Toxic Chemicals: How to Get Rid of Them and Prevent Them From Getting Into Your Home in the First Place

Despite the sensationalism contained in most news reports, there actually are a great deal of substances within homes and commonly used products that will degrade your health over time. The most insidious threats dwell within the home since you're always in that environment and the effects may be so subtle that you won't notice until you or a family member has experienced a permanent decline in health. Luckily, with a proactive spirit it's possible to head off the worst threats before they have an impact, and the first step is to gain a bit of knowledge.

 Asbestos

This is a common one. Asbestos was popular in building materials due to its strength and thermal resistance, but once it gets in the air it becomes an extremely dangerous carcinogen that's linked to lung cancer and mesothelioma. The good news is that new regulations have kept asbestos out of modern housing products. The bad news is that if you live in an older home then you've probably been exposed to some of the offending building materials.

If you suspect that you've got asbestos in your home, you'll want to call a professional inspector. If you try to do it yourself you'll probably make things worse unless you have the proper protective equipment. This is doubly true if an asbestos product has started to crumble. It's most commonly found in ductwork, roofing tiles, insulation, and popcorn ceilings, and if you suspect that an item in your home contains asbestos, you should contact someone immediately.

If you are qualified to handle it on your own, you'll want to seal up any vents within your home and remove any furniture from the immediate area. Asbestos products should be soaked in water before they're removed from the home, and you should eliminate each one in small pieces so as to reduce the likelihood that pieces will break off and contaminate your home. If removal of the offending product is impossible, then it seal it off from everything else. Make sure to double bag each piece of debris and take it somewhere that specializes in asbestos disposal. Do not throw it out with the regular trash. Asbestos is much too harmful to be allowed to mix into the air and pollute the environment.

Cigarette Smoke

While it's easier said than done, the best way to clear it from your home is simply to stop. The carcinogenic effects of cigarette smoke are well documented, and it's a big enough health threat to you and everyone in your home -- especially children -- that there's no reason to keep doing it. If you're going to smoke, at least do it outside.

As for getting rid of the smell, there are a few simple ways to do it. Unbeknownst to most people, vinegar is very good at absorbing odors, and if you fill a couple bowls with vinegar and place them around the house for a few days your home will smell much better than it did before, although it may take a little while for scent of vinegar to go away.

Laundry Detergent

The following can be said about many household products, but you want to be especially careful about laundry detergents since you absorb a lot of things through your skin. Harmful ingredients include but are not limited to chlorine, sulfuric acid, formaldehyde, and phenol.

Nearly every product on the shelves at major retailers like Wal-Mart will contain some harmful ingredient or another, so the best option is to look for alternatives at a healthfood store or use vinegar as a substitute. Although it may sound like an old wive's tale, vinegar is useful for a number of things thanks to its bacteria killing properties, and it's just as good at removing odors or cleaning grimy surfaces as many of the expensive chemical concoctions marketed by corporations.

If it's used in place of detergent it even softens fabric, eliminating the need for a separate product altogether. Your clothes will also come out smelling fresher than you'd probably expect given vinegar's strong scent; it meshes perfectly with whatever scents you wear on a day-to-day basis. Just make sure to use natural products since nearly all commercial deodorant contains harmful elements, the worst of which is probably the aluminum they put in antiperspirants. It's linked to Alzheimer's, and preventing your body from sweating isn't a good idea, either.


Vinegar may well be the holy grail of home products, but it can't cleanse every toxin. Modern life is filled with products that aren't fit for human use or consumption that make it into our homes anyway, and the only solution is to be constantly vigilant. Just make sure not to become paranoid. Nobody's out to get you; corporations are just lazy and greedy, and they'll cut corners wherever they can. The general rule of thumb is to make things yourself whenever you can, and if you're looking at a big-ticket purchase like a house, make sure to research the materials that are currently in use so you can get the best bang for your buck both in terms of the quality of your home and your health.