Detoxing Start with Your Home
by Joan L. McDaniel April 26, 2019
My original article re-published
Since I left the hospital in February 2012, I was on sick leave from work and later disability. I had accumulated several weeks of vacation to use to get well. I didn’t have much of a budget, and would have to find a cure without spending any extra money. So I turned to my home and its back-yard. I had been raised respecting Mother Earth and working the land was a great place to start.
I guess that is why I even approached the ability to find natural methods to change my life style from dependence to independence. I had health insurance but it only covered doctor visits and he didn’t seem to have many suggestions except elevate the head of my bed and take the 13 different prescriptions daily.
I first approached the world around me looking to eliminate toxins.
I began in my home. I read somewhere the power of natural food and gardens but what about house plants? I had found an article listing several plants that actually added oxygen to the air around me. I used the information in the article and added some info and published the following article.
Detox your Home, Fill it With Green
Detox and Purify Your Home
By Joan McDaniel September 28, 2014
Purify the Air in Your Home
Before you invest in a Home Negative ionizes and Air Purifier Filtering Systems or load up on smelly candles, room fresheners, sprays, and other synthetic air fresheners why not give nature a chance and cleaning the air in your home? The age-old slogan of “Open the Windows” comes to mind.
That may be fine but winter is coming and the window isn’t an option so fill your house with Green plants instead. Having the house filled with fresh-cut flowers is a wonderful luxury and a great way to stay out of the husband fearing doghouse. Flowers make you smile but they don’t stay fresh for long so why not use Green Plants instead?
A Home can be filed with Toxins
Consumer Products that use Formaldehyde
The air in our homes has been shown to contain harmful allergens and toxins. The toxins ultimately end up in our bodies. Toxins like cigarette smoke to manmade building materials, out-gassing carpets, household cleaners, dust, food, furniture, paint, shampoos and Lotions, to open air flame like a fireplace. Just about every that uses glue uses formaldehyde which is a carcinogen.
In general the indoor environment can lead to poor air quality and health issues. I have slowly replaced what I can with natural fabrics and cookware but toxins are there unless I want to live sitting on the floor. Even the floor is put together with glue.
There are Many Type of Synthetic Home Air Freshener Products
From Air Freshener Sprays, “Green” Cleaning products, and Candles American’s can find unlimited amount of products that claim to freshen the home. But many ad toxins and create allergic reactions and actually reduce the air quality. They don’t remove the toxins they just cover the smell. You might as well be smoking 10 packs of cigarettes a day. At least with the cigarettes you can see the film, fog and smell the pollutant. With the chemical sprays you can’t see anything. There is a whole host of cleaners called “Green” Products. If you think they have the power to bring the freshness of nature inside just read the labels.
The House Plant — Grow fresh air.
This is one great way to detox you home? Plants use Photosynthesis to absorb energy from light. Plants act like filters removing Carbon Dioxide and other toxins from the air and then produces nice clean oxygen. Plants increase the oxygen in the air and oxygen is what your body needs to stay well.
All plants undergo photosynthesis, a process that removes carbon dioxide from the air and in turn, releases oxygen.
I now have so many plants in the windows I have taken down the curtains.
You want house plants that either have large broad leaves, or have a lot of leaves
According to Positivemed
“1. Bamboo Palm: According to NASA, it removes formaldehyde and is also said to act as a natural humidifier.
2 Snake Plant: Found by NASA to absorb nitrogen oxides and formaldehyde.
3 Areca Palm: One of the best air purifying plants for general air cleanliness.
4 Spider Plant: Great indoor plant for removing carbon monoxide and other toxins or impurities. Spider plants are one of three plants NASA deems best at removing formaldehyde from the air.
5 Peace Lily: Peace lilies could be called the “clean-all.” They’re often placed in bathrooms or laundry rooms because they’re known for removing mold spores. Also known to remove formaldehyde and trichloroethylene.
6 Gerbera Daisy: Not only do these gorgeous flowers remove benzene from the air, they’re known to improve sleep by absorbing carbon dioxide and giving off more oxygen overnight.”
