOC) which is thought to cause cancer in animals. Applying a VOC-sealant can help, or ask for solid wood or low-emission materials. In the bathroom, insist on solvent-free, low-VOC sealants, adhesives and caulks.