How to Live a Non Toxic Life: The Ultimate Beginners Guide to Non Toxic Living

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This post is all about how to live a non toxic life and non toxic living.

For as long as I can remember, I have always been a health conscience person. By this, I mean I’ve always tried to be mindful of what I am putting into and onto my body, and try to make healthy choices.

But recently, I decided to take it a step further and start living more of a non toxic life in every sense.

For me, this journey began as I started venturing into minimalism. The less “stuff” I had, the more I was able to assess the things that actually take up space in my life.

I started asking questions like “what is actually in this product?” or “is this product free of toxic ingredients?”

Another factor is that I work from home full time, so I spend 90% of my life inside my home. Given this, I decided it was time to start paying better attention to my surroundings and my daily exposures.

If you are in the same situation and you are curious about venturing into non toxic living, or if you simply just want some non toxic living tips, this post is for you!

Read on for how to live a non toxic life.

The Benefits of Living a Non Toxic Life

So what exactly are the perks of non toxic living?

Well, this may seem self explanatory, but the pain pro to a non toxic lifestyle is that you will be living healthier.

This means you won’t be incorporating toxic products or behaviors into your life and the end goal is obviously to be healthier, and happier.

There is also the added benefit of non toxic living is better for the environment. Non toxic products are environmentally friendly.

How to Live a Non Toxic Life

The following are split up into home and self care and beauty non toxic living tips.

Household Tips for Living a Non Toxic Life

1. Cut Back on Home Fragrances

One of the easiest non toxic habits you can adopt is to stop burning candles in your home.

If you’re like me and can’t resist the urge to burn a candle on a crisp fall evening, opt for soy candles instead as they are cleaner burning and don’t emit carcinogens.

You can also ditch the potent aerosol room sprays.

An easy, clean alternative is to mix a spray bottle with a few drops of your favorite essential oil and some witch hazel, rubbing alcohol, or vodka.

2. Convert to Glass Tupperware

Plastic Tupperware may be cheaper, but it is known to be filled with toxic chemicals, especially when you microwave food inside the plastic.

Instead convert to some quality glass Tupperware such as the one below.

3. Avoid Copper Kitchenware

Copper is known to have toxic side effects. Medical Medium also explains that copper builds up in the liver and causes all types of mystery diagnoses.

I don’t know about you, but for me, it’s not worth the risk for a Moscow Mule.

If you are interested in a good alternative, these rust proof stainless steel mugs are super cute and non toxic.

4. Convert to Non Toxic Cookware

The cookware you are preparing your food in is a source of potential toxins.

If in doubt, go for stainless steel.

This Amazon Basics Stainless Steel Cookware set is perfect if you are wanting to transition to non toxic cookware.

The same thing applies for cooking appliances as well.

Air fryers are super convenient but most of them aren’t non toxic. This one by Oster is completely stainless steel and a great non toxic air fryer option.

5. Protect Against Chemicals

If you do have to use any type of strong cleaning chemicals, pesticides, or are sanding/painting/stripping, it’s important to protect yourself.

This means getting into the habit of wearing a ventilator to protect your lungs and gloves to protect your skin.

6. Use a Natural Detergent

It’s easy to forget that the detergent you use has direct contact with your skin daily. That’s why converting to a non toxic natural detergent is a great step towards living a non toxic life.

One of my favorite non toxic, affordable detergents is the Grab Green 3-in-1 Laundry Detergent.

7. Simplify Your Cleaning Product Collection

Why have a ton of different cleaning products filled with toxic chemicals?

Most, if not all, household messes can be easily cleaned with a combination of vinegar, baking soda, and Castile soap.

8. Regularly Monitor Air Quality

I will admit, up until the Canada wild fire air quality alerts throughout the midwest, I never gave a thought to air quality.

However, it’s now something I frequently check on my weather app. On days when the air quality isn’t the best, you might opt to go for a treadmill run instead of outside.

I also purchased a Dyson Air Purifier during that time and it’s one of the best things ever, especially if you have pets.