There are many Indoor Plants that Clean the Air and Remove Toxins
There is Aloe, Janet Craig dieffenlachior, ivy’s, dracaenas, ferns, palms, pathos, philodendron, rubber, spider, Yucca, and many more. There are short plants fit well in a window stile or floor plants that grow to the ceiling. The colors are mostly green some variations are green and yellow or purple.
From all the articles I read about house plants the following plants seem to be the easiest to grow and provide you with a green thumb.
Just don’t over water them which is the main killer of house plants. You can check to see if the plant needs water by testing the dirt with your finger, press gently into the dirt about an inch, if you feel wetness, you’re okay. If it feels dry it’s time to water. Leaf drop is a good indication of over watering.
Keep the roots from sitting in water. Try to find self-watery pots.
Self-watering pots have two bottoms one hold the excess water and the second hold the plant. The second pot has holes in the bottom and the plant’s roots draw up the water. If you can’t find those then at least get pots that have holes and a take up plate or tray at the bottom. Keep the roots from sitting in water.
Indoor Plants that Clean the Air:
These plants have been found to improving the air quality. They are very common and should be very easy to find locally.
Aloe
Aloe plants increase the oxygen levels in your home and absorb toxins. According to Earthship, one pot of aloe is equivalent to nine biological air cleaners. Besides cleaning the air in my home, I take it internally it has helped be with my “Leaky Gut”. See my article on the subject.
Golden Pothos (Scindapsus aures)
Another powerful plant for tackling formaldehyde, this fast-growing vine will create a cascade of green from a hanging basket. Consider it for your garage since car exhaust is filled with formaldehyde. (It is also known as devil’s ivy for this plant stays green even when kept in the dark.)
Spider Plant (Chlorophytum comosum)
If you are looking for an easy plant to give you that Green Thumb, the spider plant fits the bill. You will have a hard time killing this resilient plant. It is also called Airplane plants for the shoots look like airplane propellers or called hen-and-chickens. The shoots can be used to grow another plant just put the shoots in water or directly into potting soil.
Spider Plants grow best in bright but indirect light so set it near a window. Water freely.
Boston Fern (Nephrolepis exacltata)
The Boston fern is another hardy plant and very attractive. The Boston fern is one of the most common of all indoor ferns.
Besides cleaning the air and filling it with oxygen the English Ivy also reduces airborne fecal-matter particles mold. The feces and mold has been shown to be removed within only 6 hours.
Bamboo palm (Chamaedorea sefritzii)
There are many type of palms Dwarf Date, Areca, Bamboo, Lady’s, and reed.
A palm plant is normally large and sits on the floor. A small palm thrives in shady indoor spaces and often produces flowers and small berries.
Snake Plant or Mother-in-Law’s Tongue (Sansevieria trifasciata ‘Laurentii’)
This indoor plant is just about indestructible. This plant is a good first choice to start out easy. Snake plants require little to no lighting.
Rubber Plant (Ficus elastica)
Last but not least, is the Rubber Plant. These plants require minimal lighting and are easy to care for. It thrives in bright rooms. Note the leaves can be toxic, so keep them away from any pets in your home.
Scented Candles Are Toxic
While researching indoor air quality I came across something I did not know. Candles pollute the indoor air as bad as second-hand smoke. Candles are made of paraffin wax. Paraffin is a petroleum waste product that has to be deodorized and bleached before it can be used as candle wax. The wick in the candle often contain heavy metals like lead and can fill the air with metals when burned. If you can find them, some wicks are made of cotton or paper. Depending on the length of time the candle burns this can be a lot of toxins filling the air. Many candles have synthetic sense and dyes which are – You guessed it TOXIC!
Beeswax Candles.
There and alternative for candles that being Beeswax
Beeswax fill the air with negative irons like Himalayan Salt lamps. I have heard you can find 9-hour beeswax candles to burn which will come in handy for power outages. Also they are small but tea lights for candle holders. Salt lamps are covered a little later.
What are Positive Ions?
