4 Places Toxic Chemicals May Be Hiding In Your Home

Your home should be your safe zone where your health and safety are assured. You’ve likely invested or added different things to your home’s interior to ensure that you create a safe space for yourself and your family. However, despite your best efforts, hazardous substances may lurk in areas of your home you least suspect, slowly affecting your health. Discovering all the hidden sources of toxic chemicals in your home allows you to eliminate them and create a safer living space. Are you wondering which toxic chemicals could be hiding in your home? Here are a few.
- Skincare products
Believe it or not, products supposed to promote personal care could have contents that could harm your health. Moisturizers, body wash products, deodorants, facial creams, and other skincare products are designed to make self-care easier. However, behind their convincing claims and appealing fragrances, some products have toxic chemicals that could damage your health long-term. Some chemicals have been linked to cancer, allergies, and reproductive issues. Of course, that isn’t the case for all skincare or personal care products, which is why experts advise buying products made with natural ingredients.
For example, if you already use CBD products, you can consider adding CBD skincare products to your skincare routine. You can focus on those that combine the power of natural botanicals to create toxic-free skincare products. You can find such products on platforms like CBDistillery.
- Flame retardants in your couch
As surprising as this may sound, the couch you sit on could make you sick. That’s because there’s quite a chance it’s been coated with a flame-retardant chemical. While these chemicals do a good job of slowing down the effect of fire and giving you enough time to escape, they can also be very toxic when they find their way into your body through inhalation, ingestion through food, and absorption through the skin.
Flame retardant chemicals can also be found on other household materials, from cable covers to paints. Some studies have shown that toxins from flame retardants can lead to delayed mental and physical development, memory and learning problems, thyroid disruption, reduced fertility, advanced puberty, and lower IQ, among others. You can check the labels on your furniture before purchasing them to ensure they don’t contain such chemicals.
- Artificial air fresheners
It’s not uncommon to walk into homes and find air fresheners blasting artificial fragrances into the atmosphere. Although there’s nothing wrong with wanting your home to smell fresh, studies show artificial air fresheners pose several health risks. Researchers have identified toxic chemicals in air fresheners that can lead to headaches and respiratory difficulties. Some studies have also linked the inhalation of artificial air fresheners to cancer and endocrine disruptors.
A great alternative to help your home smell fresh is by getting natural indoor plants or opening your windows during the day if the weather permits. You can also try natural fragrances such as lavender, cedarwood, and so on.
- Cleaning products
Have you ever experienced a headache after cleaning your bathroom? Did you use some cleaning products? If yes, your headache most likely results from some chemicals in your cleaning product. Most cleaning products contain toxic chemicals that are bad for your health. Inhaling such chemicals could explain the cause of your headache. The best way to prevent this is to invest in non-toxic cleaning products or natural homemade products.