9. Soak and Rinse Fresh Produce

Another great non toxic living habit to incorporate is to clean your fresh produce thoroughly.

This can be done by rinsing with a produce cleaner and using a strainer basket.

Pro Tip: Do yourself a favor and wash your produce in bulk right when you bring it home so they are already washed and ready to eat when you pull them out of the fridge.

10. Use Airplane Mode on Your Phone

Most of us spend all day every day with our phones in our hands, without actually knowing how damaging this could be to our health.

Not only can putting your phone on airplane mode when you sleep improve your sleep, it could reduce your exposure to the electromagnetic radiation that phones emit while they’re on.

11. Use Water Filters

Using water filters and making sure they are replaced regularly will limit your exposure to lead, chlorine, and other toxic contaminants and in turn reduce the risk of cancer.

A good rule of thumb is to replace your filters every 3-6 months.

12. Have a “No Shoes In The House” Policy

This could be a hard habit to break at first but the benefits will be worth it.

Not only will it be much easier to keep your floors clean, but it will eliminate bringing harmful bacteria into your home.

A good way to enforce this, and to even remind yourself, is to hang a “Please Remove Your Shoes” sign in your entry way and have a designated area for shoes.

Beauty and Self Care Tips for Living a Non Toxic Life

13. Pay Attention to Ingredients

Start paying attention to the ingredients within your beauty products.

A few toxic chemicals to avoid are:

Phthalates
Lead acetate
Chromium
1,3-butadiene
Titanium Dioxide
Octinoxate
Carbon Black
Benzoylbenzene

If you are serious about starting to monitor the ingredients, download the App “Think Dirty.”

It takes the guesswork out and helps you shop for the safest beauty products with a bar code scanner.

14. Use Less Products

Over the past year, I’ve managed to cut my beauty product collection down to half, maybe even a quarter, of what it used to be.

Most of this is due to my journey into a minimalist lifestyle, but with this came some pretty cool non toxic perks.

P.S. If you are interested in converting to a more minimalist lifestyle, be sure to check out How to Become a Minimalist – The Insanely EASY Guide to Declutter Your Life.

If you’re being honest with yourself, there is really no need to have 5 different body lotions.

Try using only a good quality oil such as grapeseed or coconut oil (which are naturally non toxic).

Same thing goes for fragrances. I used to collect Bath and Body Works Body Mists on top of my actual perfumes. Now, I only have about 3-5 different fragrances total and I aim to keep them non toxic.

One of my favorites is the DedCool Milk Layering Perfume. Not to mention it’s a great signature scent!

15. Stop Consuming Toxic Media

This might mean unfollowing people on social media who don’t inspire you or make you feel badly about yourself.

For me, it also means avoiding watching super violent or demented low-frequency movies.

I used to love watching scary movies until I realized how anxious my mood is after I watch them.

Music can also be a form of media and can be toxic as well so I try to keep my tunes upbeat.

16. Reduce Phone Time and Consumption Altogether

Your phone tracks analytics when it comes to your screen time. If you’re curious, take a look and see just how much time in a day you are spending on your phone.

If you find yourself spending more time than you would like vegging out on your phone, try setting a goal to cut down your daily screen time by 1-2 hours.

17. Stop Repeating Toxic Habits and Patterns

Do you find yourself repeating habits that lead to unnecessary stress?

Some examples might be smoking, drinking, binge eating or under eating, holding grudges, cheating on partners, procrastinating, or constant worrying.

Over time, all of these toxic habits will have a negative effect on your health and wellbeing and it’s worth exploring ways to overcome these.

18. Cut Off Toxic People

People can absolutely be toxic.

If you find yourself dreading contact with certain individuals or noticing conversations with some people cause a stress response, that is your body telling you this relationship might be toxic.

Listen to your body and either cut back communication or cut off relationships with people who are toxic to you. This could be friends, family members, or even romantic partners.

If cutting them off completely isn’t an option, it is important to establish boundaries and limit their access to you.