You may not know the difference between positive ions and negative. You can experience the feeling after a sudden rainstorm or a wild thunder-storm. You also experience this feeling around the forces of nature like ocean waves, rainstorms, sunlight, waterfalls, and wind they all create negative ions.
Prior to the thunderstorm, you can feel the buildup of tension in the air as the positive ions reach their peak. Once the storm hits, the air produces electrical charges in the atmosphere and rain falls. The resulting oxygen-rich air bursts with negative ions. Once the storm passes, you can feel the sensation and clarity in the air.
Positive ions are generated by electrical devices like your computer and hand-held phone, by scented candles, by walking across carpet, and even by heating/cooling systems. They are a fact of life, but they can carry everything from dust to pollen to toxic mold, so it is important to reduce them. Indoor air typically has a higher concentration of positive ions.
This is where negatively charged ions come in. They bind together and have a heavier molecular weight so they are no longer floating around the air.
Himalayan Salt Crystal Lamps
Himalayan salt crystal lamps consist of a crystalized salt structure with a light inside. Salt crystal candles are also available. Salt naturally attracts water and a crystal lamp pulls water vapor out of the air which means it also pulls out pollen and dissolves the vapor. Turning a salt crystal lamp on improves the air purification process because the lamp creates heat. The lamp even works when it is turned off.
Salt Crystal lamps also emit negative ions and oxygen to the air like after a thunderstorm.
Salt crystal lamps are normally small and can fit different indoor area.
Don’t Forget the Family Cat!!
As I filled my home with Oxygen and the addition of green plants, Beeswax candles and a Salt Lamp my Cat was in the center of it all.
Indoor Plants for the Cat
I had acquired a new kitten and found it was extremely attracted to my addition of plants. I would acquire a potted plant only to find it flat the next day. The culprit? My Cat.
Cats or at least this cat loves to eat greens. A catnip plant comes to mind but I found my cat needs its own grass and it is called wheatgrass.
“I need a shot…of wheatgrass!”
Cats are natural carnivores. They eat grass for their digestion and help get rid of those hair balls you sometimes find on the carpet. The kitty is on to something. Munching wheatgrass can actually be beneficial for their health.
Digestive Health
The fiber in wheatgrass is good for kitty’s digestion it is a natural laxative. It not only helps with hair balls but digested bad food and any toxins. Eating wheatgrass can actually help kitty rid her body of poisonous or inedible matter. Wheatgrass contains chlorophyll and folic acid, which assists in the production of hemoglobin, the protein that moves oxygen through the blood. This will give her more energy to chase birds and play with that catnip toy.
You can’t tell the cat what to eat but better it eat its own plant than mine. Eating wheatgrass is safer than eating outdoor grass. In fact I eat a little wheat grass too.
The Health Benefits of Wheatgrass
Few plants are as highly associated with health as wheatgrass. Wheatgrass provides a concentrated amount of nutrients, including iron, calcium, magnesium, amino acids, chlorophyll, and vitamins A, C and E. Video (5:21):
Holistic Health
The Health Benefits of Wheatgrass – The Facts
https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=5&v=__DxSzcfMSo
Few plants are as highly associated with health as wheatgrass. Wheatgrass provides a concentrated amount of nutrients, including iron, calcium, magnesium, amino acids, chlorophyll, and vitamins A, C and E. Wheatgrass fans say that its rich nutrient content boosts immunity, kills harmful bacteria in your digestive system, and rids your body of waste. Some proponents tout wheatgrass for cancer, anemia, diabetes, constipation, infections, skin conditions, colon cleansing, ulcerative colitis and joint pain, among other health concerns. The benefits of wheatgrass come from the raw plant. Since the plant itself is indigestible, juicing is the most common way of taking wheat grass. There are few scientific studies documenting the benefits of wheatgrass, but proponents are steadfast in their support of the green juice. Source : Mayo Clinic
Till Next Time
Sources
http://www.drbenkim.com/dangers-air-fresheners.html
http://www.healthextremist.com/indoor-plants-that-clean-the-air-and-remove-toxins/
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