With pollution being an ever-present issue in modern times, most people probably assume they are safer when indoors. On average, most people spend about 90 percent of their time indoors. However, most homes have air pollution two to five times greater than the air outside. I almost fell on my back when I read this statistic. But don’t despair—by making small and simple changes around your home, the air quality can dramatically improve.
If you're committed to living your best life - you have no time to allow harmful chemicals to drag you down. Especially the harmful chemicals we are using in and around our homes. When you discover that cleaning with nature actually makes the process joyful, you will never go back to using all those toxic products we have been using for years! Yes I just said that.
When I first rolled up my sleeves and little by little transitioned our entire home through my little DIY creations - I actually began to LOVE taking care of my home. I haven't bought a single cleaner in over 2 years, and I'm excited to teach you the simple approaches.
Did you know that NASA discovered that certain plants actually remove the harmful chemicals in your air? Read more about it here. For most people, the first step to changing their whole health begins with Green Cleaning - it's the launching pad. Because it's a simple + effective transition to make, and it gives you the confidence to take on small changes in other areas of your life.
Here's a cool fact: When you reduce your exposure to harmful chemicals, you will start to experience an upgrade in other areas - your emotions, your body system health ... suddenly your home feels more peaceful.
Using the Green Approach
The following five plants will help naturally purify the air in your home. Each is NASA-certified as plants that can remove harmful compounds from the air.
Peace Lily — Possesses the ability to improve air quality indoors by 60 percent. It also helps keep shower curtains and tiles free from mildew, and can absorb the vapors from alcohol and acetone.
Eucalyptus — The leaves are filled with tannins that can raise healthy fluids in the body’s air passages. Breathing the scent of this plant promotes feelings of clear breathing. doTERRA Eucalyptus oil comes from eucalyptus leaves. The oil’s ability to promote feelings of clear breathing and relaxation are two of the main reasons eucalyptus makes a great houseplant.
English Ivy — This is the perfect plant for pet-lovers and office workers alike. It has the ability to clean the air of airborne fecal matter and benzene, a chemical commonly found in office equipment that makes focusing difficult.
Boston Fern — Great for anyone who suffers from occasional dry skin. This plant acts as a natural humidifier. It helps restore moisture to the air, especially in the cold winter months. It also removes traces of formaldehyde, commonly found in surface cleaners.
Spider Plant — Do not let its name fool you, this plant is anything but creepy. Within two days the spider plant can remove almost 90 percent of toxins in your home. It gets rid of harmful substances like mold and dust allergens, but its real power is the ability to absorb formaldehyde and carbon monoxide.
Many of us spend a great deal of time indoors, at work or in our homes. By adding a plant or two and making other simple changes, air quality in your surroundings can improve radically.
Other Easy Ways to Clean Your Air
Some simple things you might not think of can also improve the pollution in your home. These include:
Take your shoes off as soon as you get home
Chances are that at some time during the day your shoes walked across the grass in the park, into a pubic bathroom, or across the sidewalk. In all of these places your shoes picked up a number of contaminates, such as e-coli, pesticides, or formaldehyde. When you wear shoes in your home, you run the risk of infecting your family with any of these toxins. This is a habit that we picked up while living in the USA and might be a little difficult to implement her in South Africa, but it is definitely worth it - and you will have a lot less cleaning to do. :-)
Use the correct cleaners
Using natural cleaners such as the doTERRA On Guard® Cleaner, or making your own cleaning products, will reduce the amount of harmful gases in your home. Here is an awesome free e-book with some great DIY Cleaner Recipes to get you started.
Vacuum regularly
Dust mites are a normal occurrence in any home, but they hold onto bacteria and unsavory smells. Frequent vacuuming will reduce the amount of dust mites. Don’t forget to clean your bed too! I make an easy DIY Bed Cleaner by taking a half a cup of baking soda, adding it to an empty glass spice shaker and adding 5 drops each of Peppermint and Lavender essential oils. I give it a good shake and sprinkle it generously over the mattress. Leave it for 1-2 hours and then just vacuum it up. This DIY can also be used on carpets or rugs.
Diffuse essential oils
Certain essential oils and blends such as Purify, doTERRA On Guard®, Lemon, Lime, and Melaleuca (Tea Tree) contain powerful cleansing properties.
I absolutely love the idea of using green plants to purify the air of my home. If you want to learn more about getting essential oils into your home or how you can order your own, go here.
Happy green cleaning!
